Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

NCAA Releases Projected Top 16 Seeds for March Madness

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Michael Curran | Last updated Feb 15, 2025 2:21 PM ET

The NCAA released its first March Madness bracket preview on Saturday, revealing the current top 16 overall seeds. Unsurprisingly, the SEC was well-represented with six teams, including three of the top four overall seeds.

While this top 16 preview is not the final seeding, it is fairly indicative of which teams will wind up receiving a top-four seed. Since 2017 when the NCAA began releasing bracket previews, 94 of the 112 teams, or 83.9%, wound up with a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Auburn (21-2), the No. 1 team in the latest AP Top 25, earned the No. 1 overall seed, while its archrival Alabama (20-3), the No. 1 team in the most recent Coaches Poll, came in at No. 2 in the bracket preview. The Tigers and Crimson Tide meet later on Saturday in the first SEC basketball game to feature the top two teams in the country.

Duke (20-3) came in at the No. 3 overall spot followed by three more SEC teams – Florida (20-3) at No. 4, Tennessee (20-4) at No. 5 and Texas A&M (18-5) at No. 6. Purdue (19-5) and Houston (19-4) rounded out the top eight.

Iowa State (18-5), Kentucky (16-7), Wisconsin (19-5), and Arizona (17-6) were seeded No. 9 through No. 12, holding down No. 3 seeds. Texas Tech (18-5), Michigan (18-5), Kansas (16-7) and St. John's (21-3) rounded out the top 16 as the No. 4 seeds.

In addition to the historic Auburn-Alabama game, four more teams ranked in the top 16 will square off on Saturday. In the Big Ten, Wisconsin travels to Purdue, while Arizona hosts Houston in a Big 12 matchup.

Selection Sunday, when the final 68-team field will be revealed, is set for March 16.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: