Written by Eddie Pells, National Writer for Associated Press.

Prior to the release of the brackets on Sunday, March Madness was chaotic and confusing.

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The most reliable option is likely UConn.

The Huskies, who are the defending champions, were awarded the top position in the NCAA Tournament. They are joined by Houston, Purdue, and North Carolina, who are also No. 1 seeds. However, the bracket was already facing chaos even before the pairings were revealed on Sunday evening.

Among the highest-ranked teams, only UConn is entering the tournament with a recent victory. The rest suffered defeats in their respective conference tournaments, although there were plenty of unexpected outcomes in the last weekend of basketball before the major event takes the spotlight.

Outsider teams such as Oregon, North Carolina State, and Duquesne, who were not predicted to participate in the tournament, were surprisingly included in the field of 68 due to their conference championships. As a result, the teams they defeated took away some of the 34 bids given to teams on the bubble, reducing their chances of making it into the tournament.

“The process was incredibly challenging, according to Charles McClelland, the head of the selection committee. It kept everyone up until 2:30 a.m. the night before. Some of the staff members who have been in the room for the past 20 years also shared that this was the toughest selection process they have experienced.”

The bracket displayed a number of puzzling instances.

Out of the four remaining teams, only Boise State and Colorado State were not deemed as potential bubble teams by the majority of bracket analysts.

“To be completely honest, I was a bit surprised,” expressed Leon Rice, coach of Boise State, regarding his team’s placement as the No. 10 seed.

In recent days, it was believed that St. John’s and Oklahoma would likely make it to the next round. However, St. John’s ultimately chose not to participate in the NIT.

UConn coach Dan Hurley expressed surprise that only three Big East teams made the cutline, wondering how St. John’s ended up so far away from it.

Florida Atlantic and Texas A&M were initially considered teams on the cusp of making it into the postseason, but ultimately received the 8th and 9th seeds in their respective tournaments.

This could all contribute to the ongoing discussion about increasing the bracket to include 76 or possibly 80 teams. In that case, bubble teams such as Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, and even Indiana State would likely secure a spot.

The competition will begin on Tuesday with two initial games, featuring Virginia against Colorado State. The first round will include 32 games on Thursday and Friday. The championship round, known as the Final Four, will occur from April 6-8 in Glendale, Arizona.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, UConn, who will face Stetson on Friday, is the favored team and is aiming to achieve back-to-back championships for the first time since Florida in 2006-07. The Huskies (31-3) currently hold a seven-game winning streak and share the record for most wins in the nation with James Madison.

Although UConn had a strong season, they were placed in the East region alongside two teams from last year’s Final Four (San Diego State and Florida Atlantic) and Iowa State, who just had a impressive 69-41 victory over Houston and briefly considered as a potential top seed.

Hurley stated that by attaining our true identity and giving more effort than the opponent, we can avoid becoming susceptible in that aspect.

Eight teams from both the SEC and Big 12 were included, while the Big Ten and Mountain West had six teams each.

When discussing pride, Michigan State maintained their position as the top-performing team in the nation with a record-setting 26 consecutive appearances in the tournament. As the ninth-seed, the Spartans are scheduled to face off against Mississippi State on Thursday, while the fifth-seeded Gonzaga will take on McNeese on the same day. In February, Gonzaga was on the verge of being left out of the tournament, but a dominant run of nine wins in ten games secured their spot, extending head coach Mark Few’s remarkable 25-year streak of qualifying for the tournament.

The Kansas team, which has faced numerous injuries, enters as a 4th seed and is scheduled to face Samford. However, they will be without two of their top players, Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar Jr., who did not play in their 20-point defeat in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament.

Unfortunately, the Florida basketball team has been ranked as the 7th seed. In their upcoming match, they will face the victorious team of the play-in game between Boise State and Colorado. However, their team has faced a significant setback as their key player, Micah Handlogten, sustained a leg injury at the start of the SEC title game.

The Ivy League has chosen Yale, a 13th seed team, who fought back hard in the closing minutes and made a last-second shot against Brown to secure their victory and advance to a Friday match against No. 4 Auburn. Additionally, Saint Peter’s has returned to the tournament after two years, following their surprise run to the Elite Eight as a 15th seed. This year, they will face Tennessee as 15th seeds in the Midwest region.

If Tennessee progresses, coach Rick Barnes may potentially encounter his previous university, the 7th ranked Texas, who will begin against the winner of Virginia and Colorado State.

In the meantime, Duquesne, who unexpectedly won the Atlantic-10, has made it back to the tournament after not appearing since 1977. They will face off against No. 6 BYU.

In 1999, Dan Monson, the head coach, and his assistant Mark Few surprisingly guided Gonzaga to the Elite Eight. Monson currently coaches Long Beach State but was recently let go until the end of the season. Interestingly, Monson’s team went on a winning streak and secured a spot in the tournament by winning the Big West conference. As the 15th seed, Long Beach State will begin their tournament journey on Thursday against the 2nd seed, Arizona.

Monson mentioned in response to a text from Mark Few about having a successful start and finish, following his win which secured his job.

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The AP has released a bracket for March Madness, which can be found at https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket, along with coverage of the event at https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness.

Source: wralsportsfan.com