What to Expect on Selection Sunday

Some familiar faces will likely be missing.

North Carolina held a 15-point lead on Kansas at halftime of last year’s title game, and then returned four starters this season and was installed as the preseason No. 1 team.

Yet the Tar Heels underperformed all season and, after losing to Virginia in the A.C.C. Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday, are not expected to make the field of 68. They would be the first preseason No. 1 since North Carolina State in 1975 to miss the tournament.

Villanova, which reached the Final Four a year ago, is also expected to be left out of the field for the first time since 2012, despite a late-season run under first-year coach Kyle Neptune, who replaced the retired Jay Wright.

Shaheen Holloway also is unlikely to be seen on the sidelines a year after his Saint Peter’s team became the tournament’s darling, upsetting Kentucky and Purdue en route to the round of 8. The team he currently coaches, Seton Hall, could be headed instead to the National Invitation Tournament, which releases its bracket late Sunday night.

The N.I.T. could end up having several brand names in its field, with North Carolina, Michigan, Oregon and Villanova in the mix.

WOMEN

Watch out where UConn lands.

The Huskies are ranked No. 7 nationally and are projected as a No. 2 seed in the N.C.A.A. tournament. No top seed will want to see Geno Auriemma’s group in their region, especially now that it has star guard Azzi Fudd back and has won five straight.

Before the Big East tournament, which UConn won, Fudd missed 14 games with a right knee injury. The 5-foot-11 sophomore is averaging 15.5 points while shooting 49 percent from the field and 39 percent from beyond the arc.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/12/sports/ncaabasketball/selection-sunday.html