NCAA to reveal NCAA Tournament one-seeds early to grow fan buzz

ByCL BROWN
January 24, 2017, 11:21 AM

— -- The NCAA Division I men's basketball selection committee will reveal a sneak peek of tournament seeding by announcing plans to unveil the top 16 seeds next month.

The committee will offer early insight into its selection process by showing the top four seeds in each region on Feb. 11. The unveiling will take place on the March Madness Bracket Preview Show on CBS at 12:30 p.m. ET.?The seeding is subject to change as the rest of the regular season and conference tournaments play out.

Selection Sunday isn't until March 12, but men's basketball chair Mark Hollis, who is the athletics director at Michigan State, will offer an unprecedented glimpse into the process behind seeding.

"We are excited about giving the fans a glimpse to what the men's basketball committee is thinking at this point of the season, and creating a buzz as we look towards Selection Sunday," Hollis said in a released statement. "...There's potential for quite a bit of movement until we do it for real March 12, but this early peek will give everyone insight as to where the committee stands as we hit the stretch run of the regular season."

The national champion historically resides within the top 16 seeds. Since the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, only Villanova, an eighth seed in '85; Kansas, a six seed in 1988; and Connecticut, a seventh seed in 2014; have won a national title without being a top four seed.

ESPN's Joe Lunardi currently has Villanova, Kansas, Baylor and Kentucky as the No. 1 seeds in his latest Bracketology update.