The NCAA Tournament selection committee gave college basketball fans a first glimpse into what a March Madness bracket could look like.
The selection committee unveiled the first in-season top 16 NCAA Tournament seeds on Saturday, Feb. 21. The official NCAA Tournament bracket reveal ― aka Selection Sunday ― is scheduled for March 15.
Here’s a look at what we learned from the first NCAA selection committee in-season top 16 seeds reveal for the 2025-26 season:
NCAA Tournament selection committee’s top 16 seeds
Not surprisingly, Michigan is the No. 1 overall seed. However, a matchup with No. 2 Duke on Saturday, Feb. 21, could help change that outlook for the next reveal.
Michigan
Duke
Arizona
Iowa State
UConn
Houston
Illinois
Purdue
Florida
Kansas
Nebraska
Gonzaga
Texas Tech
Michigan State
Vanderbilt
Virginia
NCAA selection committee’s top 16 teams by seeding
No. 1 seeds: Michigan, Duke, Iowa State, Arizona
No. 2 seeds: UConn, Houston, Illinois, Purdue
No. 3 seeds: Florida, Kansas, Nebraska, Gonzaga
No. 4 seeds: Texas Tech, Michigan State, Vanderbilt, Virginia
NCAA Tournament top 16 seeded teams by region
Midwest Region: 1. Michigan; 2. Houston; 3. Florida; 4. Virginia
South Region: 1. Iowa State; 2. UConn; 3. Nebraska; 4. Texas Tech
East Region: 1. Duke; 2. Illinois; 3. Kansas; 4. Vanderbilt
West Region: 1. Arizona; 2. Purdue; 3. Gonzaga; 4. Michigan State
NCAA Tournament top 16 seeded teams by conference
After getting a record-setting 14 teams in the NCAA Tournament in 2025, no SEC programs are projected in the top eight seeds, and only two are projected in the top 16 seeds. The Big 12 and the Big Ten lead the way with five teams each.
Big 12: 5
Big Ten: 5
SEC: 2
ACC: 2
Big East: 1
WAC: 1
