Kentucky Draws Top Of NCAA Bracket, Illinois Playing In NIT Tourney

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Published on March 16 2015 6:37 am
Last Updated on March 16 2015 2:11 pm
Written by Millie Lange

The Kentucky Wildcats ended up where everyone expected them on Selection Sunday: seeded No. 1 on their quest to become the first undefeated team since 1976. The field is set. Take a first look at the 2015 NCAA tournament college basketball teams.

Wisconsin secured the first top seed in program history after overcoming an 11-point deficit Sunday against Michigan State to win 80-69 in overtime in the Big Ten championship. But the Badgers (31-3) must play in the West Region, where second-seeded Arizona is certain to draw more fans.

The other No. 1 seeds were Villanova in the East and Duke in the South. Those were pretty easy picks.

And then there was the total no-brainer -- placing Midwest Region 1-seed Kentucky at the very top of the bracket. The Wildcats defeated Arkansas 78-63 on Sunday to improve to 34-0. If they win six more, they will become the first team since the 1975-76 Indiana Hoosiers to go undefeated.


NCAA Tournament Schedule

All time below are Central

The TV schedule for the First Four games is:

Tuesday, March 17 – Both games on TruTV

#16 Manhattan vs. #16 Hampton – 5:40 p.m.

#11 Ole Miss vs. #11 BYU – 8:10 p.m.

Wednesday, March 18 – Both games on TruTV

#16 North Florida vs. #16 Robert Morris – 5:40 p.m.

#11 Boise State vs. #11 Dayton – 8:10 p.m.

Second Round – Thursday, March 19

Midwest

#3 Notre Dame vs. #14 Northeastern – 11:15 a.m. on CBS

#6 Butler vs. #11 Texas – 1:45 p.m. on CBS

#8 Cincinnati vs. #9 Purdue – 6:10 p.m. on CBS

#1 Kentucky vs. #16 Hampton or Manhattan – 8:40 p.m. on CBS

West

#3 Baylor vs. #14 Georgia State – 12:40 p.m. on TBS

#2 Arizona vs. #15 Texas Southern – 1:10 p.m. on TNT

#6 Xavier vs. #11 BYU or Ole Miss – 3:10 p.m. on TBS

#7 VCU vs. #10 Ohio State – 3:40 p.m. on TNT

#4 North Carolina vs. #13 Harvard – 6:20 p.m. on TNT

#5 Arkansas vs. #12 Wofford – 8:50 p.m. on TNT

East

#1 Villanova vs. #16 Lafayette – 6:50 p.m. on TBS

#8 NC State vs. #9 LSU – 9:20 p.m. on TBS

South

#3 Iowa State vs. #14 UAB – 11:45 a.m. on TruTV

#6 SMU vs. #11 UCLA – 2:10 p.m. on TruTV

#5 Utah vs. #12 Stephen F. Austin – 6:27 p.m. on TruTV

#4 Georgetown vs. #13 Eastern Washington – 8:57 p.m. on TruTV

Second Round – Friday, March 20

Midwest

#2 Kansas vs. #15 New Mexico State – 11:15 a.m. on CBS

#5 West Virginia vs. #12 Buffalo – 1:10 p.m. on TNT

#7 Wichita State vs. #10 Indiana – 1:45 p.m. on CBS

#4 Maryland vs. #13 Valparaiso – 3:40 p.m. on TNT

West

#8 Oregon vs. #9 Oklahoma State – 5:50 p.m. on TBS

#1 Wisconsin vs. #16 Coastal Carolina – 8:20 p.m. on TBS

East

#7 Michigan State vs. #10 Georgia – 11:40 a.m. on TruTV

#5 UNI vs. #12 Wyoming – 12:40 p.m. on TBS

#2 Virginia vs. #15 Belmont – 2:10 p.m. on TruTV

#4 Louisville vs. #13 UC Irvine – 3:10 p.m. on TBS

#3 Oklahoma vs. #14 Albany – 6:27 p.m. on TruTV

#6 Providence vs. #11 Boise State or Dayton – 8:57 p.m. on TruTV

South

#7 Iowa vs. #10 Davidson – 6:20 p.m. on TNT

#1 Duke vs. #16 North Florida or Robert Morris – 6:10 p.m. on CBS

#8 San Diego State vs. #9 St. John’s – 8:40 p.m. on CBS

#2 Gonzaga vs. #15 North Dakota State – 8:50 p.m. on TNT

 

 

Illinois To Play In NIT Tournament

The 2015 NIT bracket was revealed Sunday night with Old Dominion, Colorado State, Richmond and Temple grabbing the top overall seeds of the 32-team tournament that finishes at Madison Square Garden.

Old Dominion finished 24-7, losing to Middle Tennessee in the Conference USA tournament quarterfinals last week. The Monarchs had won six straight games before that loss. Earlier in the season, they defeated VCU, ranked No. 14 at the time, 73-67 on Nov. 29.

Old Dominion will face No. 8 Charleston Southern on Wednesday.

The University of Illinois will be playing Tuesday at Alabama at 8 p.m. Also in the field are Eastern Illinois which will travel to Oakland for a 6 p.m. contest Tuesday. Illinois State will play host to Green Bay Wednesday at 7 p.m.