March Madness is here! Everything college basketball fans need to know about Selection Sunday
Posted March 13, 2022 6:00 a.m. EDT
Updated March 14, 2022 12:08 a.m. EDT
One of the most glorious days of the year is finally here for college basketball fans: Selection Sunday.
WRAL's Mark Bergin has put together a guide for everything college basketball fans need to know about Selection Sunday, March Madness and the 2022 NCAA men's college basketball tournament.
How can I watch?
CBS is scheduled to announce the 68-team men’s field for the NCAA Tournament at 6 p.m. ET Sunday.
NCAA.com will also livestream the bracket reveal.
Where can I fill out a bracket?
College basketball fans will want to download the free WRALSportsFan app, which is available for Apple iOS, Android and Amazon devices.
WRALSportsFan will have an for fans to compete with our experts for cash prizes.
What’s the schedule for March Madness?
March 13: Selection Sunday
March 15-16: First Four in Dayton, Ohio
March 17-18: The first round of the NCAA Tournament begins in Cincinnati, Ohio; Fort Worth, Texas; Portland, Oregon; Greenville, South Carolina; Milwaukee; Pittsburgh and San Diego
March 19-20: The second round of the NCAA Tournament begins in Cincinnati, Ohio; Fort Worth, Texas; Portland, Oregon; Greenville, South Carolina; Milwaukee; Pittsburgh and San Diego
March 24-25: The Sweet 16 begins in San Antonio, San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia
March 26-27: The Elite Eight begins in San Antonio, San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia
April 2: The Final Four tips off in New Orleans
April 4: The NCAA Championship tips off in New Orleans
Which teams will earn No. 1 seeds?
Gonzaga entered the week ranked No. 1 in the country and won the West Coast Conference Tournament. The Bulldogs are all but assured a No. 1 seed and will probably even be the top overall team.
Arizona (31-3) entered the week ranked No. 2 and beat UCLA in Saturday night’s PAC-12 Championship game. The Wildcats are projected to get a No. 1 seed too.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi predicts Kansas and Baylor will get the remaining two No. 1 seeds.
On Saturday, Kansas beat Texas Tech to win the Big 12 Tournament. Since head coach Bill Self became the Kansas head coach in 2003, the Jayhawks have won the Big 12 regular season title and conference tournament in the same season nine different times. No other Big 12 school has done that more than once in the same time span.
Lunardi predicts the No. 2 seeds will be Kentucky, Auburn, Duke and Purdue.
On Saturday, Kentucky lost to Tennessee in the SEC semifinals. It likely cost the Wildcats a chance at a No. 1 seed.
The Vols will play Sunday for the SEC title against Texas A&M. The Vols haven’t won the SEC Tournament since 1979. The Aggies haven’t won the SEC Tournament since 1987.
Which ACC schools will make the NCAA Tournament?
Virginia Tech (23-12) is guaranteed to make the NCAA Tournament after beating Duke in the ACC title game. It marks the Hokies’ first ACC Tournament title. Saturday’s victory also marked four wins in four days for the Hokies.
Lunardi predicts five ACC schools will make the tournament: Duke, North Carolina, Miami, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech.
Lunardi does not project for Wake Forest (23-9) to make the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
Despite losing the ACC title game to Virginia Tech on Saturday night, Duke will make the NCAA Tournament, likely as a No. 2 seed. Duke (28-6) entered the week ranked No. 7 in the AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll.
The North Carolina Tar Heels (24-9) likely punched their ticket to the tournament with a road win in the regular-season finale to spoil Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final time coaching at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Coach K is in his 42nd and final season at Duke.
UNC beat Virginia in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday, but lost to Virginia Tech in the semifinals on Friday.
The Blue Devils and Tar Heels were the only two ACC schools ranked at the start of the week. The last time an ACC Tournament started with two or fewer ranked teams was 2013.
Which teams are on the bubble?
As of Saturday night, Lunardi lists Indiana, Michigan, Wyoming and Texas A&M among his last four teams in (to make the NCAA Tournament).
SMU, Xavier, Oklahoma and Wake Forest are among Lunardi’s last four teams out.
Ultimately, a lot hinges on two Sunday games:
- Whether the Texas A&M Aggies can guarantee an NCAA Tournament appearance if they win the SEC Tournament on Sunday.
- Whether Richmond Spiders can beat Davidson in Sunday’s Atlantic 10 title game.
Who are the most exciting players in this year's NCAA Tournament?
There are many great college basketball players from the 68 teams that will make the NCAA Tournament. Here are a few that stand out:
Collin Gillespie, Villanova
Villanova senior guard Collin Gillespie and his teammates missed on a fourth consecutive Big East regular season title, but they won the conference tournament title on Saturday. Gillespie led the Wildcats with 17 points. He scored 10 of his points in the final five minutes of the 54-48 win over Creighton.
Gillespie is averaging 15.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game this season.
Ochai Agbaji, Kansas
Kansas senior guard Ochai Agbaji was named the most outstanding player of the Big 12 Tournament. He became the fifth player to win Big 12 Player of the Year and the conference tournament award in the same season. Agbaji joined Iowa State’s Marcus Fizer (2000), Oklahoma State’s Tony Allen (2004), Texas’ Kevin Durant (2007) and Kansas’ Marcus Morris (2011) to accomplish the feat.
In the second half of Friday’s Big 12 semifinal game against TCU, Agbaji had a spectacular alley-top dunk.
Drew Timme, Gonzaga
Gonzaga junior forward Drew Timme and his mustache took the internet by storm during the 2021 NCAA Tournament. It’s no wonder Timme signed a sponsorship deal with Dollar Shave Club as part of the NCAA’s “Name, Image and Likeness” policy passed in June 2021.
Timme is averaging 17.5 points, 6.3 rebound and 2.7 assists per game this season.
Kofi Cockburn, Illinois
Illinois junior center Kofi Cockburn is the only player in the country averaging 20-plus points and 10-plus rebounds per game.
The Kingston, Jamaica, native averages a mere 0.8 assists per game this season. However, his free-throw shooting improved from 55.3% in the the 2020-2021 season to 65.1% in the 2021-2022 season.
Cockburn attacks the rim with ferocity. Last season, he earned All-American honors.
Johnny Davis, Wisconsin
Wisconsin sophomore guard Johnny Davis won the Big Ten Player of the Year Award after averaging 19.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.2 points per game.
There are multiple reports that Davis has played through injuries throughout the season.
Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
Kentucky junior forward Oscar Tshiebwe is a double-double machine, averaging 17.1 points and 15.3 rebounds per game. He is the leading rebounder in all of college basketball.
On Saturday, the SEC Player of the Year recorded his 27th double-double of the season. The Congo native broke a Kentucky program record of 26 double-doubles set by Dan Issel in 1969-1970.
Jaden Ivey, Purdue
Purdue sophomore guard Jaden Ivey has had a terrific season and is likely going to be a lottery pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
In the 2021-2022 season, Ivey has averaged 17.2 points on 45.9% shooting, 36.7% shooting from three-point range, 4.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
Christian Koloko, Arizona
Arizona junior center Christian Koloko’s per game averages of 12.1 points and 7 rebounds don’t jump off the stat sheet, but he was named the PAC-12 Defensive Player of the Year.
The Cameroon native had four blocks of Arizona’s 11 blocks in the PAC-12 Championship game.
Who are the top freshmen players in 2022 NCAA Tournament?
Paolo Banchero, Duke
Paolo Banchero was named the ACC Freshman of the Year.
This week, Banchero joined Zion Williamson, Marvin Bagley III and Jay Williams as the only Duke freshman with multiple double-doubles in the ACC Tournament over the last 25 seasons.
Banchero is projected to be a lottery pick in the 2022 NBA Draft on June 23.
Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga
Despite the skinny frame of Gonzaga freshman Chet Holmgren, many expect him to be a top draft pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Holmgren is listed at 7-feet, 195 pounds and has a 7’6” wingspan. He will need to add weight when he reaches the NBA. The NBA’s 19 players listed at 7 feet weigh an average of 250 pounds.
On 61% shooting (41.2% from three-point range), Holmgren averaged 14.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.6 blocks and 1.8 assists per game.
Holmgren has more blocks (104) than missed shots (98) in the 2021-2022 season.
Plus, Holmgren’s father video tapes his son's games from the stands. Here’s to hoping America falls in love with Dave Holmgren’s camera-man antics come tournament time.
Jabari Smith, Auburn
Like Holmgren, Auburn’s Jabari Smith is also expected to be a top selection in the 2022 NBA Draft.
The SEC Freshman of the Year is known for his outside touch even though he stands at 6’10”. Smith shoots 43.7% from the field, 42.8% from three-point range and 81.6% from the free-throw line. He averages 17.1 points, 7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.
