Men's Joe Bracket 2023

I think Purdue is the best team in the nation.  I also don't think Purdue will be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.  I can see that changing if they win the Big Ten Championship Game and Alabama loses in the SEC final.  Otherwise, I think Alabama holds on to its 1-seed and Purdue settles for a No. 2 as the fifth-ranked team overall.

That's really the only suspense heading into the release of the bracket.  Because the other No. 1 seeds seem to be locked in.  It's really a matter of whether UCLA, Houston or Kansas will be No. 1 overall.  I was thinking it would be Kansas until they lost the Big 12 Championship Game, and Houston is without one of its best players.  Thus, it's UCLA who gets the nod as the No. 1 overall seed!

As for Houston and Kansas, who's seeded higher overall actually matters a great deal since the higher seed gets the closer regional site between Kansas City and Louisville.  They're both somewhat close to Kansas, so it's not that big of a difference for them.  But you can bet Houston would rather go to Kansas City!  And they'll get to as the No. 2 overall seed.

Losing to Texas was actually a double whammy for Kansas.  Because I had to move them out of Des Moines, their preferred site, for the first weekend and put them in Denver instead.  The reason for this is because I need a 1-seed to play on Friday against the winner of that Wednesday First Four game, and having Kansas go to Denver was the only way to do that.

Meanwhile, North Carolina, the Jayhawks' opponent in last season's National Championship Game, will likely be on the outside looking in when the bracket is unveiled.  They won't be the only ones.  I've got nine Big Ten teams in the field, but that doesn't include either Michigan or Wisconsin.  I've also got eight teams from the SEC and seven from the Big 12, which has won the last two National Championships (and, if Houston wins the title, the last three National Champions will be Big 12 members next season).

If you think that sounds like a lot of bids from a small handful of leagues, you're absolutely right.  As the Power 6 conferences have gotten bigger, so have their amount of Tournament bids.  I've actually got only four at-large bids coming out of other leagues, and two of those are the Mountain West and American.  The other is Saint Mary's, which has been ranked all year and has been safely in the field for weeks.

Bubble teams should be resting somewhat easier, too.  Because there won't be any bid stealers.  Penn State has played its way in regardless of how the Big Ten Championship Game goes, and the VCU-Dayton loser won't get in.  Of course, bubble teams should still be nervous regardless.  That's why they're on the bubble in the first place.  And four of them will have to make the quick turnaround to play in Dayton.

So, with all that out of the way, let's move on to the bracket.  I've already given you a little preview and revealed my 1-seeds.  Now it's time for the whole thing.  So, away we go...

WEST (Las Vegas)
Sacramento: 1-UCLA (1) vs. 16-Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 8-Arkansas vs. 9-West Virginia
Albany: 5-Xavier vs. 12-Drake, 4-Indiana vs. 13-Iona
Des Moines: 6-Creighton vs. 11-Arizona State/Pittsburgh, 3-Baylor vs. 14-Vermont
Greensboro: 7-Northwestern vs. 10-Utah State, 2-Duke vs. 15-UNC Asheville

EAST (New York)
Birmingham: 1-Alabama (4) vs. 16-Howard, 8-Memphis vs. 9-Illinois
Greensboro: 5-Saint Mary's vs. 12-Oral Roberts, 4-Kansas State vs. 13-Louisiana
Albany: 6-Miami vs. 11-Boise State, 3-Connecticut vs. 14-Colgate
Columbus: 7-Missouri vs. 10-USC, 2-Purdue vs. 15-Montana State

MIDWEST (Kansas City)
Birmingham: 1-Houston (2) vs. 16-FDU/Texas Southern, 8-Florida Atlantic vs. 9-Maryland
Orlando: 5-TCU vs. 12-VCU, 4-Tennessee vs. 13-Princeton
Denver: 6-San Diego State vs. 11-Rutgers, 3-Gonzaga vs. 14-Kennesaw State
Des Moines: 7-Michigan State vs. 10-Providence, 2-Texas vs. 15-Grand Canyon

SOUTH (Louisville)
Denver: 1-Kansas (3) vs. 16-Northern Kentucky/SE Missouri State, 8-Iowa vs. 9-Auburn
Orlando: 5-Texas A&M vs. 12-College of Charleston, 4-Virginia vs. 13-Kent State
Columbus: 6-Iowa State vs. 11-Clemson/Mississippi State, 3-Marquette vs. 14-Furman
Sacramento: 7-Kentucky vs. 10-Penn State, 2-Arizona vs. 15-UC Santa Barbara 

Bids By Conference: Big Ten (9), SEC (8), Big 12 (7), ACC (5), Big East (5), Pac-12 (4), Mountain West (3), American (2), WCC (2)
Final Four Matchups: West vs. East, Midwest vs. South

This year's Final Four is in Houston, so you can bet the Cougars will be the favorites should they get there.  And they are one of the handful of teams that has legitimate aspirations of winning the National title.  But this is March!  Anything can happen!  Just look at Saint Peter's last year!