Guide to March Madness

It's about that time again, it's March! This is college basketball fans' favorite month of the year and the month they have been waiting for all season. We are coming up on the selection show which will be on Sunday, March 12th. That is the day the college basketball world will find out where, when and who their team will be playing. Bubble teams will be on the edge of their seats to know if they will even be in the tournament or not. This year has been a crazy year in all sorts of ways. Upsets are happening on a daily basis and rankings are changing every week. We even had something happen this year that has never happened before. On February 26th Gonzaga, Arizona, Auburn, Purdue, Kansas and Kentucky (as well as #9 Texas Tech) all went down, these 6 were ranked 1-6 in the nation, marking the first time in the AP poll era that the top 6 teams in the country all lost on the same day.

Every team's regular season was finished on or before March 6th. Now the way the selection for the tournament works is that there are 68 teams total. 32 of them are the winners of the 32 division one conference tournaments, and the other 36 teams, who are called at-large bids, are teams that had good enough seasons to make the tournament, even if they didn’t win their conference tournaments. The tournament itself is a single elimination tournament, and in the first round, all seeds have a specific seed they will play (1 vs. 16,2-15,3-14,4-13,5-12,6-11,7-10,8-9). There are 4 games called the first 4, which are play in games, these consist of two sets of 16 seeds, 1 set of 12 seeds, and 1 set of 11 seeds. The bracket has 4 regionals: West, Midwest, South, and East. Each regional has 16 teams (or maybe more if they have a play-in in the region) seeded 1-16. There are 6 rounds, 7 with the first 4. Those 6 are the round of 64, round of 32, regional semi-finals also known as the sweet 16, the regional finals, known as the elite 8, then the final four, and finally the national championship.

Here are the official rankings 1-68 of every team in the tournament:

1. Gonzaga

2. Arizona

3. Kansas

4. Baylor

5. Auburn

6. Kentucky

7. Villanova

8. Duke

9. Wisconsin

10. Tennessee

11. Purdue

12. Texas Tech

13. UCLA

14. Illinois

15. Providence

16. Arkansas

17. Connecticut (UConn)

18. Houston

19. Saint Mary’s

20. Iowa

21. Alabama

22. Louisiana State (LSU)

23. Texas

24. Colorado State

25. Southern California (USC)

26. Murray State

27. Michigan State

28. Ohio State

29. Boise State

30. North Carolina

31. San Diego State

32. Seton Hall

33. Creighton

34. TCU

35. Marquette

36. Memphis

37. San Francisco

38. Miami (FL)

39. Loyola-Chicago

40. Davidson

41. Iowa State

42. Michigan

43. Wyoming

44. Rutgers

45. Indiana

46. Virginia Tech

47. Notre Dame

48. UAB

49. Richmond

50. New Mexico State

51. Chattanooga

52. South Dakota State

53. Vermont

54. Akron

55. Longwood

56. Yale

57. Colgate

58. Montana State

59. Delaware

60. Saint Peter’s

61. Jacksonville State

62. California State-Fullerton

63. Georgia State

64. Norfolk State

65. Wright State

66. Bryant

67. Texas Southern

68. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

Here are the winners of the conference tournaments (in bold), as well as any other teams from that conference and where they are seeded in the field of 68.

America East - Vermont (13 seed, West)

American Athletic - Houston (5 seed, South), Memphis (9 seed, West)

Atlantic 10 - Richmond (12 seed, Midwest), Davidson (10 seed, West)

Atlantic Coast (ACC) - Virginia Tech (11 seed, East), Duke (2 seed, West), North Carolina (8 seed, East), Miami (10 seed, Midwest), Notre Dame (11 seed (Play-in), West)

Atlantic Sun (ASUN) - Jacksonville State* (15 seed, East)

Big 12 - Kansas (1 seed, Midwest), Baylor (1 seed, East), Texas Tech (3 seed, West), Texas (6 seed, East), TCU (9 seed, South)

Big East - Villanova (2 seed, South), Providence (4 seed, Midwest), Connecticut (5 seed, West), Seton Hall (8 seed, South), Creighton (9 seed, Midwest), Marquette (9 seed, East)

Big Sky - Montana State (14 seed, West)

Big South - Longwood (14 seed, South)

Big Ten - Iowa (5 seed, Midwest), Wisconsin (3 seed, Midwest), Purdue (3 seed, East), Illinois (4 seed, South), Michigan State (7 seed, West), Ohio State (7 seed, South), Michigan (11 seed, South), Rutgers (11 seed (Play-in), West), Indiana (12 seed (play-in), East)

Big West - California State-Fullerton (15 seed, West)

Conference USA - UAB (12 seed, South)

Colonial (CAA) - Delaware (15 seed, South)

Horizon - Wright State (16 seed (Play-in), South)

Ivy League - Yale (14 seed, East)

Metro American Athletic Conference (MAAC) - Saint Peter’s (15 seed, East)

Mid-American (MAC) - Akron (13 seed, East)

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) - Norfolk State (16 seed, East)

Missouri Valley - Loyola-Chicago (10 seed, South)

Mountain West - Boise State (8 seed, West), Colorado State (6 seed, South), San Diego State (8 seed, Midwest), Wyoming (12 seed (play-in), East)

Northeast - Bryant (16 seed (play-in), South)

Ohio Valley (OVC) - Murray State (7 seed, East)

Pacific Athletic Conference (Pac-12) - Arizona (1 seed, South), UCLA (4 seed, East), USC (7 seed, Midwest)

Patriot League - Colgate (14 seed, Midwest)

Southeastern Conference (SEC) - Tennessee (3 seed, South), Auburn (2 seed, Midwest), Kentucky (2 seed, East), Arkansas (4 seed, West), Alabama (6 seed, West), LSU (6 seed, Midwest)

Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) - Texas Southern (16 seed (play-in), Midwest)

Southern (SoCon) - Chattanooga (13 seed, South)

Southland - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (16 seed (play-in), South)

Summit League - South Dakota State (13 seed, South)

Sun Belt - Georgia State (16 seed, West)

West Coast - Gonzaga (1 seed, West), Saint Mary’s (5 seed, East), San Francisco (10 seed, East)

Western Athletic (WAC) - New Mexico State (12 seed, West)

*-Bellarmine is ineligible for the NCAA Tournament so Jacksonville State gets the bid from the ASun

Schedule

March 13th, 2022 - Selection Sunday, the bracket is put out in a segment on CBS and teams are revealed one by one.

March 15th-16th, 2022 - First Four, the 4 play in games between 2 sets of 16 seeds, 1 set of 12 seeds, and 1 set of 11 seeds will play, this is held every year in Dayton, OH. Losers are eliminated and winners go on to face 1 and 6 seeds

March 17th-18th, 2022 - First round games are held in many locations across the country, every team in the bracket except the losing teams in the first 4 play on this day.

March 19th-20th, 2022 - Second round games

March 24th-25th, 2022 - Sweet 16, Regional Semifinals

March 26th-27th, 2022 - Elite 8, Regional Finals in Chicago (Midwest), Philadelphia (East), San Antonio (South), San Francisco

April 2nd, 2022 - Final Four, New Orleans

April 4th, 2022 - National Championship, New Orleans

Before the Tournament

Our players to watch:

Daniel - Benedict Mathurin - Arizona

Mathurin, a Sophomore, sprung onto the national stage early this year, he has already won the PAC-12 player of the year, and is the leading scorer for the Wildcats’ high pace offense, averaging 17.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game, while shooting 46.8% from the field. Illinois fans have already had a sneak peak of Mathurin, as he and Arizona played the Illini back in December of 2021, where Mathurin poured in 30 points and 7 rebounds in a close 83-79 win for the Wildcats. Mathurin is a projected lottery pick in the upcoming 2022 NBA Draft (top 14 picks are lottery picks), listed as the #11 prospect according to ESPN. Most recently, Mathurin helped lead a short-handed Wildcats squad to the championship of the PAC-12 tournament, where they defeated UCLA to become the PAC-12 tournament champions for the third time since 2017. Look out for the Mathurin-lead Wildcats in this tournament.

Drew - Jabari Smith - Auburn

Smith, who is just a freshman, led the Tigers in scoring this year with 17.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, on 44.2% shooting. Smith regularly tops 20 points, eclipsing that feat 12 times this year, including a 31 point outburst against Vanderbilt, and a 28 point showing against Florida. Smith is projected to be a top 5 pick in the upcoming draft, listed as the #2 prospect according to ESPN, and had brought in the honors of SEC Freshman of the Year. Look out for Smith as he tries to lead the Tigers in a deep run in the tournament.

Our teams to watch:

Daniel - Iowa Hawkeyes - Big Ten

You wouldn’t expect a team who lost their 1st, 2nd, and 4th leading scorers just a season ago be able to bounce back the way Iowa has. The Hawkeyes have come back strong, and they are led by the Big Ten’s leading scorer in Keegan Murray. Murray, a lanky 6’8” sophomore, has averaged 23.3 points and 8.6 rebounds for the 24th ranked Hawkeyes. His twin brother has also found a new role. Kris Murray, the Hawkeyes 6th man, has provided 10.3 points and 4.5 rebounds off the bench, including a 29 point outburst against Indiana. The Hawkeyes, who have the 4th best adjusted offensive efficiency (points per 100 possessions, adjusted to their opponent, were 14-7 at the beginning of February, and just 6-6 in the Big Ten, but are now 23-9, and 13-8 in Big Ten play. The Hawkeyes were seeded fifth in the Big Ten tournament, but were able to win 4 games in 4 days to become Big Ten Champions. Look out for the Hawkeyes this year.

Drew - Murray State Racers - OVC

The Racers are a team that you don't want to be playing in March. Despite not being in a very tough conference, Murray State has shocked a lot of people this year after finishing 30-2 and coasting through the Ohio Valley Conference schedule, finishing a perfect 20-0 in conference play and winning the conference tournament. The Racers are ranked 22nd in the nation on Selection Sunday. They are led by Junior Forward KJ Williams who has been great this year averaging 18 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Watch out for the Racers this tournament.

Want to participate?

Join the madness and fill out your own bracket and play against us as the tournament progresses.

After the Start of the Tournament

Biggest upsets:

(15 seed) Saint Peter’s 85, (2) Kentucky 79 (OVERTIME)

(12) Richmond 67, (5) Iowa 63

(12) New Mexico State 70, (5) UConn 63

(8) North Carolina 93, (1) Baylor 86 (OVERTIME)

(11) Michigan 76, (3) Tennessee 68

(15) Saint Peter’s 70, (7) Murray State 60

(11) Iowa State 54, (3) Wisconsin 49

(10) Miami 79, (2) Auburn 61

Best performances (Players):

Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana) - 29 points, 9 rebounds vs. Wyoming

Drew Timme (Gonzaga) - 32 points, 13 rebounds vs. Georgia State

Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga) - 19 points, 17 rebounds, 7 blocks, 5 assists vs. Georgia State

Jamaree Bouyea (San Francisco) - 36 points vs. Murray State

Jabari Smith (Auburn) - 20 points, 14 rebounds vs. Jacksonville State

Cormac Ryan (Notre Dame) - 29 points, 6 rebounds vs. Alabama

Joey Hauser (Michigan State) - 27 points, 8 rebounds vs. Davidson

Kyler Edwards (Houston) - 25 points, 7 rebounds vs. UAB

RJ Davis (North Carolina) - 30 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds vs. Baylor

Hunter Dickinson (Michigan) - 27 points, 11 rebounds vs. Tennessee

Drew Timme (Gonzaga) - 25 points, 14 rebounds vs. Memphis

Kevin Obanor (Texas Tech) - 15 points, 15 rebounds vs. Notre Dame

Charlie Moore (Miami) - 15 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists vs. Auburn

Eddie Lampkin (TCU) - 20 points, 14 rebounds vs. Arizona

Benedict Mathurin (Arizona) - 30 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists vs. TCU

Christian Koloko (Arizona) - 28 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks vs. TCU

Sweet 16 Teams:

West

Gonzaga (1)

Arkansas (4)

Texas Tech (3)

Duke (2)

South

Arizona (1)

Houston (5)

Michigan (11)

Villanova (2)

Midwest

Kansas (1)

Providence (4)

Iowa State (11)

Miami [FL.] (10)

East

North Carolina (8)

UCLA (4)

Purdue (3)

Saint Peter’s (15)