2015 bracket winners and losers
— -- There's one constant to this bracket-revealing practice that we've come to expect -- not everyone is happy when their names and seed numbers are revealed. But some programs will clearly be more pleased than others as the field of 64 settles into national consciousness before games begin on Friday.
Here are some of the winners and losers out of Monday's draw:
Winners
Arizona State: The Sun Devils earned a host seed and now get to play at home in Tempe after the Pac-12 agreed to move its gymnastics championships to Utah to make room. Charli Turner Thorne's team hasn't played NCAA tournament games on its home floor since the Sun Devils hosted a regional in 2005.
Kentucky: A strong run through the brutal SEC -- despite nine losses this season -- earned the Wildcats a No. 2 seed. But it's the toughest No. 2 on the bracket sheet, in the Albany Regional under Connecticut's No. 1 seed -- and the Huskies have ended the Wildcats' season in two of the last three years. Kentucky is the first No. 2 with nine losses since Tennessee in 2012.
Gonzaga: The Zags get into the tournament as a bubble team out of the WCC and only have to travel to Corvallis, where they could play themselves into a potential second-round matchup with Oregon State.
Tennessee: The Lady Vols earned the No. 2 seed in the region with what might be considered the most vulnerable No. 1 (Maryland). Tennessee and its fans will have to trek up to Spokane for the regional, assuming the Vols get out of Knoxville, but it's worth the trip for a draw that looks pretty friendly on paper.
The Pac-12: The conference had a very good season, with five teams in the field. And four of those teams grabbed host seeds, matching the ACC for the most hosty-ish conferences in the field. Even the SEC got only three host bids.
California: The Bears were on the borderline for a host seed for most of the past month. But a run to the Pac-12 title game moved Cal into host position in Berkeley for the first time since 1992. Two wins would earn the Bears a ticket to Albany, but that's a problem for later ...
Oklahoma: Should the Sooners advance out of the first two rounds, they would get a chance to play in Oklahoma City in the regional, where they will have a big base of support and a chance to make a long tournament run.
Losers
Princeton: The Tigers were "rewarded" for their 30-0 season with a dreaded No. 8 seed in the Spokane Region, not to mention a first-round matchup with mid-major power Green Bay.
Green Bay: Which brings us to the Phoenix, whose No. 9 seed earns what is surely going to be a very motivated Princeton team in its first-round game. Green Bay is perennially one of the toughest mid-major teams, and this could be one of the best early round games.
George Washington: GW was among the top 20 teams in the country when the NCAA released its preview look at the top seeds a few weeks ago. But a loss to St. Louis dropped the Colonials all the way to a No. 6. Ouch.
Louisville: The Cardinals were bumped from a No. 2 seed in favor of a nine-loss Kentucky team, and they still don't get to host because their arena is being used for the men's tournament. So they are being sent to Tampa, with a potential second-round date against a good South Florida team.
Rutgers and Seton Hall: Dreams of a long tournament run die quickly when you get sent to Storrs for the first weekend of NCAA play. The Scarlet Knights drew the No. 8 seed; Seton is the 9 in Albany.
Notre Dame: The Irish get shipped to Oklahoma City instead of Greensboro. Not quite as close. Not quite as familiar. If it's a slight, it's only a slight one. The Irish should fare well no matter where they land.
North Carolina: The Tar Heels are happy to host, but they can't be thrilled to see a hot Ohio State team looming as a No. 5 seed in a potential second-round matchup in Chapel Hill.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks might be the first team to prove you can be a winner and a loser in the same bracket. The No. 1 seed will have to play three time zones away for the majority of its tournament run, opening up in Seattle and then potentially traveling to Palo Alto, California, where South Carolina faces Stanford in the regionals.
Louisville: Speaking of having to play on somebody's home floor, the Cardinals -- who had been discussed as a potential No. 1 seed before inexplicably being dropped to a No. 3 -- are going to have to do it in Iowa City against Iowa, should both teams advance to the second round.
