Auburn, Alabama and Duke headline early season elite list as NCAA selection committee picks 'Top 16 seeds in Men's Basketball'

A month before the Division I Selection Committee announces the final list of 68 teams for the NCAA Tournament, Auburn, Alabama, Duke and Florida have emerged as the top seeds.

On the Bracket Preview Show on Saturday, the committee revealed its top 16 teams, with the Auburn Tigers securing the top overall seed by notching 13 Quadrant 1 wins. Alabama earned the second No. 1 spot due to its 8-3 Quadrant 1 record and second-best Wins Above Bubble ranking.

Duke, the only non-SEC team in the top four, claimed the third No. 1 seed with a 20-3 record, including 7-1 on the road. Florida rounded out the top four with its 21-3 record and high rankings in most predictive and results metrics.

Tennessee, Texas A&M, Purdue and Houston were the next four seeds in the selection committee's list. The Volunteers secured fifth place with eight Quadrant 1 victories, while fellow SEC program Aggies gained the No. 6 spot with seven Quadrant 1 wins and a top 5 WAB ranking.

The Boilermakers were ranked seventh thanks to their 14 wins in the first two quadrants, and the Cougars' perfect road record and top-notch predictive metrics placed them in the second four.

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Iowa State, Kentucky head the second eight

Iowa State and Kentucky lead the second batch of eight teams in the top 16. The Cyclones and the Wildcats are at the top of the heap when it comes to victories against Quadrant 1 programs.

Wisconsin and Arizona secured the next spots in the rankings, with the Badgers winning all of their games against teams outside of the Top 25 of the NET ratings. The Tucson-based Wildcats, on the other hand, made the list on seven Quadrant 1 wins and placed inside the Top 10 predictive metrics.

Texas Tech, Michigan, Kansas and St. John's round out the rankings. The Red Raiders won six of seven road games, while the Wolverines captured 11 wins against Quadrant 1 and 2 teams. Kansas, on the other hand, had 10 victories and are high in various metrics across the board.

The Red Storm of coach Rick Pitino took home the No. 16 spot due to their 15-0 record at home and their quality performances in their defeats. St. John's combined margin in its four losses was only seven points.

Here are the Top 16 seeds in order:

Top 16

1. Auburn

2. Alabama

3. Duke

4. Florida

5. Tennessee

6. Texas A&M

7. Purdue

8. Houston

9. Iowa State

10. Kentucky

11. Wisconsin

12. Arizona

13. Texas Tech

14. Michigan

15. Kansas

16. St. John's

The committee then divided the 16 teams into four regional groups using the bracketing principles applied when selecting the 68 squads for the NCAA Tournament. Here are the regional groupings:

South	Midwest	West	East
1. Auburn (1)	Alabama (2)	Florida (4)	Duke (3)
2. Texas A&M (6)	Purdue (7)	Houston (8)	Tennessee (5)
3. Wisconsin (11)	Iowa State (9)	Kentucky (10)	Arizona (12)
4. Texas Tech (13)	Kansas (15)	Michigan (14)	St. John's (16)

Selection Sunday is set for Mar. 16 and the NCAA tournament begins with the Men’s First Four on March 18-19 in Dayton.

The first- and second-round games will be held on Mar. 20 and 22 in Denver, Lexington, Providence and Wichita, and on Mar. 21 and 23 in Cleveland, Milwaukee, Raleigh and Seattle.

The regionals will be held on Mar. 27 and 29 in Newark and San Francisco, while Atlanta and Indianapolis will host the remaining games on Mar. 28 and 30. The Men’s Final Four and the national championship will be in San Antonio on Apr. 5 and 7.

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