Where BYU Can and Can’t Compete in the NCAA Tournament Due to Sunday Play

For the second year in a row, BYU will only have to tune into the Selection Show to see their placement, not whether they will be included. Most bracket predictions have BYU positioned as a 5-7 seed.

As always, Sunday play is a consideration for BYU. Last year, the team was initially given a 5 seed but was dropped to a 6 seed because of Sunday play concerns. While it isn’t guaranteed that BYU will be bumped down due to Sunday play, it remains a possibility.

There are eight venues for the first two rounds and four regional sites for the Sweet 16 and Elite 8. Half of the sites are scheduled for Thursday-Saturday, while the other half are set for Friday-Sunday.

When the selection show begins at 4 pm MT, CBS reveals the seeds for each of the four regions, one at a time. BYU doesn’t need to pay attention to the South and Midwest regions since they can’t play there due to Sunday play. Focus on the West and East regions instead.

The first-round preliminary sites aren’t assigned to any region, so higher seeds play closer to home. For example, Duke will likely be a 1 seed in the East region, so their pod will be in Raleigh, the closest preliminary site. BYU may not land as an 8-9 seed, but if they did, they couldn’t be in Duke’s pod, as that would be a Friday-Sunday site.

In summary, BYU can only play in the West or East regional sites, and the four preliminary sites they are eligible for during the first weekend are Denver, Wichita, Providence, or Lexington.

Thursday-Saturday Regional Sites (Sweet 16/Elite 8, March 27-29) — BYU Can Play Here

West — San Francisco, CA

East — Newark, NJ

Friday-Sunday Regional Sites (Sweet 16/Elite 8, March 28-30) — BYU Cannot Play Here

South — Atlanta, GA

Midwest — Indianapolis, IN

Thursday-Saturday Preliminary Sites (First Two Rounds, March 20-22) — BYU Can Play Here

Providence, RI

Lexington, KY

Wichita, KS

Denver, CO

Friday-Sunday Preliminary Sites (First Two Rounds, March 21-23) — BYU Cannot Play Here

Raleigh, NC

Cleveland,OH

Milwaukee, WI

Seattle, WA