Defending national champion UConn, a day removed from winning the Big East Tournament and improving to 31-3, was selected as the No. 1 overall seed Sunday during the NCAA Tournament selection show.
The Huskies, who have won seven in a row and finished 7-2 this season against teams in the Associated Press Top 25, are joined on the 1 line by Houston, Purdue and North Carolina, three teams that have been consistently in the Top 10 this season but lost in their respective conference tournaments last week.
UConn will open its title defense at Barclays Center in Brooklyn against Stetson on Friday. Should the Huskies advance, they will play either Florida Atlantic or Northwestern.
For the Cougars and Boilermakers, Sunday’s selections mark the second time in as many years they landed at No. 1. They were joined last season by Alabama and Kansas, who both heard their names called this season, but not on the top line.
Houston will have to navigate the likes of Duke, Kentucky and Marquette in the South Region if the Cougars are able to make their first Final Four since 2021. The Cougars were rewarded for being the Big 12 regular season champions and reaching the conference tournament title game before losing to Iowa State. They will face No. 16 seed Longwood, the Big South champion, in Memphis, Tennessee in the first round on Thursday. Houston will be a No. 1 seed for the third time in school history.
For North Carolina, its No. 1 seed is the fourth and final, and came after much debate amid the commiteee. The Tar Heels will open on Thursday in Spokane, Washington against a winner from Tuesday’s First Four.
“There was a lot of discussion, obviously, North Carolina got it. We looked at some head to heads, but overall, North Carolina had a magnificent season,” Dr. Charles McClelland, the chair of this year’s committee, said on CBS’ selection show. “They did what they were supposed to do in the regular season.”
Purdue will also play a First Four advancer. The 29-4 Boilermakers will begin their run on Friday in Indianapolis. Purdue, which lost in the first round last season to Fairleigh Dickinson, has won six of the past seven games.
Purdue’s road could include a matchup with fourth-seeded Kansas or No. 5 seed Gonzaga, two teams accustomed to much better seeds this time of year, just to reach the Sweet 16. And to reach the Final Four, the road could go through second-seeded Tennessee or No. 3 seed Creighton, who are both coming off disappointing appearances in their conference tournaments.
Dan Hurley’s team has been the most dominant team for much of the season, and the Huskies kept that rolling last week at Madison Square Garden. Purdue had the best collection of wins and Houston was No. 1 in most metrics, but their upsets in the Big Ten and Big 12 tournaments, respectively, loomed large in the committee room on Sunday.
With several upsets in the conference tournaments this weekend, and several automatic bid teams stealing spots away from bubble teams, McClelland called this year’s decisions among “the most difficult” in years.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.