March Madness: NCAA Selection Committee reveals Top 16

For the first time ever, the NCAA Selection Committee held a special midseason selection show, revealing its Top 16. The Virginia Cavaliers were named as the 10th overall seed, making them a third seed in the West Region in San Jose, CA alongside Gonzaga, Oregon, and West Virginia.

Michigan State Athletics Director Mark Hollis, who is this year’s chair of the selection committee, cited transparency and public excitement as reasons for this year’s

The overall number 1 seed of the tournament was, as expected, Villanova. Kansas, Baylor and Gonzaga rounded out the overall second, third, and fourth seeds.

Hollis said that the committee found near unanimity when it came to the four number 1 seeds of the tournament. Moving to the two-line, the committee placed teams in regions largely based on geography, as well as avoiding teams within the same conference being in the same region. By committee rule, the first four teams coming out of a conference must be placed in different regions.

Here is what each region looks like, with each team’s overall ranking in parenthesis:

East Region

1. Villanova (1)
2. Louisville (7)
3. Kentucky (12)
4. UCLA (15)

Midwest Region

1. Kansas (2)
2. Florida State (6)
3. Arizona (9)
4. Duke (16)

South Region

1. Baylor (3)
2. North Carolina (5)
3. Florida (11)
4. Butler (13)

West Region

1. Gonzaga (4)
2. Oregon (8)
3. Virginia (10)
4. West Virginia (14)

Take a look at how this compares to Ryan’s prediction earlier this morning.

Here are three interesting takeaways:

1. No Big Ten teams made the top 16 at this point in the season.
2. The ACC, who has been consistent in beating up on each other so far this season, had no Number 1 seeds, but had three teams on the two-line, and five teams in the top 16. Duke was the last team to make it in this early reveal.
3. Undefeated Gonzaga is only the fourth overall seed -- just as Ryan predicted this morning.