Release the Madness 🍿

03/13/2023

By: Jeff Yoder

Everything You Need to Know for the 2023 NCAA Tournament Bracket

It’s bracket time! College basketball’s conference tournaments concluded over the weekend and left behind the final 68 teams in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. There were surprises on the bubble and snubs on the seed lines, but we officially have a bracket to hyper-analyze for the next 72 hours. Alabama (SEC), Purdue (Big Ten), Arizona (Pac-12), Texas (Big 12), Duke (ACC) and Marquette (Big East) were conference champions over the weekend. Let’s rewind the conference title-game highlights and take a look at the bracket.

 

Conference Championships

ACC: Duke def. Virginia (59-49)

Big 12: Texas def. Kansas (76-56)

Big East: Marquette def. Xavier (65-51)

Big Ten: Purdue def. Penn State (67-65)

SEC: Alabama def. Texas A&M (82-63)

Pac-12: Arizona def. UCLA (61-59)

 

No. 1 Overall: Alabama

Alabama passed over Houston and Kansas for the No. 1 overall seed after winning the SEC Tournament with a comfortable blowout against Texas A&M on Sunday. Houston and Kansas both lost their conference finales and opened the door for the Crimson Tide to take the top spot.

 

 1-Seeds: Alabama, Houston, Kansas & Purdue

Despite their losses in conference tournament title games, Houston and Kansas were two of the best teams all season long. The final spot on the 1-line came down to Purdue and UCLA, and the Boilers held on to win the Big Ten final while UCLA lost to Arizona in the Pac-12 finale. Advantage, Boilers.

 

2-Seeds: Arizona, Texas, UCLA, Marquette

3-Seeds: Baylor, Gonzaga, Xavier, Kansas State

4-Seeds: Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, UConn

 

 Bubble Tickets

Last Byes: Boise St., NC State, Utah St., Providence

Last Four In: Pittsburgh, Miss. State, Nevada & Arizona St.

First Four Out: Rutgers, Oklahoma St., Clemson & UNC

Next Four Out: Vanderbilt, Oregon, Wisconsin & Michigan

 

 Biggest Snubs

Rutgers and Oklahoma State were likely the only bubble teams who truly believed they were making the field of 68 on selection Sunday. Texas A&M (7) was the most snubbed by seeding. The Aggies ended up on the 7-line after finishing second in the SEC and reaching the conference finals.

 

 Biggest Sleepers

Two 13-seeds and one 12-seed have great cases for early-round upset bids. #13 Furman (vs. #4 Virginia), #13 Louisiana (vs. #4 Tennessee) and #12 VCU (vs. #5 Saint Mary’s) are first-round upsets to watch. #12 Charleston and #12 Oral Roberts are also sleepers to keep an eye on.

 

 Conference Bid Breakdown

Big Ten: 8 Teams

SEC: 8 Teams

Big 12: 7 Teams

ACC: 5 Teams

Big East: 5 Teams

Pac-12: 4 Teams

Mountain West: 4 Teams

West Coast Conference: 2 Teams

American: 2 Teams

 

Release the brackets! We’ll have coverage of the First Four play-in games on Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as full schedules of first and second-round action before the weekend.

 

View 2023 NCAA Tournament Bracket

First Four: Tuesday & Wednesday (Mar. 14-15)

1st & 2nd Rounds: Thursday – Sunday (Mar. 16-19)

 

The Sportsletter’s Final Four 

I’m sticking with 1s and 2s in my Final Four picks. I think the top 6-8 teams in the country have a leg up on the rest of the field. My Final Four: #1 Kansas, #1 Purdue, #2 Texas and #2 Arizona. Injuries to UCLA and Houston bring them down a peg. I think #2 Arizona takes down #1 Alabama. In the end, I like the Boilers and Jayhawks in the final with Purdue and 7-foot-4 Zach Edey dominating the paint to win it all (77-74).

 

Think your Final Four is better? 

 Join The Sportsletter’s Bracket Pool 

Group: The Sportsletter

Password: SL2023

 

Additional Storylines

CBS Sports: Ranking Every Team in March Madness From 1 to 68

SI: Ten Takeaways From the Men’s NCAA Tournament Bracket

NCAA: The Absurd Odds of a Perfect NCAA Tournament Bracket

USA Today: NCAA Bracket Winners & Losers: Alabama Peaking, Texas A&M Disrespected

B/R: North Carolina Rejects NIT Invite, Becomes 1st Preseason No. 1 to Miss NCAA Tournament Since 1985

 

Photo: Tom Pennington / Getty Images