If you're joining us in progress after the conclusion of football season, we're glad to have you — college basketball is now in full swing.
With just over a month to go until 68 teams punch their tickets to the 2020 NCAA Tournament, conference races are heating up and positioning for tournament seeding is taking place.
As is now an annual tradition, CBS is teaming up again with the NCAA to provide an early look-in at the projected NCAA Tournament rankings for the top 16 teams.
Find out how to watch and follow along and check out a projection for Saturday's reveal.
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March Madness 2020 bracket preview
What time is the NCAA Top 16 reveal show?
- Date: Saturday, Feb. 8
- Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
CBS will air the Top 16 reveal show at 12:30 p.m. ET leading into the 1 p.m. ET tipoff between Kentucky and Tennessee, which will air on the same channel. The show will identify the nation's top 16 teams as it currently stands in the season, giving viewers an inside look to the committee's focuses for this year's selection process.
What channel is the NCAA Top 16 reveal show on?
- TV channel: CBS
- Live stream: NCAA.com
Studio host Greg Gumbel will reveal the 16 teams while Clark Kellogg and Seth Davis will provide analysis. Committee chairman Kevin White will also be in-studio to explain the reasoning and methodology behind the committee's selections. CBSsports.com bracketologist Jerry Palm will round out the show with his remaining projections for the current field of 68.
When is Selection Sunday 2020?
- Date: Sunday, March 15
- Time: 3 p.m. ET
The officials bracket will be announced on Sunday, March 15 on TBS. A total of 68 teams will be chosen, including 32 conference tournament champions and an additional 36 at-large selections. The show will reveal each of the seedings for the chosen teams, the locations of each of the games, as well as TV info and tipoff times.
When does March Madness start in 2020?
- Date: Tuesday, March 17
March Madness will open with First Four games in Dayton, Ohio, on March 17 and 18 to cut the bracket down to 64 teams. Following those four matchups, there will be 16 games apiece on Thursday, March 19 and Friday, March 20 for the tournament's first round.
NCAA basketball rankings & standings
Here is a look at the most recent AP top-25 rankings release as of Monday, Feb. 3.
Rank | Team (First-place votes) | Conference | W-L |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Baylor (49) | Big 12 | 19-1 |
2 | Gonzaga (15) | WCC | 23-1 |
3 | Kansas (1) | Big 12 | 18-3 |
4 | San Diego State | Mountain West | 23-0 |
5 | Louisville | ACC | 19-3 |
6 | Dayton | Atlantic 10 | 20-2 |
7 | Duke | ACC | 18-3 |
8 | Florida State | ACC | 18-3 |
9 | Maryland | Big Ten | 17-4 |
10 | Villanova | Big East | 17-4 |
11 | Auburn | SEC | 19-2 |
12 | Seton Hall | Big East | 16-5 |
13 | West Virginia | Big 12 | 17-4 |
14 | Oregon | Pac-12 | 18-5 |
15 | Kentucky | SEC | 16-5 |
16 | Michigan State | Big Ten | 16-6 |
17 | Iowa | Big Ten | 16-6 |
18 | LSU | SEC | 17-4 |
19 | Butler | Big East | 17-5 |
20 | Illinois | Big Ten | 16-6 |
21 | Creighton | Big East | 17-5 |
22 | Penn State | Big Ten | 16-5 |
23 | Arizona | Pac-12 | 15-6 |
24 | Colorado | Pac-12 | 17-5 |
25 | Houston | American | 17-5 |
NCAA Tournament bracket predictions
SN's predictions and explanations for the 16-team seed reveal are below. The teams are listed by region with each team's seed line to the left and overall 1-16 seed rank in parentheses.
SOUTH REGION | MIDWEST REGION | |
---|---|---|
1 — Baylor (1) | 1 — Kansas (2) | |
2 — Dayton (8) | 2 — Louisville (6) | |
3 — Villanova (10) | 3 — Maryland (12) | |
4 — Auburn (16) | 4 — Butler (13) | |
EAST REGION | WEST REGION | |
1 — Gonzaga (4) | 1 — San Diego State (3) | |
2 — Duke (5) | 2 — West Virginia (7) | |
3 — Seton Hall (9) | 3 — Florida State (11) | |
4 — Michigan State (15) | 4 — Oregon (14) |
1. Baylor: The AP No. 1 team lost its second game of the season to Washington but has been perfect ever since, racking up wins over Kansas (away), Villanova (neutral) and Arizona and Butler (both home) in the process.
2. Kansas: The Jayhawks lead the nation in strength of schedule and are the only team with 10 Quad-I victories.
3. San Diego State: SDSU is the country's final undefeated squad and the country's NET leader, checking in with wins over Creighton, BYU and Iowa.
4. Gonzaga: With wins over Arizona and Oregon away from home, the Bulldogs should feel confident about their chances of landing another No. 1 seed.
5. Duke: The Stephen F. Austin loss hurts, but there's a serious case to be made about the Blue Devils' potential as a top seed with wins over Kansas and Michigan State away from home.
6. Louisville: Chris Mack's group might max out as a No. 2 seed, but that's a great spot to be in what figures to be a chaotic month of March. Cardinals have a win at Duke.
7. West Virginia: WVa's elite stretch of schedule (No. 4) and 10 combined Quad-I/II wins makes up for a lackluster 3-4 road record.
8. Dayton: The Flyers have yet to lose in regulation with overtime losses to Kansas and Colorado. There still isn't a top-30 NET win on the resume, though.
9. Seton Hall: Myles Powell's squad is flying high of late. The Pirates own a 12-5 record against Quad-I/II opponents this season, including wins over Maryland and at Butler.
10. Villanova: Another quality road win would be nice, as the Wildcats have just one NET top-50 road victory to date. The Kansas win and strength of schedule certainly help.
11. Florida State: If FSU can beat Duke or Louisville again, it would be a major boost to the Seminoles' resume. An additional top-tier win could solidify this group as a No. 2 seed.
12. Maryland: Trending up of late, the Terrapins are top-15 in both NET and strength of schedule and haven't suffered any losses outside Quad-I.
13. Butler: The Bulldogs seem to be back on course after losing four of six. Butler's team sheet is stacked with Quad-I wins that will pay dividends as the season progresses.
14. Oregon: Thanks to a loaded nonconference slate, Oregon has a strong strength of schedule and wins over likely tournament teams in Seton Hall, Houston, Michigan and Memphis.
15. Michigan State: Sparty has hit a rough patch recently and stands just 3-6 in Quad-I games. Advanced metrics should help keep this team within striking distance of a top-4 seed.
16. Auburn: Much like Dayton, the Tigers have a stellar record with not much meat on the resume. An underwhelming year in the SEC hasn't provided Auburn with many opportunities for quality victories.
Just missed: Creighton, Penn State, Arizona