Selection Sunday field set
Selection Sunday unveiled the full 68‑team March Madness bracket — 31 automatic qualifiers and 37 at‑large bids — with the committee releasing the field today (March 15) and debate swirling over the final No. 1 seed between Miami (Ohio) and Auburn amid Florida’s damaging blowout loss that complicated seeding CBS Sports, NCAA.com.
Miami (Ohio)’s perfect regular season ended in a shock 87–83 MAC quarterfinal loss to UMass on March 12, when Daniel Hankins‑Sanford’s late layup sealed the upset. espn.com The RedHawks, who entered the game 31‑0 and finished the regular season 31‑1, were suddenly shifted from “automatic‑lock” chatter into the at‑large watch; ESPN bracketologists and on‑site analysis put Miami (OH) squarely in the committee’s at‑large conversation and even the First Four math. ncaa.com Auburn arrived at Selection Sunday as a polarizing bubble case with a sub‑.500 resume — roughly 17‑16 overall after late losses — prompting public pleas from coach Steven Pearl and split opinions from bracket experts about whether advanced metrics or the win‑loss ledger should prevail. sports-reference.com Florida’s bid for a top seed took on new peril after a 91‑74 SEC‑semifinal rout by Vanderbilt on March 14, a defeat that snapped a 12‑game win streak and left the Gators at about 26‑7 entering the committee’s deliberations. espn.com Bracketologists pointed to the committee’s reliance on NET, quadrant wins and strength‑of‑schedule as the hard data that would decide edge cases like Miami (OH), Auburn and Florida, with multiple outlets noting those metrics would be decisive on Selection Sunday. on3.com The full bracket reveal airs at 6 p.m. ET on CBS, with the First Four slates to be played March 17–18 and first‑round games beginning March 19‑20, timelines the committee used to finalize seeding and regional placements. ncaa.com
