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NCAA tourney selection committee chair breaks down race between Auburn, Alabama for No. 1 overall seed
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
NCAA Tournament selection committee chairman Bubba Cunningham discussed the race between Auburn and Alabama to claim the tournament’s top overall seed ahead of the start of March Madness in just over a month.
The Tigers were slated as a unanimous No. 1 overall seed during the committee’s reveal of the top 16 teams in its bracket, adding more significance to their game against second-ranked Alabama on Saturday.
Could a Tide win, then, push them above Auburn for the top seed?
“I don’t think any single game is going to make the difference,” Cunningham said. “Right now, we did have Auburn as the unanimous choice. So, yeah, Alabama, they’re going to play 2 more times, and the Alabama schedule they have in front of them is absolutely incredible, so the next month will really determine who will get the No. 1 overall seed.”
As Cunningham notes, the Tide and Tigers are set to meet on March 8, the final day of the regular season. And the Tide’s schedule is indeed grueling; after Saturday, every remaining opponent they have is ranked in the top 25, with Tennessee, Florida, and Auburn all ranked inside the top 5.
Regardless of the result, SEC basketball will be must-see TV down the stretch.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
