The Saturday slate in college basketball this upcoming weekend is an absolute doozy, capable of directly shaping the March Madness field even though Selection Sunday is still weeks away.
At 3 p.m. ET on ABC, No. 2 Houston hosts No. 4 Arizona in a Big 12 heavyweight fight. At 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, No. 1 Michigan plays No. 3 Duke in the nation’s capital.
Funny enough, that foursome represents the top of a mock bracket that was put together this week. A large contingent of college basketball media met on Thursday to form a hypothetical selection committee and produce a mock 68-team bracket. Though not an indicator of what the actual selection committee will ultimately do, it did provide a little insight into the consensus thinking atop the sport.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi revealed Thursday afternoon that, in order, the top 4 seeds in that exercise are Michigan, Duke, Arizona, and Houston.
Iowa State was the top 2-seed in the mock bracket. The Cyclones beat Houston 70-67 this past Monday. If Arizona knocks off Houston on the road, it would stand to reason the Cyclones might move up onto the 1-seed line.
At Kalshi, Iowa State to make the tournament as a 1-seed is trading at 25 cents per share. In the aftermath of the Cyclones’ win, Houston’s 1-seed future was trading for as low as 37 cents per share.
Though Houston hasn’t taken the court since, it has rebounded well in the market.
Florida remains the SEC team with the best perceived shot at earning a 1-seed, though that shot is a long one. Kalshi gives the defending champs an 8% chance to climb onto the top line of the bracket.
The Gators head to Oxford on Saturday to face Ole Miss. That game tips at noon ET on ESPN, so Florida fans will have time to catch the fireworks later in the day.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
