Zion Williamson returned to Duke’s lineup Thursday night and put on quite a show with the Selection Committee watching in New York. If the Blue Devils beat North Carolina in the ACC semifinals, they will likely be a No. 1 seed on Sunday night.
Other teams in play for the top line? That would be your aforementioned Tar Heels, who could all but wrap up a No. 1 seed themselves by ousting the Blue Devils a third time. We also have Kentucky, Tennessee and LSU from the SEC and Michigan State from the Big 10.
Hefty debates continue along the cutline. There are a couple of major conference bid thieves still alive (West Virginia, Nebraska). Xavier is surging in the Big East. And favorites in the Mid American, Mountain West, and Atlantic 10 continue play today.
Let’s see how the next 24 hours play out.
Championship Week: Teams in all CAPS reflect automatic bid (exceptions made to traditional teams with acronyms (VCU, UCF, etc.)
UPDATED: March 15, 2019 | 7:00 a.m. ET
| FIRST FOUR - DAYTON | |
| SOUTH REGION | Florida vs. Belmont |
| EAST REGION | TCU vs. Alabama |
| EAST REGION | IONA vs. FAIR-DICKINSON |
| WEST REGION | NO DAKOTA ST vs. Norfolk State |
| EAST - Washington, DC | WEST - Anaheim | |
| Columbia | Salt Lake City | |
| 1) Virginia | 1) Gonzaga | |
| 16) IONA / FDU | 16) NO DAKOTA ST / Norfolk St | |
| 8) Seton Hall | 8) Iowa | |
| 9) Washington | 9) Baylor | |
| San Jose | San Jose | |
| 5) Mississippi State | 5) Nevada | |
| 12) MURRAY STATE | 12) New Mexico St | |
| 4) Kansas State | 4) Florida State | |
| 13) NORTHEASTERN | 13) UC-Irvine | |
| Des Moines | Tulsa | |
| 6) Cincinnati | 6) Auburn | |
| 11) TCU / Alabama | 11) Temple | |
| 3) Michigan | 3) Texas Tech | |
| 14) Old Dominion | 14) NORTHERN KENTUCKY | |
| Jacksonville | Des Moines | |
| 7) Louisville | 7) WOFFORD | |
| 10) Minnesota | 10) Utah State | |
| 2) LSU | 2) Michigan State | |
| 15) COLGATE | 15) BRADLEY | |
| MIDWEST - Kansas City | SOUTH - Louisville | |
| Columbus | Columbia | |
| 1) Kentucky | 1) North Carolina | |
| 16) Prairie View AM | 16) Sam Houston State | |
| 8) UCF | 8) VCU | |
| 9) Syracuse | 9) Ole Miss | |
| Hartford | Hartford | |
| 5) Virginia Tech | 5) Marquette | |
| 12) SAINT MARY’S | 12) Florida / Belmont | |
| 4) Wisconsin | 4) Kansas | |
| 13) LIBERTY | 13) Vermont | |
| Salt Lake City | Tulsa | |
| 6) Maryland | 6) Villanova | |
| 11) St. John’s | 11) Arizona State | |
| 3) Houston | 3) Purdue | |
| 14) Montana | 14) Georgia State | |
| Jacksonville | Columbus | |
| 7) Iowa State | 7) Buffalo | |
| 10) Ohio State | 10) Oklahoma | |
| 2) Duke | 2) Tennessee | |
| 15) Harvard | 15) GARDNER-WEBB |
| BUBBLE NOTES | |||
| Last 4 Byes | Last 4 IN | First 4 OUT | Next 4 OUT |
| Ohio State | TCU | NC State | Xavier |
| Temple | Alabama | Indiana | Creighton |
| Arizona State | Florida | NC Greensboro | Georgetown |
| St. John’s | Belmont | Furman | Clemson |
TOP SEED LINE: Virginia is the No. 1 overall seed, followed by Gonzaga, North Carolina, and Kentucky
Breakdown by Conference ...
Big 10 (8): MICHIGAN STATE, Michigan, Purdue, Wisconsin, Maryland, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio State
SEC (8): LSU, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Auburn, Ole Miss, Alabama, Florida
ACC (7): VIRGINIA, Duke, North Carolina, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Syracuse
BIG 12 (7): KANSAS STATE, Texas Tech, Kansas, Iowa State, Baylor, Oklahoma, TCU
Big East (4): VILLANOVA, Marquette, Seton Hall, St. John’s
American (4): HOUSTON, Cincinnati, UCF, Temple
Pac 12 (2): WASHINGTON, Arizona State
Mountain West (2): NEVADA, Utah State
West Coast (2): SAINT MARY’S, Gonzaga
Southern (1): WOFFORD
Atlantic 10 (1): VCU
Mid American (1): BUFFALO
ONE BID LEAGUES: BRADLEY (MVC), IONA (MAAC), Old Dominion (C-USA), Georgia State (SBELT), Harvard (IVY), Montana (BSKY), NORTHERN KENTUCKY (HORIZON), Sam Houston State (SLND), UC-Irvine (BWEST), LIBERTY (ASUN), MURRAY STATE (OVC), NORTHEASTERN (CAA), GARDNER-WEBB (BSO), Norfolk State (MEAC), NORTH DAKOTA STATE (SUM), New Mexico State (WAC), Vermont (AEAST), COLGATE (PAT), FAIRLEIGH-DICKINSON (NEC), Prairie View (SWAC)
Bracketing principles: read them for yourself at www.ncaa.com.