While the games of the NCAA tournament don't start until Tuesday, the moment the brackets come out reveals some clear winners and losers.
This year's tournament is one of the most wide-open races in recent memory. Here are three teams that came away from Selection Sunday smiling, and three more that likely won't plan for a long stay in the Big Dance.
Winners
Oklahoma (No. 2 West Region)
If Buddy Hield's miracle buzzer-beater Friday against West Virginia counted, Oklahoma could potentially have wrapped up a No. 1 seed. Instead, the Sooners have the No. 2 spot in the West, and should be thrilled at their slate. Lon Kruger's experienced squad should breeze through the first two rounds in Oklahoma City, and arguably has an easier road to Houston than top-seeded Oregon.
West Virginia (No. 3 East Region)
While West Virginia faces an accomplished Stephen F. Austin team in the first round - the Lumberjacks have only lost one conference game in the last three seasons - the Southland is certainly not the Big 12. The No. 2 spot at the bottom of the East Region, meanwhile, is a Xavier team that has lost two of its last four games. The top of the East is loaded, but West Virginia should be favored in every game prior to the Elite Eight.
Syracuse (No. 10 Midwest Region)
Simply put, Syracuse's inclusion in this year's tournament is a joke. The Orange lost five of their last six games down the stretch. The committee was apparently willing to overlook the program's 4-5 performance during coach Jim Boeheim's nine-game suspension earlier in the season, which sets a dangerous precedent. Syracuse actually has a good chance to win its opening-round game against Dayton: If the Orange win the rebounding battle, they tend to emerge victorious, and nobody on the Flyers that plays more than 20 minutes per game stands above 6-foot-6. A second-round game with Michigan State would likely be their reward, though, and Tom Izzo's Spartans could end the charade. Syracuse's visit to the tournament will probably be short, but being there in the first place is a win for the program.
Losers
Kentucky (No. 4 East Region)
Kentucky has the 35th-ranked strength of schedule in the country, while Texas A&M's is 77th. The two schools hold the same 26-8 record. The Aggies won a two-point contest at home against the Wildcats earlier in the season, while Kentucky took the overtime affair Sunday to win the SEC championship game. There shouldn't be a world in which Kentucky is seeded below Texas A&M, yet here we are. The Wildcats' likely opponents for rounds two and three are No. 5 Indiana and No. 1 North Carolina, which are a combined 53-13 on the season. John Calipari has the best backcourt in the country with Tyler Ulis and Jamal Murray, but the murderer's row facing the Wildcats will make a return to the Final Four very difficult.
Arizona (No. 6 South Region)
Arizona faces the winner of the Wichita State/Vanderbilt play-in game, which is probably the most explosive in the brief history of the contest. Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet are still around for the Shockers, just three years removed from a Final Four appearance. The Wildcats didn't travel well this season, though, posting a 5-5 record on the road, and the location for the first-round game is Providence, R.I. - a mere 2,595 miles from Arizona's Tucson campus. Sean Miller's posted some impressive numbers as a coach in the tournament, but this year could be his toughest road yet.
Iowa (No. 7 South Region)
Syracuse escaped punishment for its late-season slide, yet Iowa wasn't so lucky. Like the Orange, the Hawkeyes lost five of their last six games, but they were punished with the No. 7 seed and a possible second-round matchup with No. 2 Villanova. It's obvious from seeding that the committee rated the Pac-12 much higher than the Big Ten, as Oregon State snagged a seven-seed in the West with a 19-12 record. Despite their struggles down the stretch, the Hawkeyes deserved to be ranked No. 6 at worst.
