NCAA TOURNAMENT INITIAL RANKINGS

The tournament committee whetted the appetite for those craving March Madness, releasing the first look at the top 16 seeds Saturday. Overall rank is in parenthesis.

WEST

1. Gonzaga (1)

2. Duke (8)

3. Illinois (12)

4. Texas (16)

MIDWEST

1. Auburn (2)

2. Purdue (7)

3. Texas Tech (10)

4. UCLA (14)

SOUTH

1. Arizona (3)

2. Baylor (5)

3. Tennessee (11)

4. Providence (15)

EAST

1. Kansas (4)

2. Kentucky (6)

3. Villanova (9)

4. Wisconsin (13)

First-/second-round sites: Buffalo, New York; Indianapolis; Fort Worth, Texas; Portland, Oregon; Greenville, South Carolina; Milwaukee; Pittsburgh; San Diego. Sweet 16/Elite Eight sites: United Center, San Antonio, San Francisco, Philadelphia.

Final Four/championship: New Orleans.