The first spot and last spot in the NCAA Tournament are riding on what happens in conference tournaments this week.
Auburn had been No. 1 the past two months, but competitive losses to Texas A&M and Alabama — the latter on a buzzer-beater in overtime — last week dropped the Tigers to No. 3 in the AP Top 25 on Monday. It also left them with a two-game losing streak as they begin the SEC Tournament as the No. 1 seed, and with little margin for error when it comes to the NCAA tourney.
The overall No. 1 seed in the field of 68 could come down to which of three teams can triumph in their league tournaments: the Tigers, newly-minted No. 1 and ACC top-seed Duke, or second-ranked Houston, the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 Tournament.
“We’ve really been about finishing what’s right in front of us, doing our best in the moment,” said Duke coach Jon Scheyer, whose team climbed to the top spot in the AP poll for the first time since November 2021 during the farewell season of his mentor and predecessor, Mike Krzyzewski. “We want to be 1 when it’s all said and done.”
While the race is on for the No. 1 overall seed, so is the battle for the final spots that will be awarded on Selection Sunday.