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Bracketology 2022: 3 takeaways from Selection Committee bracket reveal

By Tristan Freeman

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 8: Led by committee chairman Mark Hollis (3rd from L), the NCAA Basketball Tournament Selection Committee meets on Wednesday afternoon, March 8, 2017 in New York City. The committee is gathered in New York to begin the five-day process of selecting and seeding the field of 68 teams for the NCAA MenÕs Basketball Tournament. The final bracket will be released on Sunday evening following the completion of conference tournaments. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 8: Led by committee chairman Mark Hollis (3rd from L), the NCAA Basketball Tournament Selection Committee meets on Wednesday afternoon, March 8, 2017 in New York City. The committee is gathered in New York to begin the five-day process of selecting and seeding the field of 68 teams for the NCAA MenÕs Basketball Tournament. The final bracket will be released on Sunday evening following the completion of conference tournaments. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) /
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Bracketology
Bracketology Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Drew Timme Julian Strawther James Snook-USA TODAY Sports /

This past Saturday, the Selection Committee released its annual preview of the seeds for the 2022 NCAA Tournament. With just a couple of weeks away from the start of the conference tournaments, the announcement of the current top 16 overall seeds provides a good indication of what the committee is looking for.

https://twitter.com/MarchMadnessMBB/status/1495093929724637189?s=20&t=LZNeuSLStzoVcFGiwWWLuQ

Overall there weren’t too many surprises compared to various Bracketology projections. The Gonzaga Bulldogs are the No. 1 overall seed, with Auburn, Arizona, and Kansas rounding out the top group. Providence and Texas got in towards the end, with Houston apparently one of the first teams out.

So what are some key takeaways from this group, knowing that things will change (already has) in the coming days? Here are some quick takeaways I had.

1. Gonzaga with the early advantage over Arizona for West Region top spot

This was something that the Bulldogs haven’t had to deal with for the most part. The Pac-12 has been “down” in recent years, allowing Gonzaga to be in the West Region as a top seed without much resistance. But Mark Few’s former assistant Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats are right on their trail, currently also on the 1 seed line.

The two teams have nearly identical resumes, with Gonzaga having a better road record, while Arizona has more Quad 3 wins and fewer Quad 4 wins. The Bulldogs have the better overall metrics, thanks in part to the number of blowouts they have.

What’s interesting is that Gonzaga has several Quad 1 games remaining, at Saint Mary’s and San Francisco, as well as 1-2 more games in the WCC Tournament. The Wildcats have six more games but only one (at USC) qualifies as Quad 1. So if the Bulldogs win out, the No. 1 seed and the ability to stay in the west coast time zone, will be their’s, while Arizona will have to go to the South Region and potentially be at a disadvantage against a Big 12 program in the later rounds.

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