The highly anticipated NCAA March Madness Tournament will kick off with Selection Sunday on Sunday, March 17. Until then, experts and casuals alike are calculating where teams will fall as the NCAA Regular Season comes to a close. 

MEN’S TOURNAMENT: 

The bracket watch, courtesy of ESPN, has Purdue as the top overall seed, Texas A&M as the first team out, and Indiana State as the last team in. Notable predicted teams include Cinderella-story Florida Atlantic University as the 9 seed in the Midwest, reigning champion UCONN as the East’s 1 seed, upset-delivering Princeton as the South’s 12 seed, and rare participant McNeese as the West’s 13 seed.  

The Big 12 currently occupies the most spots with 9, followed by the SEC with 7 and the Big East with 6. The number one seeds seem to be pretty solid (Purdue, UCONN, Tennessee, and Houston), while all other seeds are up for grabs.  

The First Four round will be March 19-20, while the true action begins Thursday, March 21. The Final Four games will take place Saturday, April 6, and Monday, April 8.  

WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT: 

The number one seeds are panning out to be South Carolina, Iowa, Stanford, and USC, while the number two seeds look to be Texas, LSU, Ohio State, and UCLA. With a lot of big name schools, it is sure to be a shootout until the end, especially featuring the undisputed star of the year: Caitlin Clark with Iowa.  

Selection Sunday is the same as Men’s, occurring on Sunday, March 17. The rounds follow a similar date pattern to the Men’s tournament, but the Final Four matchups are earlier, both occurring on Friday, April 5. The championship game will be Sunday, April 7. 

OVERALL THOUGHTS: 

After last year’s incredible final field selection (no team above a 4 seed), it will be hard for March Madness to live up to the hype of 2023. However, I feel the women’s tournament will surprise everyone with the level of competition, and more Cinderella stories are prone to happen with the men. Remember: comfortability is March Madness’s prime weapon.