Auburn leads a whole series of SEC teams that are in the first release of the selection committee of the Top-16 National Seeds
Last month, Auburn is the number 1 team of the nation in the AP survey. Now the committee that has the task of selecting the NCAA Touring field has confirmed what many already believed – the Tigers are the team to beat.
In Saturday’s early unveiling, Auburn was named number 1 general seed, with a head of a SouthEasters Conference that stamped his dominance on this year’s bracket. Alabama and Florida joined Auburn as no. 1 seeds and marked an unprecedented power show from the sec. Five of the top six seeds belong to the conference, with only Duke, the number 3 of the overall seed that broke the stronghold of the sec.
Auburn’s CV speaks for itself. The Tigers hold the first place in Kenpom, are number 2 in the ranking of Bart Torvik and are in third place in the advanced statistics of Evan Miyakawa. But perhaps the most impressive, they came in the weekend with a stunning 13-2 record in Kwadrant 1 matches-not other team had more than eight of such victories. They also added a road victory to No. 2 Alabama at the weekend.
CBM said nah🫣 pic.twitter.com/b5kz77H21i
– Auburn basketball (@auburnmbb) February 15, 2025
“Of all the voters in our group that were available for voting, they were the unanimous choice,” said committee chairman Bubba Cunningham on CBS. “So they are clearly our No. 1.”
The committee considered five teams for top seeds, with Tennessee only missing the cut. Cunningham pointed to the victory of Florida Auburn as the difference maker, giving the Gators the lead.
The place of Auburn on top of the field was the scene for a huge confrontation Saturday evening, while the Tigers opposite in-state rival Alabama were confronted in a 1-VS-2 matchup. The Tigers confirmed their status with a 94-85 victory and added a tent to their resume.
The seeds and regional paths
After Tennessee at number 6 in general, Texas A&M came to Purdue and Houston as 2-seeds. Iowa State checked in no. 9, followed by Kentucky, Wisconsin and Arizona as 3-Seeds. The last four slots went to Texas Tech, Michigan, preseason No. 1 Kansas and St. John’s.
Johnnies win on Johnnies Day
🔥 Third -arranged victory in 12 days 🔥 pic.twitter.com/m8nsbi40ZK
– St. John’s men’s basketball (@Stjohnbball) February 16, 2025
The best seed of Auburn places it in the South region, so that they keep them close to home in Atlanta. Alabama leads the midwest and sets up a potential benefit for Staaten at home for Purdue in Indianapolis. Duke heads the east, where Tennessee, Arizona and St. John’s join the Blue Devils. In the meantime, Florida claims the west and runs through San Francisco next to Houston, Kentucky and Michigan.
Cunningham noticed a small adjustment in the bracket to balance the regional force – the destinations of Michigan and St. John, create.
Trends and movement
Saturday’s unveiling is a temporary snapshot, but history suggests that most teams near the top stay there. Since 2017, 83.9% of the teams have remained in the first top 16 unveiling as top-four seeds. Of the 28 teams that earned number 1 seeds in early rankings, 22 finally held that top position on selection on Sunday.
For those on the outside looking inside, Michigan State and Marquette are the next in line. In the meantime, there were discrepancies between the rankings of the selection committee and advanced Statistics Kentuucky, Wisconsin, Michigan, Kansas and St. John’s fell outside the top 16 in some analysis-based ranks. However, Texas A&M was sown sixth in general, despite being ranked as low as 16th in Kenpom and Torvik.
A rivalry moment
In a light -hearted moment, Cunningham, athletic director of North Carolina, could not bring himself to say the name of rival Duke when announcing the top teams. Instead, he gave the card with a smile to CBS -Gastheer Adam Zucker.
“I would like to say something good about them,” Cunningham joked, “but I can’t.”
With a month until selection on Sunday, the field starts to shape. And if Saturday’s unveiling is an indication, this year’s way to the last four runs through the SEC.
