March Madness 2021: 5 biggest winners from Selection Sunday seeds

Alabama Crimson Tide

Not to beat a dead horse about the Big Ten seeding, but as much as Iowa and Ohio State didn’t benefit from what happened, Alabama certainly did. After beating LSU and winning the SEC Tournament championship, the Crimson Tide was effectively guaranteed to be a No. 2 seed but not in the same region as either Gonzaga or Baylor.

That left Illinois and Michigan to be paired with. Two weeks ago, the preferred option would’ve been the Fighting Illini. But between them winning the Big Ten Tournament title and the Wolverines losing arguably their second-best player on the roster (Isaiah Livers) to a foot injury, Illinois has become the third-best No. 1 seed and Michigan slides down to the most vulnerable.

Even outside of the Wolverines, the East Region isn’t as strong as the other three sections of the bracket. Texas can be sporadic at times, while Florida State’s offense isn’t Final Four caliber at the moment. Colorado is overhyped at the No. 5 seed and BYU at No. 6 is unlikely to make a deep run as well.

The East Region is a prime candidate for upsets and as long as the Crimson Tide can avoid them, there’s a genuinely good path to get to a Final Four, especially if Michigan struggles without Livers in the lineup. Between landing the weakest No. 1 seed and arguably the weakest region overall, Alabama has to be very happy right now.