March Madness brackets set, with 14 SEC teams in the men’s : NPR

Move over, Big East and ACC: College basketball has a new heavyweight conference.

The Southeastern Conference, normally known for its dominance on the football field, has set a new March Madness record by sending 14 of its 16 teams to the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament. The SEC also boasts two of the tournament’s four No. 1 seeds, Auburn and Florida.

And the South Carolina women’s basketball team, led by head coach Dawn Staley, earned a No. 1 seed in their journey to defend last year’s national championship. But the women’s field this year is packed with other serious contenders, including UCLA, USC and UConn. 

On the men’s side, some of sport’s powerhouse programs had mixed records this season, and their seeds reflected that. While the Duke Blue Devils were named a No. 1 seed for the 15th time, other perennial names like Kansas and UConn were given No. 7 and No. 8 seeds, respectively, while another, North Carolina, managed only a No. 11 seed and will have to win a Tuesday play-in game in order to reach the round of 64. 

The men’s tournament tips off Tuesday, and the full Round of 64 gets underway Thursday and Friday. The women’s tournament follows a day behind, with the first games Wednesday and the Round of 64 beginning Friday.

Here’s what to know:

Who are the No. 1 seeds? 

No surprise, the 28-5 Auburn Tigers were awarded the tournament’s top overall seed. Auburn lost only five games all season long. Four of those losses belong to opponents that are now seeded No. 1 or No. 2 in the NCAA tournament — Duke, Florida, Alabama and Tennessee. And the Tigers have lost three of their last four games, which doesn’t usually bode well for their tournament chances.

Another No. 1 seed was awarded to 31-3 Duke. The Blue Devils’ star freshman forward Cooper Flagg sprained his ankle Thursday, but Duke went on to win the ACC tournament without him. He’s expected to be available for the tournament.

Rounding out the men’s top seeds are 30-4 Houston and 30-4 Florida, which locked in their spots with their titles in the Big 12 and SEC conference tournaments, respectively.

In the women’s bracket, the top overall seed was awarded to UCLA — the first time in program history the Bruins earned a No. 1 seed. That’s a name with a lot of history in the men’s game, where the Bruins have won 11 national titles and reached the Final Four 19 times. But UCLA women’s basketball has had nowhere near that level of success: They’ve never reached the Final Four. With stars Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice, anything less will be a disappointment.

Rounding out the top seeds are South Carolina, Southern Cal and Texas. Though South Carolina went undefeated last season, they look more vulnerable this season — and any of those top seeds, plus tough No. 2 seeds like UConn and TCU, could end their repeat hopes.    

Lauren Betts, No. 51 of UCLA, and JuJu Watkins, No. 12 of USC, are two of college basketball’s best players. Both teams earned a No. 1 seed.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images/Getty Images North America

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Andy Lyons/Getty Images/Getty Images North America

Who could be this year’s Cinderella teams? 

On the men’s side, the trendiest upset pick might be the No. 11 Drake Bulldogs, led by first-year head coach Ben McCollum. McCollum won four Division II national titles at his previous school, Northwest Missouri State. They’ll face No. 6 Missouri on Thursday. 

Keep your eye, too, on UC San Diego. It’s no small feat for a mid-major school to qualify for the tournament at all — let alone in the first season it was eligible. The Tritons have done just that, and for their efforts were awarded a No. 12 seed and a first-round matchup Thursday against No. 5 seed Michigan. 

In the women’s tournament, higher seeds have always had more success than in the men’s game. No team worse than a No. 3 seed has ever cut down the nets.

One contender to make that history could be Iowa. Yes, the Hawkeyes have been runner-ups the last two years in a row. But that was with megastar Caitlin Clark, who graduated last year and now plays in the WNBA. This year, Iowa doesn’t have the resume for seed higher than No. 6, but still the Hawkeyes have been frisky, knocking off then-No. 4 USC in February on the day Clark’s jersey was retired.

Which first-round matchups should I watch? 

In the men’s tournament, Missouri vs. Drake will be circled on a lot of fans’ calendars. Fans will also have an eye on two Southern region games: Michigan vs. UC San Diego, of course, and No. 4 Texas A&M vs. No. 13 Yale. Both of these higher seeds are on major upset alert: The Tritons have won 15 straight entering the tournament, the nation’s longest winning streak. And Yale last year pulled off the upset against then-No. 4 Auburn. 

It’ll also be intriguing to see if the SEC lives up to the hype. These teams have been so impressive all year long. But the last time one conference sent a record number of teams to the Big Dance — the Big East in 2011 — only two of those teams reached the Sweet 16. Whether the SEC fare any better is still an open question.

In the women’s tournament, big upsets are more rare, and star power is the main draw. (Last year, the women’s title game drew millions more viewers than the men’s, and Clark was a big reason why.) Big names include Juju Watkins at No. 1 seed USC, Paige Bueckers at No. 2 UConn and Flau’jae Johnson with No. 3 LSU. All of them should be a great watch, no matter the opponent. 

When do the tournaments begin? 

The men’s tournament tips off with the opening “first four” games on Tuesday and Wednesday, then the madness gets underway next Thursday and Friday with the round of 64.

Men’s First Four

Tuesday, March 18 and Wednesday, March 19

Men’s Round of 64

Thursday, March 20 and Friday, March 21

Men’s Round of 32

Saturday, March 22 and Sunday, March 23

Men’s Sweet 16

Thursday, March 27 and Friday, March 28

Men’s Elite Eight

Saturday, March 29 and Sunday, March 30

Men’s Final Four

Saturday, April 5

Men’s National Championship Game

Monday, April 7

The women begin their tournament a day later, with the first four games on Wednesday and Thursday followed by the full round of 64 next Friday and Saturday.

Women’s First Four

Wednesday, March 19 and Thursday, March 20

Women’s Round of 64

Friday, March 21 and Saturday, March 22

Women’s Round of 32

Sunday, March 23 and Monday, March 24

Women’s Sweet 16

Friday, March 28 and Saturday, March 29

Women’s Elite Eight

Sunday, March 30 and Monday, March 31

Women’s Final Four

Friday, April 4

Women’s National Championship Game

Sunday, April 6