NCAA Tournament selection committee reveals first in-season top 16 seeds

Ehsan Kassim, USA TODAY NETWORKSat, February 21, 2026 at 7:05 PM UTC

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The NCAA Tournament selection committee gave college basketball fans a first glimpse into what a March Madness bracket could look like.

The selection committee unveiled the first in-season top 16 NCAA Tournament seeds on Saturday, Feb. 21. The official NCAA Tournament bracket reveal ― aka Selection Sunday ― is scheduled for March 15.

Here's a look at what we learned from the first NCAA selection committee in-season top 16 seeds reveal for the 2025-26 season:

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NCAA Tournament selection committee's top 16 seeds

Not surprisingly, Michigan is the No. 1 overall seed. However, a matchup with No. 2 Duke on Saturday, Feb. 21, could help change that outlook for the next reveal.

Michigan

Duke

Arizona

Iowa State

UConn

Houston

Illinois

Purdue

Florida

Kansas

Nebraska

Gonzaga

Texas Tech

Michigan State

Vanderbilt

Virginia

NCAA selection committee's top 16 teams by seeding -

No. 1 seeds: Michigan, Duke, Iowa State, Arizona

No. 2 seeds: UConn, Houston, Illinois, Purdue

No. 3 seeds: Florida, Kansas, Nebraska, Gonzaga

No. 4 seeds: Texas Tech, Michigan State, Vanderbilt, Virginia

NCAA Tournament top 16 seeded teams by region -

Midwest Region: 1. Michigan; 2. Houston; 3. Florida; 4. Virginia

South Region: 1. Iowa State; 2. UConn; 3. Nebraska; 4. Texas Tech

East Region: 1. Duke; 2. Illinois; 3. Kansas; 4. Vanderbilt

West Region: 1. Arizona; 2. Purdue; 3. Gonzaga; 4. Michigan State

NCAA Tournament top 16 seeded teams by conference

After getting a record-setting 14 teams in the NCAA Tournament in 2025, no SEC programs are projected in the top eight seeds, and only two are projected in the top 16 seeds. The Big 12 and the Big Ten lead the way with five teams each.

Big 12: 5

Big Ten: 5

SEC: 2

ACC: 2

Big East: 1

WAC: 1

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NCAA Tournament top 16 seeds revealed: Who are No. 1 seeds?

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