Selection Sunday is here.
HBCU conference champions in the men’s and women’s NCAA tournament bracket will once again face a difficult road through the field, according to various projections.
SWAC champion Texas Southern and MEAC league titleholder Norfolk State will await their opponents and positions in the field of 68.
Before seeding and matchups are made official, here are where various college basketball prognosticators predict Texas Southern and Norfolk State will stand after the official brackets are set.
As of Sunday morning, CBS Sports projects Texas Southern to face Texas A&M CC in the First Four. The winner will then play No. 1 seed Arizona in the South Region. Norfolk State is projected to play overall No. 1 seed Gonzaga in the West Region first round.
Also read: NCAA basketball committee member explains why HBCUs are placed in the First Four
Prior to Saturday’s conference tournament results, The Sporting News anticipated that the SWAC champion and Norfolk State would first have to navigate the tough road as No. 16 seeds.
Joe Lunardi of ESPN has Texas Southern in the First Four and Norfolk State against Baylor in the East Region, according to his Bracketology formula.
Fox Sports predicts that Texas Southern to play in the First Four for a shot to then face No. 1 seed Kansas in the East Region bracket and Norfolk State slotted to play No. 1 seed Baylor in a Midwest Region matchup.
The 2022 men’s NCAA tournament for March Madness starts with First Four games in Dayton, Ohio and continues through to the 2022 Final Four in New Orleans. Selection Sunday for the men’s tournament is at 6 p.m. ET on CBS.
On the women’s side, SWAC champion Jackson State, according to ESPN, is projected to earn a No. 14 seed and play LSU in the first round of the Spokane Region. Howard, the MEAC automatic qualifier, will draw a No. 16 seed and is projected to play Longwood with the winner playing No. 1 seed North Carolina State in the Bridgeport Region, the bracket indicated.
Just Women’s Sports has Jackson State slotted as a No. 16 seed in the field of 68. Here is what the website said about the Tigers:
“Jackson State is as battle-tested as they come on the No. 15 line, and no No. 2 seed should want to game-plan for them.”
The site also predicts that Howard will be on the No. 16 line.
College Sports Madness has Jackson State as a No. 15 seed facing No. 2 Baylor in the Greensboro Region. The site also suggests that Howard will play Longwood in the opening round before taking on No. 1 seed South Carolina.
The 68-team bracket for the 2022 NCAA women’s basketball tournament will be revealed Sunday at 5 p.m. PDT on ESPN and ESPN2. A live stream of the bracket reveal also will stream on NCAA.com.
