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One month away from the start of the 2022 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, Gonzaga is in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 overall seed.
The NCAA selection committee unveiled the top 16 seeds in the standings Saturday. The Bulldogs, who are currently ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 and Coaches Poll, are sitting at the top of the group and projected to be in the West Region.
Auburn (Midwest), Arizona (South) and Kansas (East) would also be No. 1 seeds in the tournament if it started today.
NCAA March Madness @MarchMadnessMBB
1️⃣ SEEDS:<br><br>Gonzaga<br>Auburn<br>Arizona<br>Kansas<br><br>If the tournament started today, these teams would be on the 1-line. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/BracketPreview?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#BracketPreview</a> <a href=”https://t.co/Zuxb5LvmEE”>pic.twitter.com/Zuxb5LvmEE</a>
Baylor is the next team in line for a No. 1 seed. The Bears were given the No. 2 seed in the south region behind Arizona. Kentucky, Purdue and Duke rounded out the teams on the two line.
Villanova (East), Texas Tech (Midwest), Tennessee (South) and Illinois (West) are the current No. 3 seeds. The No. 4 seeds are Wisconsin (East), UCLA (Midwest), Providence (South) and Texas (West).
Selection committee chair Tom Burnett said on CBS the gap between Gonzaga, Auburn and Arizona at the top is “razor thin”
Gonzaga, which has spent five weeks ranked No. 1 in the AP poll this season, has won 15 consecutive games since a 91-82 loss to Alabama on Dec. 4. Head coach Mark Few’s team was the top overall seed last year after going 26-0 before the NCAA tournament.
The Bulldogs made it all the way to the championship game before losing to Baylor. They currently lead the nation in points per game (89.9) and rank second in offensive rating (120.2) and third in defensive rating (86.2), per Sports Reference.
Expectations were modest for Auburn coming into the season, as the team hadn’t made the NCAA tournament since 2019, when it lost to Virginia in the Final Four.
The Tigers were ranked No. 22 in the AP preseason poll and kept steadily rising before finally moving into the top spot on Jan. 24. They stayed there for a total of three weeks before an 80-76 overtime loss at Arkansas on Feb. 8.
Auburn has responded with blowout wins over Texas A&M and Vanderbilt, with a road game against Florida looming Saturday night.
Arizona is seeking its first No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament since the 2013-14 season. The program hasn’t made the tournament since 2017-18.
In their first season under head coach Tommy Lloyd, the Wildcats have been one of the best teams in the nation. They are 23-2 overall with a top-10 offense and defense by rating and have won seven straight games since a 75-59 loss at UCLA on Jan. 25.
Kansas was able to get on the one line despite losing two of its past six games, including an 80-62 blowout defeat at home against Kentucky on Jan. 29.
There are going to be plenty of shakeups before the field of 68 is unveiled on March 13. Conference tournaments are set to begin as soon as Feb. 28. The last No. 1 overall seed to win the NCAA championship was Louisville in 2013, though that title was later vacated as part of the fallout from the bribery scandal.
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