The 2023 March Madness men’s basketball tournament is fast approaching. Before the final, official selections are announced on Sunday, March 12, the DI Men’s Basketball Committee shares its top 16 seeds this Saturday, Feb. 18.
A lot can change from this weekend up to selections, but Saturday’s show will give a look into what the committee thinks as of Feb. 18. Here’s what you need to know about the top-16 reveal.
Top 16 reveal date, time, TV channel for the 2023 NCAA tournament
The in-season top 16 will be announced at 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 18, on CBS. During the show, the DI Men’s Basketball Committee will share its top four teams in each region as they stand on Feb. 18.
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.
Last 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.
| 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 |
But what about teams that started outside the in-season top 16 and yet ended up getting a top-four seed in 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) and one (2022) teams to move into a top-four seed after missing the in-season top 16 list.
Of these 15 teams, 10 ended up getting a No. 4 seed. The other five 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.
For the most part, these late risers have done well in the NCAA tournament. Of the 15, two reached the national championship game and 10 advanced to at least the Sweet 16. Only three 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 |