The 2025 March Madness men’s basketball tournament isn’t far off. Before the official selections are announced on Sunday, March 16, the DI Men’s Basketball Committee shares its in-season top 16 seeds on Saturday, Feb. 15.
A lot can change from that day to selections, but the bracket show will give a look into what the committee thinks. Here’s what you need to know about the reveal.
Top 16 reveal date, time, TV channel for the 2025 NCAA tournament
The DI Men’s Basketball Committee will share its in-season top 16 at 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 15, on CBS. It’s a look at the committee’s current top 16 teams, but it’s not the official bracket, as there is plenty of basketball to come after. The official NCAA tournament bracket will be announced on Sunday, March 16.
In-season top 16: Where do they end up?
There are instances of big shakeups by the time of Selection Sunday. Though most teams either remained the same seed or moved up or down only a seed or two, there have been notable movers.
The 2017-18 Oklahoma team had been a No. 4 seed in the in-season top 16 announcement, but OU went on a 4-10 slide going into the NCAA tournament — and got a No. 10 seed. The Sooners lost to Rhode Island in the first round.
The 2018-19 season saw the final five teams in the in-season top 16 all drop on the seed lines, including Nevada and Louisville falling from No. 4 to No. 7 seeds. All five of these teams lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
In 2020-21, five teams dropped outside the top 16 overall list — including Oklahoma (fell to a No. 8 seed) and Missouri (fell to a No. 9 seed). They met each other in the first round, with Oklahoma winning 72-68.
In the 2021-22 season, 15 of the 16 teams in the reveal remained one of the top 16 overall seeds, though there was some movement on the seed lines. Only Texas, the last team at No. 16 overall — and thus a No. 4 seed — fell out of a top-4 seed. The Longhorns ended up a No. 6 seed.
As for 2022-23, Iowa State, which was a No. 3 seed in the top-16 show, fell to a No. 6 seed. The Cyclones then lost to No. 11 Pitt in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Last season, San Diego State and Wisconsin were No. 4 seeds in the top-16 show but eventually landed as No. 5 seeds. While the Aztecs still reached the Sweet 16, Wisconsin fell to No. 12 James Madison in a first round upset. Kansas, however, had the largest seed drop, as the Jayhawks were a No. 2 seed in the in-season show but received at No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament. Kansas would go on to lose to No. 4 Gonzaga in the second round by 21.
| Year | Team | In-season seed (overall) |
NCAAT seed (overall) |
Change (in seed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Villanova | 1 (1) | 1 (1) | 0 |
| 2017 | Kansas | 1 (2) | 1 (2) | 0 |
| 2017 | Baylor | 1 (3) | 3 (12) | Down 2 |
| 2017 | Gonzaga | 1 (4) | 1 (4) | 0 |
| 2017 | North Carolina | 2 (5) | 1 (3) | Up 1 |
| 2017 | Florida State | 2 (6) | 3 (10) | Down 1 |
| 2017 | Louisville | 2 (7) | 2 (8) | 0 |
| 2017 | Oregon | 2 (8) | 3 (9) | Down 1 |
| 2017 | Arizona | 3 (9) | 2 (6) | Up 1 |
| 2017 | Virginia | 3 (10) | 5 (17) | Down 2 |
| 2017 | Florida | 3 (11) | 4 (14) | Down 1 |
| 2017 | Kentucky | 3 (12) | 2 (5) | Up 1 |
| 2017 | Butler | 4 (13) | 4 (13) | 0 |
| 2017 | West Virginia | 4 (14) | 4 (16) | 0 |
| 2017 | UCLA | 4 (15) | 3 (11) | Up 1 |
| 2017 | Duke | 4 (16) | 2 (7) | Up 2 |
| 2018 | Virginia | 1 (1) | 1 (1) | 0 |
| 2018 | Villanova | 1 (2) | 1 (2) | 0 |
| 2018 | Xavier | 1 (3) | 1 (4) | 0 |
| 2018 | Purdue | 1 (4) | 2 (7) | Down 1 |
| 2018 | Auburn | 2 (5) | 4 (13) | Down 2 |
| 2018 | Kansas | 2 (6) | 1 (3) | Up 1 |
| 2018 | Duke | 2 (7) | 2 (6) | 0 |
| 2018 | Cincinnati | 2 (8) | 2 (8) | 0 |
| 2018 | Clemson | 3 (9) | 5 (19) | Down 2 |
| 2018 | Texas Tech | 3 (10) | 3 (12) | 0 |
| 2018 | Michigan State | 3 (11) | 3 (9) | 0 |
| 2018 | North Carolina | 3 (12) | 2 (5) | Up 1 |
| 2018 | Tennessee | 4 (13) | 3 (10) | Up 1 |
| 2018 | Ohio State | 4 (14) | 5 (20) | Down 1 |
| 2018 | Arizona | 4 (15) | 4 (16) | 0 |
| 2018 | Oklahoma | 4 (16) | 10 (40) | Down 6 |
| 2019 | Duke | 1 (1) | 1 (1) | 0 |
| 2019 | Tennessee | 1 (2) | 2 (5) | Down 1 |
| 2019 | Virginia | 1 (3) | 1 (2) | 0 |
| 2019 | Gonzaga | 1 (4) | 1 (4) | 0 |
| 2019 | Kentucky | 2 (5) | 2 (7) | 0 |
| 2019 | Michigan | 2 (6) | 2 (8) | 0 |
| 2019 | North Carolina | 2 (7) | 1 (3) | Up 1 |
| 2019 | Michigan State | 2 (8) | 2 (6) | 0 |
| 2019 | Purdue | 3 (9) | 3 (12) | 0 |
| 2019 | Kansas | 3 (10) | 4 (13) | Down 1 |
| 2019 | Houston | 3 (11) | 3 (9) | 0 |
| 2019 | Marquette | 3 (12) | 5 (17) | Down 2 |
| 2019 | Iowa State | 4 (13) | 6 (24) | Down 2 |
| 2019 | Nevada | 4 (14) | 7 (26) | Down 3 |
| 2019 | Louisville | 4 (15) | 7 (25) | Down 3 |
| 2019 | Wisconsin | 4 (16) | 5 (19) | Down 1 |
| 2021 | Gonzaga | 1 (1) | 1 (1) | 0 |
| 2021 | Baylor | 1 (2) | 1 (2) | 0 |
| 2021 | Michigan | 1 (3) | 1 (4) | 0 |
| 2021 | Ohio State | 1 (4) | 2 (6) | Down 1 |
| 2021 | Illinois | 2 (5) | 1 (3) | Up 1 |
| 2021 | Villanova | 2 (6) | 5 (18) | Down 3 |
| 2021 | Alabama | 2 (7) | 2 (5) | 0 |
| 2021 | Houston | 2 (8) | 2 (8) | 0 |
| 2021 | Virginia | 3 (9) | 4 (16) | Down 1 |
| 2021 | West Virginia | 3 (10) | 3 (10) | 0 |
| 2021 | Tennessee | 3 (11) | 5 (19) | Down 2 |
| 2021 | Oklahoma | 3 (12) | 8 (32) | Down 5 |
| 2021 | Iowa | 4 (13) | 2 (7) | Up 2 |
| 2021 | Texas Tech | 4 (14) | 6 (22) | Down 2 |
| 2021 | Texas | 4 (15) | 3 (11) | Up 1 |
| 2021 | Missouri | 4 (16) | 9 (33) | Down 5 |
| 2022 | Gonzaga | 1 (1) | 1 (1) | 0 |
| 2022 | Auburn | 1 (2) | 2 (5) | Down 1 |
| 2022 | Arizona | 1 (3) | 1 (2) | 0 |
| 2022 | Kansas | 1 (4) | 1 (3) | 0 |
| 2022 | Baylor | 2 (5) | 1 (4) | Up 1 |
| 2022 | Kentucky | 2 (6) | 2 (6) | 0 |
| 2022 | Purdue | 2 (7) | 3 (11) | Down 1 |
| 2022 | Duke | 2 (8) | 2 (8) | 0 |
| 2022 | Villanova | 3 (9) | 2 (7) | Up 1 |
| 2022 | Texas Tech | 3 (10) | 3 (12) | 0 |
| 2022 | Tennessee | 3 (11) | 3 (10) | 0 |
| 2022 | Illinois | 3 (12) | 4 (14) | Down 1 |
| 2022 | Wisconsin | 4 (13) | 3 (9) | Up 1 |
| 2022 | UCLA | 4 (14) | 4 (13) | 0 |
| 2022 | Providence | 4 (15) | 4 (15) | 0 |
| 2022 | Texas | 4 (16) | 6 (23) | Down 2 |
| 2023 | Alabama | 1 (1) | 1 (1) | 0 |
| 2023 | Houston | 1 (2) | 1 (2) | 0 |
| 2023 | Purdue | 1 (3) | 1 (4) | 0 |
| 2023 | Kansas | 1 (4) | 1 (3) | 0 |
| 2023 | Texas | 2 (5) | 2 (6) | 0 |
| 2023 | Arizona | 2 (6) | 2 (7) | 0 |
| 2023 | Baylor | 2 (7) | 3 (9) | Down 1 |
| 2023 | UCLA | 2 (8) | 2 (5) | 0 |
| 2023 | Tennessee | 3 (9) | 4 (14) | Down 1 |
| 2023 | Virginia | 3 (10) | 4 (16) | Down 1 |
| 2023 | Iowa State | 3 (11) | 6 (21) | Down 3 |
| 2023 | Kansas State | 3 (12) | 3 (11) | 0 |
| 2023 | Indiana | 4 (13) | 4 (15) | 0 |
| 2023 | Marquette | 4 (14) | 2 (8) | Up 2 |
| 2023 | Gonzaga | 4 (15) | 3 (10) | Up 1 |
| 2023 | Xavier | 4 (16) | 3 (12) | Up 1 |
| 2024 | Purdue | 1 (1) | 1 (3) | 0 |
| 2024 | UConn | 1 (2) | 1 (1) | 0 |
| 2024 | Houston | 1 (3) | 1 (2) | 0 |
| 2024 | Arizona | 1 (4) | 2 (6) | Down 1 |
| 2024 | North Carolina | 2 (5) | 1 (4) | Up 1 |
| 2024 | Tennessee | 2 (6) | 2 (5) | 0 |
| 2024 | Marquette | 2 (7) | 2 (7) | 0 |
| 2024 | Kansas | 2 (8) | 4 (14) | Down 2 |
| 2024 | Alabama | 3 (9) | 4 (16) | Down 1 |
| 2024 | Baylor | 3 (10) | 3 (9) | 0 |
| 2024 | Iowa State | 3 (11) | 2 (8) | Up 1 |
| 2024 | Duke | 3 (12) | 4 (13) | Down 1 |
| 2024 | Auburn | 4 (13) | 4 (15) | 0 |
| 2024 | San Diego State | 4 (14) | 5 (18) | Down 1 |
| 2024 | Illinois | 4 (15) | 3 (12) | Up 1 |
| 2024 | Wisconsin | 4 (16) | 5 (19) | Down 1 |
But what about teams that started outside the in-season top 16 and yet ended up getting a top-four seed for the NCAA tournament?
Through the first handful of years of the in-season reveal, there have been one (2017), three (2018), five (2019), five (2021), one (2022 and 2023) and two (2024) teams to move into a top-four seed after missing the in-season top 16 list.
Of these 18 teams, 11 ended up getting a No. 4 seed. The other seven teams earned a No. 3 seed. In terms of the overall rank, 2021 Arkansas moved up the most — all the way to the No. 9 overall seed (so the highest No. 3 seed). In 2019, Texas Tech came from outside the top 16 to eventually earn No. 10 on the overall seed list. Texas Tech, of course, would go on to the NCAA tournament championship game. The 2022-23 season took it even further, as UConn came from outside the top-16 reveal to earn a No. 4 seed for the NCAA tournament. The Huskies then marched to a national championship.
For the most part, these late risers have done well in the NCAA tournament. Of the 16, three reached the national championship game and 12 advanced to at least the Sweet 16. Only four lost in the first round.
Arkansas has had a recent run of rising late. In both the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, the Razorbacks climbed to a top-4 seed and made the Elite Eight.
| Year | Team | NCAAT seed (overall) | NCAAT result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | West Virginia | 4 (15) | Sweet 16 |
| 2018 | Michigan | 3 (11) | Runner-up |
| 2018 | Wichita State | 4 (14) | First Round |
| 2018 | Gonzaga | 4 (15) | Sweet 16 |
| 2019 | Texas Tech | 3 (10) | Runner-up |
| 2019 | LSU | 3 (11) | Sweet 16 |
| 2019 | Florida State | 4 (14) | Sweet 16 |
| 2019 | Kansas State | 4 (15) | First Round |
| 2019 | Virginia Tech | 4 (16) | Sweet 16 |
| 2021 | Arkansas | 3 (9) | Elite Eight |
| 2021 | Kansas | 3 (12) | Second Round |
| 2021 | Florida State | 4 (13) | Sweet 16 |
| 2021 | Purdue | 4 (14) | First Round |
| 2021 | Oklahoma State | 4 (15) | Second Round |
| 2022 | Arkansas | 4 (16) | Elite Eight |
| 2023 | UConn | 4 (13) | National championship |
| 2024 | Kentucky | 3 (11) | First Round |
| 2024 | Creighton | 3 (10) | Sweet 16 |
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
