Auburn holds the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, with Duke, Houston, and Florida joining the Tigers as No. 1 seeds in the March Madness brackets revealed on Sunday.

The NCAA selection committee favored the Southeastern Conference’s regular-season champions despite Auburn dropping three of its last four games, including a loss to Duke in December.

The Tigers (28-5) and Gators were among 14 SEC teams selected for the tournament, marking the highest number of teams from a single conference in tournament history.

Florida, which secured the SEC Tournament title by winning three games with an average margin of 15 points, enters as a slight favorite to win the championship in San Antonio on April 5 and 7, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

In a surprising turn, North Carolina and Texas made it into the tournament despite being on the bubble, while Indiana, West Virginia, and Boise State were left out.

The 68-team tournament begins Tuesday with the play-in games, followed by the first round on Thursday and Friday, featuring 32 games at eight different locations nationwide.

A Tribute and a Bracket Full of Controversy

The selection show started with a tribute to the late Greg Gumbel, who had long been the face of CBS’s bracket reveal.

Then, the focus shifted to basketball, with plenty to discuss. North Carolina barely made the field despite a 1-12 record against Quad 1 opponents, while Texas got in thanks to seven Quad 1 victories, despite 15 total losses.

The SEC led all conferences with 14 teams, followed by the Big Ten with eight and the Big 12 with seven. The ACC narrowly avoided its worst showing since 2000, with only four teams making the cut.

Despite the ACC’s struggles, Duke remains a strong contender, led by freshman Cooper Flagg, who averages 19 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Duke officials confirmed his ankle injury would not prevent him from competing in March Madness.

Pitino and St. John’s Face a Tough Path

Elsewhere in the bracket, coach Rick Pitino will lead his record-breaking sixth program into the tournament, and his journey to the Final Four won’t be easy.

St. John’s first-round matchup is against Omaha in Providence, the same arena where Pitino led the Friars to a surprise Final Four appearance in 1987. If they advance, a potential second-round showdown with Arkansas and John Calipari looms, promising a high-profile coaching duel.