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NCAA Tournament Selection Show TV and Live Streaming
Date: Monday, March 12
TV: ESPN
Time: 7 p.m.
Streaming Link: http://www.espn.com/watch/
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Automatic Qualifiers
American (Patriot)
Arkansas - Little Rock (Sun Belt)
Baylor (Big 12)
Belmont (Ohio Valley)
Boise State (Mountain West)
Cal State Northridge (Big West)
Central Michigan (MAC)
Connecticut (American)
Drake (MVC)
Elon (CAA)
Florida Gulf Coast (A-Sun)
Gonzaga (WCC)
Grambling (SWAC)
Green Bay (Horizon)
Liberty (Big South)
Louisville (ACC)
Maine (America East)
Mercer (Southern)
North Carolina A&T (MEAC)
North Colorado (Big Sky)
Ohio State (Big Ten)
Oregon (Pac-12)
Seattle (WAC)
South Carolina (SEC)
South Dakota State (Summit)
St. Francis (PA) (Northeast)
Steven F. Austin (Southland)
Western Kentucky (C-USA)
Likely Regional No. 1 Seeds
UConn - The only undefeated team in the country and essentially the wire-to-wire No. 1 team this season, the Huskies will enter the 2018 NCAA Tournament in the familiar position of the overwhelming favorite, but there is a competitive field this year so it won’t be as easy as previous runs to the title have been. They start five of the best players in the country and have another one coming off the bench in Azura Stevens. Seniors Kia Nurse and Gabby Williams are the emotional leaders of the team while juniors Katie Lou Samuelson and Napheesa Collier provide the pop on the perimeter and down low, respectively.
Baylor - One of two, one-loss teams along with Mississippi State, the Bears just won the Big 12 championship and have also beaten ranked Kentucky and Stanford teams out of conference. Kim Mulkey’s squad also owns a three-game sweep of conference rival No. 6 Texas, including the Big 12 Tournament championship game. The Bears have balanced scoring across the roster, with four players averaging 13 or more points, led by Kalani Brown’s 18.3 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.
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Mississippi State - The team that took down the giant last year, the Bulldogs look like an even better team this season. They won a tough SEC conference and racked up 32 straight wins before falling to South Carlina in the SEC Tournament final. While Morgan William’s buzzer beater shocked the world last year, Vic Shaefer and his players are looking for more than a pelt this year. They want the ‘ship. Guard Victoria Vivens (19.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG) and center Teaira McCowan (17.7 PPG, 13.2 RPG) lead this team.
Louisville - The Cardinals are the only two-loss team ranked in the top-20. These defensive stalwarts have regular-season wins over ranked Ohio State, Michigan, and Oregon out of conference and Duke, NC State, and Notre Dame in the ACC before winning the conference tournament with a second win over a very good Fighting Irish team. One of their two losses was to UConn on the road and the other was at home against No. 12 Florida State. Asia Durr (18.8 PPG) and Myisha Hines-Allen (13.9 PPG, 9.8 RPG) form a strong 1-2 combo for this contender.
Keep an Eye On
Notre Dame - Perennial contenders under Muffet McGraw, still among the class of the country if not a top seed and also gave No. 1 UConn one of its toughest tests of the year.
South Carolina - The reigning national champions, Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks are peaking at the right time after winning the SEC Tournament and should make another deep run in the NCAA’s this year.
Texas - Besides three losses to Baylor, the Longhorns’ three other losses are to UConn, which was a close one at home, and Tennessee and TCU on the road by seven and two points, respectively. This is a battle-tested group that could outperform its seed and make the Final Four.
Oregon - Don’t accuse us of having any coastal bias. The Ducks are the class of a competitive Pac 12 field and should make some noise this year.
Bubble Teams
Per ESPN’s Charlie Creme
Last Four In: Rutgers, Buffalo, Creighton, Nebraska
First Four Out: West Virginia, USC, Oklahoma, Purdue
From Summit Hoops’ Russ Steinberg
Last Four In: Minnesota, West Virginia, Dayton, Virginia
First Four Out: USC, Creighton, Ball State, USC