/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72065394/2023_3_6VillanovaWildcatsUConnHuskiesWBB082.0.jpeg)
Tonight marks the beginning of the best time of the year.
It’s finally Selection Sunday, meaning the NCAA tournament brackets are about to be announced. Both the UConn men’s and women’s teams will be in the Big Dance this year — the third-straight season both programs have made it.
Dan Hurley’s squad seems to be one of the top at-large teams in the field, pegged as a likely 3-seed or 4-seed, while Geno Auriemma’s women’s squad is fresh off another Big East Tournament title and seems firmly locked in as one of the most dangerous 2-seeds in recent memory.
How to watch:
Men’s Selection Sunday Show: Sunday, March 12 — 6:00 p.m. ET on CBS/NCAA March Madness Live
Women’s Selection Sunday Show: Sunday, March 12 — 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN
What Vegas is saying
DraftKings likes the UConn men’s team’s chances in the tournament, with the Huskies having the seventh-best odds to cut down the nets in Houston at +1700. UConn’s odds are the best amongst Big East schools, but the favorites — Houston (+550), Alabama (+800), and Kansas (+800) have pulled away from the rest of the pack. The Huskies are also +480 to make the Final Four, the eighth-best odds of any presumed tournament team.
On the women’s side, Auriemma’s UConn squad, complete with a healthy Azzi Fudd, has the fourth-best odds of any program to win it all at +900. South Carolina, who defeated the Huskies in last year’s title game, is a heavy favorite to repeat at -200.
More odds for both NCAA Tournaments can be found here.
Bracketology roundup
After falling in the Big East Tournament semifinals to Marquette, UConn seems pretty firmly locked into either a 3-seed or 4-seed. Regardless of the seed line, the ideal landing spot for the Huskies is any region where the opening two games would be played close to home in Albany, New York. An added benefit for the East region is that the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games will be played at Madison Square Garden, which would be a major boon for the Huskies if they are able to advance.
ESPN: No. 3 seed in the South — First game against No. 14 Vermont
The Athletic ($): No. 3 seed in the South — First game against No. 14 Furman
CBS: No. 3 seed in Midwest — First game against No. 14 Grand Canyon
Joe Lunardi: No. 4 seed in West, No. 13 overall team
— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) March 12, 2023
With Fudd back and the Huskies once again steamrolling through the Big East Tournament, the UConn women seem relatively locked in as a 2-seed, meaning they will host the first two rounds at home in Gampel Pavilion. This year’s women’s tournament has regionals in just two places — Greenville, South Carolina, and Seattle, Washington — before the Final Four in Dallas, Texas.
Our in-house bracketology expert Megan Gauer has the Huskies firmly as a No. 2 seed, in line with predictions from ESPN, CBS Sports, and other top sites. Due to the Huskies’ projected overall seeding at around No. 6 or No. 7, UConn will likely head out West to Seattle for the sweet 16 and Elite Eight provided they escape their two games in Storrs unscathed.
Loading comments...