Alabama headlines early list of top NCAA Tournament seeds

Alabama got the best of Houston in a nonconference matchup. Thathas Crimson Tide holding an early lead on the Cougars for the No. 1overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, too.

The committee that will select the field of 68 revealed itspreliminary list of top teams Saturday, with the Crimson Tidetaking the top spot over the Cougars due to a head-to-head road winin December — which committee chairman Chris Reynolds said “putthem over the top.”

Otherwise, there isn’t much difference when it comes to theteams’ resumes. They’re 1-2 in some order in the AP Top 25, NET(NCAA Evaluation Tool) and KenPom rankings. Alabama entered theweekend with seven wins in Quadrant 1 compared to four for Houston,while both teams were unbeaten against Quadrant 2 opponents.

If the order holds, it would mark the first No. 1 regional seedfor Nate Oats’ Crimson Tide in program history. Alabama climbed toNo. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll earlier this week for the first timesince 2003, though the Tide lost to Tennessee on Wednesday in itsfirst game with that ranking.

Houston hasn’t held a No. 1 seed since 1983, during the “PhiSlama Jama” era of the early 1980s.

Purdue and reigning national champion Kansas were the other No.1 seeds, with the Boilermakers spending a national-best seven weeksat No. 1 in the AP Top 25 this season. The Jayhawks are trying tobecome the first repeat champion since Florida in 2006-07 andentered the weekend with a national-best 12 Quadrant 1 wins, whileno other team had reached 10.

The nationally televised reveal of the top 16 seeds offers asnapshot of where things stand with a little more than three weeksremaining until the field is set.

Since the first reveal in 2017, the NCAA said 65 of 80 teamshave remained in the top 16, while three of the four No. 1 regionalseeds each year have stayed there.

Texas, Arizona, Baylor and UCLA were the preliminary No. 2seeds, followed by Tennessee, Virginia, Iowa State and Kansas Stateas 3-seeds. Indiana, Marquette, Gonzaga and Xavier rounded out thelist as No. 4 seeds.

Reynolds said Creighton, Miami, Saint Mary’s and Connecticutwere the top teams to miss the cut.

The selection committee also sorted the top 16 seeds into fourregional groupings, starting with Alabama headlining the Southbracket that goes through Louisville, Kentucky. Baylor, Virginiaand Indiana joined the Tide in the South.

Houston topped the Midwest bracket running through Kansas City,Missouri, followed by Texas, Tennessee and Xavier.

Purdue was the No. 1 seed in the East bracket running throughNew York, joined by UCLA, Iowa State and Marquette.

Kansas was the top seed in the West bracket running through LasVegas, followed by Arizona, Kansas State and Gonzaga.

The Big 12 finished with a national-best five teams in the top16. The Southeastern, Big Ten, Pac-12 and Big East conferences eachhad two as the only other leagues with multiple teams.

Selection Sunday is March 12, with First Four games beginningtwo days later. The Final Four will be held in Houston, with thesemifinals set for April 1 and the championship game two dayslater.