Big Name Teams Win in Conference Tourneys
March 12, 2007— -- It was a first for Florida. Not only were the Gators named the top seed in the Midwest regional on Sunday, they also earned the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Defending champion Florida (29-5) received the overall No. 1 for the first time, and it came despite being ranked sixth heading into Sunday's SEC title game. In the ESPN/USA Today poll released after the game, the Gators rose to third.
North Carolina (28-6) is the top seed in the East regional after winning its first ACC tournament title in nine years. The Tar Heels were ranked eighth in the nation going into Sunday's game but rose to fourth.
In the South, Ohio State, the top-ranked team in the nation, earned the No. 1 seed. The Buckeyes (30-3) won the Big Ten regular-season and tourney titles.
Kansas (30-4) earned its seventh top seed in the tournament and will be No. 1 in the West. The Jayhawks beat Texas in overtime Sunday to win their second straight Big 12 tournament. The Jayhaws are a solid No. 2 in the ESPN/USA Today poll.
The 65-team tournament begins Tuesday night in Dayton, Ohio, with an opening-round game between Florida A&M and Niagara, the two lowest-ranked teams.
Syracuse fans won't be able to pick their team. The Orange, the 2003 champions, were among the more surprising omissions from the field. Drexel, Kansas State, Air Force and West Virginia also were sure to be disappointed after being left out.
"We actually had 104 teams that had won 20 or more games, and that was more than the previous record of 78," NCAA selection chairman Gary Walters said.
A year after George Mason became the nation's favorite underdog, mid-majors won't get a great chance for another run. Only six of them -- down a couple of spots from last season -- were included in a field dominated by the power conferences. George Mason, which lost to Virginia Commonwealth in the Colonial Athletic Association championship, was not among them.
"We still believe we'll have great representation as it relates to mid-majors," Walters said.
