The full NCAA Tournament bracket has been released with South Carolina leading the way as No. 1 overall.
(Editor’s note: This is part of the Bracket Central Series, an inside look at the run-up to the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments, along with analysis and picks during the tournaments.)
After months of anticipation, thousands of games played in and out of conference, and some truly wild conference tournaments, the NCAA Tournament is here. Selection Sunday has come and gone. Advance scouts are done, processed and getting applied in final practices.
Throughout March Madness, The Athletic will present its Power Rankings. After every round, we’ll release an updated rankings reflecting how teams are playing. Keep in mind, these are not reflections of seedings, although there may be some crossover between where teams are seeded and how they’re performing.
Our inaugural power rankings admittedly looks pretty close to chalk, as many of the teams were seeded by the selection committee in a way that was reflective of recent play. However, the Tennessee Volunteers make a surprise appearance despite being a No. 6 seed. The Lady Vols play No. 11 Green Bay, a dangerous mid-major, in Saturday’s first round.
Gonzaga is just outside of my rankings consideration after dropping the…
