Indianapolis, IN (My Sportsbook) - Kansas, Duke, Kentucky and Syracuse were given top seeds for the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
Kansas (32-2), which was anointed the top overall seed for the tournament, will be in the Midwest Region and will face Patriot League champion Lehigh in the first round. That game will be Thursday in Oklahoma City after the Jayhawks came off their seventh Big 12 Tournament title, beating Kansas State, 72-64, Saturday night for the crown. The Jayhawks were the top seed in the Midwest in 2008, the year they won the national championship.
"You could spin it however you want to...a blessing, a burden," Kansas coach Bill Self said of being the top overall seed. "We all try to do that. We have been ranked No. 1 all but (four) weeks this year so we are kind of used to that. Even though the committee made it known that we were the overall No. 1 seed, when you are ranked No. 1 in America other people viewed you as the No. 1 team whether it was deserving or not, so I don't think it will be that big of a deal to our guys."
Duke (29-5) beat Georgia Tech, 65-61, on Sunday to win the ACC Tournament for a record 18th time. The Blue Devils are the top seed for an 11th time and will be in the South Region to face the winner of the opening-round game between Big South champion Winthrop and SWAC winner Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Those two teams will tangle in Dayton on Tuesday for the right to face the Blue Devils Friday in Jacksonville. It's Duke's 15th straight appearance in the tourney.
"We have a pretty tough bracket, but I think we are capable of beating anybody," Duke's Lance Thomas said. "As long as we play our game as far as defense, rebounding and just finishing, I think we will be fine against anybody."
Kentucky (32-2) has returned to prominence in a huge way, thanks in part to another SEC Tournament title, although the Wildcats needed overtime to beat Mississippi State, 75-74, on Sunday. They are a No. 1 seed for the 10th time in school history and will be in the East Region to face Atlantic Sun champion East Tennessee State on Thursday in New Orleans.
"I've never worried about a league championship or a tournament championship," Kentucky coach John Calipari said. "It's all based on the seed national NCAA Tournament. Anybody that says the seed is not important has never coached in the NCAA Tournament."
Syracuse (28-4) was given the top seed in the West Region and will face America East champion Vermont Friday in Buffalo. The Orange are seeded No. 1 for the first time since 1980 and gained the spot despite suffering a loss to Georgetown in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament.
Syracuse and Vermont previously played in the first round of the Big Dance in 2005, with the Catamounts pulling off an overtime upset as a No. 13 seed.
"When I saw the name pop up, it fired me up a little bit," Syracuse guard Andy Rautins said. "I think everyone around Syracuse took that loss to heart and I was as much a part of that team in spirit back then as I am now. It's going to be a big game and we're really looking forward to it, especially playing in Buffalo."
The next three seeds from the Midwest are Big Ten winner Ohio State, Georgetown and Maryland. Seeds 2-4 in the East are Big East champion West Virginia, New Mexico and Wisconsin. In the West, seeds 2-4 are Kansas State, Pittsburgh and Vanderbilt, while Villanova, Baylor and Purdue make up the next three from the South.
The Buckeyes will battle Big West winner Cal-Santa Barbara on Friday in Milwaukee. The other game in Milwaukee from that region will be the 7-10 matchup of Oklahoma State and Georgia Tech. Georgetown takes on Mid-American champion Ohio in Providence on Thursday, while the other game from that region at the Dunkin' Donuts Center will be between No. 6 seed Tennessee and 11th- seeded Mountain West winner San Diego State.
The 8-9 matchup in the Midwest will be between UNLV and Missouri Valley champ Northern Iowa. Maryland plays Conference USA surprise winner Houston in Spokane on Friday in the 4-13 game. Michigan State is seeded fifth in the region and will take on WAC winner New Mexico State.
In the West, Kansas State plays Sun Belt winner North Texas Thursday in Oklahoma City, while the 7-10 matchup will be between BYU and Florida. The Gators are in the tourney for the first time since 2007 when they finished off back-to-back titles. Pittsburgh has a date with Summit League winner Oakland in Milwaukee, while the 6-11 game is between Xavier and Minnesota. Vanderbilt has a game against Ohio Valley winner Murray State in San Jose, while the other game at HP Pavilion is between fifth-seeded Butler, the Horizon winner, against Texas-El Paso. The winner of Syracuse-Vermont tangles either eighth seed Gonzaga or Florida State.
The Mountaineers, fresh off edging Georgetown for the Big East title on Saturday, has a game in Buffalo on Friday against MEAC winner Morgan State, while Clemson faces Missouri in the 7-10 contest. New Mexico has a game against Big Sky winner Montana in San Jose on Thursday, while the 6-11 matchup sees Marquette playing Pac-10 champion Washington. Also Thursday, in New Orleans, Texas faces Wake Forest in a tough 8-9 game. In Jacksonville on Friday, the Wisconsin Badgers head to San Jose to play 13th seeded Wofford, the Southern Conference champions. The winner of that game will play either fifth-seeded Temple, the Atlantic-10 champs, or Ivy League winner Cornell.
Assuming they win on Friday, the Blue Devils, in the tournament for a 34th time, will face either No. 8 seed California or Louisville. Villanova takes on No. 15 seed Robert Morris in Providence on Thursday, while the 7-10 game has Richmond facing WCC champ Saint Mary's. Baylor plays Southland winner Sam Houston State in New Orleans, and the 6-11 game is between Notre Dame and Colonial winner Old Dominion. Purdue, despite the loss of star Robbie Hummel, gained the No. 4 seed in the region and will play Siena on Friday in Spokane. Texas A&M is seeded fifth with a first-round encounter against Utah State.
The Big East led the way with eight teams being chosen, followed by seven teams from the Big 12 and six from the ACC. The eight teams from one conference ties an NCAA Tournament record, also done by the Big East two other times -- in 2006 and '08. Noticeably absent from the qualifiers is defending champion North Carolina, which struggled to a 16-16 record this season.
Some of the bubble teams that didn't get an at-large bid included Rhode Island (23-9), UAB (23-8), Memphis (23-9), Mississippi State (23-11), Illinois (19-14), Virginia Tech (23-8) and Ole Miss (21-10).
The East Regional semifinals and final will be at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse on March 25 and 27. The South Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games will be played at Houston's Reliant Stadium on Friday and Sunday, March 26 and 28. The West Regional sets up in Salt Lake City on March 25, while the Midwest games will be at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis in a Friday-Sunday scenario.
The Final Four will be April 3 in Indianapolis with the championship game two nights later.
