Overview
- Duke, Arizona, Michigan and defending champion Florida earned the four No. 1 seeds in the men’s field, with multiple outlets listing Duke as the early betting favorite.
- On the women’s side, the bracket is finalized with UConn, UCLA, Texas and South Carolina as the top seeds, and the previously announced top 16 will host opening‑weekend games.
- Sportsbooks opened wagering within hours of the reveal and posted DraftKings lines for the First Four and all first‑round men’s games, reflecting immediate market reaction.
- The tournament calendar is set: men’s First Four on March 17–18, first and second rounds March 20–23, regionals in Fort Worth and Sacramento, and the Final Four and title game April 3 and 5 in Phoenix.
- Early analysis flagged potential bracket landmines and sleepers, with picks such as VCU versus North Carolina and 12‑seed Akron against Texas Tech cited as upset candidates.