March Madness 2023 updates: Selection Sunday brackets, conference tournaments results
March Madness 2023 takes center stage with Selection Sunday, when teams across college basketball learn if they’ll earn a berth into the NCAA Tournament.
USA TODAY Sports will provide the latest bracket reveal updates, news, analysis, conference tournament scores and more throughout the day. Follow along.
How to enter USA TODAY Sports Bracket Challenge with a chance to win $1 million
The USA TODAY Sports Bracket Challenge is back. There’s a $1 million grand prize for a perfect bracket, $25,000 prize for the top bracket. The Challenge is free to enter for those age 21 and over. Terms apply, void where prohibited by law. See official rules and get in the game.
Alabama clearly the favorite in South Region, but championship pedigree lurks
Survive and win: March Madness Survivor Pools from USA TODAY
The South Region is loaded. It begins at the top with the overall highest seed, but if Alabama is to make its first Final Four in program history, it will have to navigate a bracket filled with lots of accomplished programs, including four programs with national championship banners hanging in their home arenas.
Good news for the Jayhawks – they wouldn’t have to play Texas again until the Final Four. Even better news – Kansas head coach Bill Self is expected to rejoin the team. He was discharged Sunday from the hospital, where he checked in Wednesday with chest tightness and balance problems.The East Region doesn’t lack for star power: Purdue is joined by No. 2 Marquette, No. 3 Kansas State and No. 4 Tennessee, followed by No. 5 Duke and No. 6 Kentucky.
— Paul Myerberg
The best first-round matchup in the Midwest?
The Texas AM-Penn State game pairs teams that had great runs this weekend and have tremendous guard play; but both played Sunday and have to come back and play Thursday. (It also matches the sartorial splendiferousness of Aggies coach Buzz Williams and his suit vests against the quarter-zip-casual Micah Shrewsberry.)
— Steve Berkowitz
ESPN analysts to pick Alabama basketball to go all the way. Alabama is the No. 1 overall seed in the men’s NCAA Tournament.top overall seed in the 2023 women’s NCAA Tournament.
The No. 1 Gamecocks (32-0) will host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, facing Norfolk State (26-6) at Colonial Life Arena on Friday.
Rodney Terry wasn’t interested in any possible theatrics with ancient rivals at Texas AM, which will renew a conference rivalry with the Longhorns when Texas joins the SEC for the 2024-25 school year. He knows his squad could have their hands full with a dangerous Colgate team that likes to launch an array of 3-pointers – which is a recipe often use by underdogs in March Madness.cost the Rutgers men’s basketball team a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Mag went down with a torn ACL in early February. Rutgers was not the same team without him; the Scarlet Knights were 8-4 in the Big Ten at the time and went 2-6 for the rest of the regular season. The NCAA considers injuries when weighing the selection process, and selection committee chair Chris Reynolds referenced Mag’s injury while being interviewed on CBS after the bracket was unveiled.
Who got snubbed in men’s NCAA Tournament?
Purdue is your final No. 1 seed and heads East
Lots contenders here to make it to New York for the reginal final. Purdue won the Big Ten regular-season and tournament title but now must face the winner of either Memphis or Florida Atlantic. Not an easy task. Duke is also a dangerous team having run through the ACC tournament now that it is healthy. Getting a No. 5 seed, the Blue Devils get to face a struggling Tennessee in the second round if each advance. Kentucky and Providence – two teams previously coached by Rick Pitino – meet in what should be an entertaining opener. Marquette and Kansas State – the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds – both had surprising successes this year and could face off in Sweet 16.
In Columbus, Ohio
No. 1 Purdue (26-5)
No. 16 Texas Southern-Fairleigh Dickinson
No. 8 Memphis (26-8)
No. 9 Florida Atlantic (31-3)
In Orlando, Fla.
No. 5 Duke (26-8)
No. 12 Oral Roberts (30-4)
No. 4 Tennessee (22-10)
No. 13. Louisiana-Lafayette (26-7)
In Greensboro, N.C.
No. 6 Kentucky (21-11)
No. 11 Providence (21-11)
No. 3 Kansas State (23-9)
No. 14 Montana State (25-9)
In Columbus, Ohio
No. 7 Michigan State (19-12)
No. 10 Southern California (22-10)
No. 2 Marquette (28-6)
No. 15 Vermont (23-10)
Kansas earns No. 1 seed in West
So the Jayhawks don’t get to go to Kansas City and head west into a region with UCLA and Gonzaga. Shapes up as one of the best regionals to watch. Arkansas and Illinois will fight to play Kansas in the second round. Bill Self would face his former team if the Illini advance. Saint Mary’s and VCU should be an up-and-down gain with a classic 5-12 feel. Iona and Rick Pitino are capable of beating Connecticut in a home-state game. TCU – hurt by a loss to star Mike Miles – was only seeded sixth, but with Miles back are capable of making a run. Gonzaga and UCLA meeting in Las Vegas in the Sweet 16 would be a heck of a showdown.
In Des Moines, Iowa
No. 1 Kansas (27-7)
No. 16 Howard (22-12)
No. 8 Arkansas (20-13)
No. 9 Illinois (20-12)
In Albany, N.Y.
No. 5 Saint Mary’s (26-7)
No. 12 Virginia commonwealth (27-7)
No. 4 Connecticut (25-8)
No. 13 Iona (27-7)
In Denver
No. 6 TCU (21-12)
No. 11 Arizona State/Nevada
No. 3 Gonzaga (28-5)
No. 14 Grand Canyon (24-11)
In Sacramento, Calif.
No. 7 Northwestern (21-11)
No. 10 Boise State (24-9)
No. 2 UCLA (29-5)
No. 15 UNC Asheville (27-7)
Houston is the No. 1 seed in Midwest Region
This looks like a very-balanced regional and could feature one of the best first-round games with Texas AM and Penn State both coming off runs to their conference title games. Texas won the Big 12 tournament and will have a great opportunity to reach the regional final. They could face in-state rival Houston with a trip to the Final Four in … Houston. Xavier being seeded as high as a No. 3 even with a run to the Big East final. Kent State has a good chance to knock off Indiana in the first round.
In Birmingham, Ala.
No. 1 Houston (31-3)
No. 16 Northern Kentucky (22-12)
No. 8 Iowa (19-13)
No. 9 Auburn (20-12)
In Albany, N.Y.
No. 5 Miami (Fla.) (25-7)
No. 12 Drake (27-7)
No. 4 Indiana (22-11)
No. 13 Kent State (28-6)
In Greensboro, N.C.
No. 6 Iowa State (19-13)
No. 11 Mississippi State-Pittsburgh
No. 3 Xavier (25-9)
No. 14 Kennesaw State (26-8)
In Des Moines, Iowa
No. 7 Texas AM (25-9)
No. 10 Penn State (22-13)
No. 2 Texas (26-8)
No. 15 Colgate (26-8)
Alabama earns the No. 1 overall seed and plays in South
The Crimson Tide leads the South Regional and gets to play through Louisville in the Sweet 16 if they get that far. Arizona and Baylor are two tough seeds lurking, however, in their path. The first-round matchup of San Diego State and College of Charleston should be a doozy. Nice regional rivalry in the 8-9 game featuring Maryland and West Virginia. Creighton could sleeper team to watch for if they can play as they did in the second half of the season.
In Birmingham, Ala.
No. 1 Alabama (29-5)
No. 16 Texas AM-Corpus Christi-Southeast Missouri State
No. 8 Maryland (21-12)
No. 9 West Virginia (19-14
In Orlando
No. 5 San Diego State (27-6)
No. 12 College of Charleston (31-3)
No. 4 Virginia (25-7)
No. 13 Furman (27-7)
In Denver
No. 6 Creighton (21-12)
No. 11 North Carolina State (23-10)
No. 3 Baylor (22-10)
No. 14 UC Santa Barbara (27-7)
In Sacramento, Calif.
No. 7 Missouri (24-9)
No. 10 Utah State (26-8)
No. 2 Arizona (28-6)
No. 15 Princeton (21-8)
When is Selection Sunday 2023?
Sunday, March 12, 2023. The men’s bracket reveal show begins at 6 p.m. ET and airs on CBS. The women’s bracket reveal show begins at 8 p.m. and airs on ESPN.
PRINTABLE BRACKET:Fill out the NCAA Tournament field as bids are announced
lead play-by-play announcer. Nantz announced in October that he would be leaving the longtime role with CBS and Turner Sports to be with his family.
Jay Wright and Stan Van Gundy will join NCAA Tournament coverage as analysts. The network also tried in vain to get Dick Vitale to join its team. Vitale said he turned down the offer, in part, because of loyalty to ESPN, the network he has worked for since 1979.
Greg Gumbel will host studio coverage from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York, joined by Charles Barkley, Clark Kellogg and Kenny Smith as well as Wally Szczerbiak. Ernie Johnson will host studio coverage from WBD Studios in Atlanta alongside Jay Wright, Candace Parker and Seth Davis. Additionally, Adam Zucker and Adam Lefkoe will also serve as hosts from New York and Atlanta, respectively.
Printable March Madness 2023 bracket
Here is a printable version of the men’s bracket. Here is a printable version of the women’s bracket.
How to enter and win USA TODAY Sports’ March Madness Survivor Pool
Filling out a March Madness bracket is a daunting task.
Compared to correctly predicting the fate of 68 teams through six rounds, the USA TODAY Sports’ March Madness survivor pool games appear to be a much more accessible challenge.
Make a small number of picks each round. If you get them right, you advance. Last the longest without missing a pick and collect some serious cash. And you get two chances to win by competing in both the men’s and women’s survivor pools.
Is it really that simple?
Well, here’s the catch: You can only pick a team once during the entire tournament. Each of your picks must be correct to advance to the next round. If you fail to make any or all picks in a round, you are eliminated.
Ahead of Selection Sunday, which will reveal the 68-team fields for both tournaments, USA TODAY Sports announced two brand new survivor pool games to give fans a chance to win $5,000, the amount awarded to the person who lasts the longest in the men’s or women’s pools.
Here are the keys to winning the survivor pool.
— Richard Morin
When will the SEC men’s basketball investment pay off with NCAA title? ‘Soon.’
Kentucky, in 2012, was the last SEC team to win it all.
SEC schools supplied five of the nation’s top 12 men’s basketball coaching salaries when this season began, in USA TODAY’s latest analysis. The salary list features a facelift this year after well-paid stalwarts Mike Krzyzewski and Jay Wright retired.
SEC basketball is on solid footing. The conference may tie its record with eight NCAA selections.
“I think we’re poised to have a team ascend to the top of the competitive mountain this year – and, if not this year, soon,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey told USA TODAY Sports.
In the past 10 tournaments, the SEC supplied six Final Four teams. That matches the Big 12 and Big East and ranks one shy of the ACC and Big Ten.
But, investment doesn’t ensure championships in a tournament celebrated for its madness.
Read the full look into the investment into SEC basketball here.
— Blake Toppmeyer
How UCLA men’s basketball thrives under Mick Cronin — with some help from a dog bone
How Mick Cronin went from being perceived as an underwhelming hire by UCLA almost four years ago to the coach who has revived the school’s basketball program is best illustrated by, well, a dog bone.
It measures two feet long.
It travels with the second-ranked Bruins.
It represents what Cronin has instilled in his players, who along with the dog bone are in Las Vegas this week competing for the Pac-12 tournament title and possibly a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
“When they throw the food out at night from a restaurant, the law of the alley says that the hungry dog’s going to get the bone,’’ Cronin told USA TODAY Sports. “A hungry dog’s going to go fight and get the bone and take all of this clawing and scratching because he’s starving.
“That’s how you have to be as a team.’’
— Josh Peter
Kansas might be kicking itself for a while after no-showing against the Longhorns, but a run to the Final Four will make everyone feel better and forget about this performance.
These are the winners and losers in men’s college basketball ahead of Selection Sunday.
— Lindsay Schnell
2023 men’s NCAA Tournament automatic bids: Who has secured spots in March Madness?
There are 32 conference tournaments that produce 32 automatic bids. The other 36 at-large teams selected to the field will be announced on Selection Sunday. Here is who has secured automatic bids.
- Alabama: SEC tournament champion
- Arizona: Pac-12 Conference tournament champion
- Charleston: Colonial Athletic Association tournament champion
- Colgate: Patriot League tournament champion
- Drake: Missouri Valley tournament champion
- Duke: ACC tournament champion
- Fairleigh Dickinson: Earns Northeast Conference bid due to title game opponent Merrimack’s ineligibility
- Florida Atlantic: Conference USA tournament champion
- Furman: Southern tournament champion
- Gonzaga: West Coast Conference tournament champion
- Grand Canyon: WAC tournament champion
- Howard: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament champion
- Iona: MAAC tournament champion
- Kennesaw State: Atlantic Sun tournament champion
- Kent State: MAC tournament champion
- Louisiana-Lafayette: Sun Belt tournament champion
- Marquette: Big East Conference tournament champion
- Memphis: American Athletic Conference tournament champion
- Montana State: Big Sky tournament champion
- North Carolina-Asheville: Big South tournament champion
- Northern Kentucky: Horizon League tournament champion
- Oral Roberts: Summit League tournament champion
- Princeton: Ivy League tournament champion
- Purdue: Big 10 tournament champion
- San Diego State: Mountain West Conference tournament champion
- Southeast Missouri State: Ohio Valley Conference tournament champion
- Texas: Big 12 Conference tournament champion
- Texas AM-Corpus Christi: Southland Conference tournament champion
- Texas Southern: SWAC tournament champion
- UC Santa Barbara: Big West Conference tournament champion
- Vermont: America East tournament champion
- Virginia Commonwealth: Atlantic 10 tournament champion
Five most overpaid men’s college basketball coaches
Some of the most successful coaches in college basketball rank among the nation’s highest-paid, including Kansas coach Bill Self and Virginia’s Tony Bennett. But there are many more coaches struggling to match the expectations that come with a contract worth multiple millions in annual salary.
That includes the highest-paid coach in the sport, Kentucky’s John Calipari, who is earning $8.5 million in total compensation with a contract that runs through the 2028-29 season. After being knocked out in the first round of last year’s NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats have spent most of this season unranked and on the tournament bubble.
USA TODAY Sports compiled pay information from each school in the Power Five conferences and from each school outside those conferences whose team has appeared in at least three of the past five NCAA tournaments.
These are the five most overpaid coaches in men’s college basketball.
— Paul Myerberg