After winning the Big East tournament, Villanova has a good chance to get the No. 1 overall seed.
Here's what you need to know in college hoops for Sunday, March 12. Get Morning Madness delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.
Two words: Selection Sunday. We’ve watched the games for months -- scouting that Final Four dark horse or the blueblood ripe for a Round of 64 upset -- for this moment. But first:
Six final automatic bids up for grabs
Yale takes on Princeton in the first-ever Ivy League tournament championship game (Noon ET, ESPN 2). March Madness at The Palestra -- does it get any better? Kentucky can win its third straight SEC tournament when it clashes with Arkansas (1 ET, ESPN) while scorching-hot Michigan will battle Wisconsin for the Big Ten crown (3 ET, CBS). If the Wolverines win, alert the 30 for 30 franchise. What a week it has been.
The early action is a perfect lead-in to the main event, the selection show, which begins at 5:30 ET (CBS) and lasts for 90 minutes. You can stream the bracket unveiling on March Madness Live.
Villanova keeps taking home hardware
Villanova claimed the Big East tournament crown in decisive fashion Saturday night, but fear not, Creighton fans. The last team to lose in the Big East tournament final was -- you guessed it -- Villanova. Last year’s Big Dance turned out OK for the Wildcats, no?
Iowa State just became a trendy Final Four pick after manhandling West Virginia in the Big 12 title game. The Cyclones check the requisite boxes: They have a stud point guard (Monte Morris), momentum (nine wins in last 10) and an elite offense (more than 40 percent of its 3s). They’re about as hot as Duke, which just became the first team to win four games in four days to win the ACC tournament.
A historic day for the Ivy League
March Madness? More like Ivy Madness. Yesterday was a day of firsts for the Ivy League, albeit in a building that opened nine decades ago.
The Ivy League held its first postseason tournament on Saturday. It didn’t disappoint. The Palestra is one of the most iconic venues in college basketball. NCAA.com’s Mike Lopresti has an in-depth look at the Ivy’s first crack at a postseason tournament.
Practice, but don't expect perfect
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The exact odds of filling out a perfect bracket? One in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808, according to Jeffrey Bergen, a mathematics professor at DePaul. Yep. That's one in more than nine quintillion. “It’s still a lot harder than winning the lottery," Bergen said.
But don't let that deter you from making your picks in our Bracket Challenge Game. After all, as a wise man once said, "Fun is doing hard things well."
More tips on picking your bracket
The tournament in your pocket
The NCAA March Madness Live App is ready to go dancing. You can get it via www.ncaa.com/marchmadness, www.bleacherreport.com, www.CBSSports.com, Bleacher Report’s Team Stream App, the CBS Sports App, Amazon Alexa devices, the App Store, Roku Channel Store, Windows Store and Google Play.
Mark your calendar
First Four in Dayton: March 14, 15
First Thursday of the NCAA tournament: March 16
Sweet 16 begins: March 23
Final Four in Phoenix: April 1-3
