By KEVIN MOBLEY – Contributing Writer
CBS’s “Selection Show” revealed the seedings for the 2013 NCAA Tournament on Sunday night, and games will now commence starting this Tuesday, March 19, with the play-in games.
Mouse over each state to see the No. 1 seed for each region game. Graphic by Austin DeFoor.
First Four (Dayton, OH)
1. Midwest No. 16 – North Carolina A&T vs. Liberty
2. Midwest No. 11 – Middle Tennessee vs. St. Mary’s
3. East No. 16 – LIU Brooklyn vs. James Madison
4. West No. 13 – Boise State vs. La Salle
Midwest Region (Indianapolis, IN)
No. 1 Seed: Louisville (No. 1 Overall)
Best team not No. 1: No. 3 Michigan State – Early on, Duke looked like the best team in the country, but the Spartans are battle-tested after playing in the ruthless Big Ten.
Best 1st round matchup: No. 5 Oklahoma State vs. No. 12 Oregon – Despite a 26-win season and winning the Pac-12 championship, Oregon slipped through the cracks to become a No. 12 seed.
Sleeper: No. 7 Creighton – Their potential 2nd round matchup, Duke, is vulnerable after a difficult loss to Maryland in the ACC tourney. Creighton junior forward and Wooden Award finalist Doug McDermott is No. 2 in the nation in points per game average, and he led the Bluejays to the MVC title. 
Shocker: No. 11 St. Mary’s – The Gaels were one of the last four in, and though they are slotted for the play-in game, St. Mary’s could knock off a shaky Middle Tennessee and their potential second round opponent, Memphis, behind sharpshooter Matthew Dellavedova.
Hottest: No. 4 St. Louis – The Billikens looked very impressive in Atlantic-10 tournament, with huge wins over VCU and Butler, No. 5 and No. 6 seeds respectively.
Coldest: No. 2 Duke – Duke looked like the best team in the country during non-conference play, but the Blue Devils lost steam in the ACC, including a disappointing loss to Maryland in their first and only game of the conference tournament.
South Region (Arlington, TX)
No. 1 Seed: Kansas
Best team not No. 1: No. 4 Michigan – No. 2 seed Georgetown and No. 3 seed Florida both had let downs in their conference tournaments as the No. 1 seeds, and though Michigan did as well, sophomore guard and Wooden Award front-runner Trey Burke has been a commander for the Wolverines.
Best 1st round matchup: No. 8 North Carolina vs. No. 9 Villanova – The Tar Heels bounced back well from a demoralizing loss to Duke in the regular season finalé by making it to the ACC tournament championship game. Villanova has been fueled by the play of freshman guard Ryan Arcidiacono.
Shocker: No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast – To label this potential upset as a shocker is an understatement, but the Eagles played a rigorous non-conference schedule, including a win over No. 2 seed Miami.
Hottest: No. 1 Kansas – The Jayhawks hit rock bottom when they lost back-to-back-to-back to Oklahoma State, TCU and Oklahoma, but since then, except for a head-scratching blowout to Baylor, they’ve been picture perfect.
Coldest: No. 6 UCLA – After freshman guard Jordan Adams broke his foot in the Pac-12 semifinal against Arizona, the Bruins went from a sneaky darkhorse contender to a diminished team that looked dazed in the championship game against Oregon.
West Region (Los Angeles, CA)
No. 1 Seed: Gonzaga
Best team not No. 1: No. 2 Ohio State – The Buckeyes were the last team standing in the best conference across the country. This team has been sweltering hot as of late.
Best 1st round matchup: No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 12 Ole Miss – Both of these teams were among the most impressive in the conference tournaments, as Wisconsin knocked off Michigan and Indiana before losing to Ohio State, and Ole Miss won the SEC tournament with wins over Missouri, Vanderbilt and Florida.
Sleeper: No. 7 Notre Dame – The Irish have one of the deepest front-courts in the nation, led by All-Big East senior Jack Cooley and Michigan State transfer Garrick Sherman. They were very impressive in a win against Marquette in the Big East tourney. 
Shocker: No. 11 Belmont – The Bruins had some exciting non-conference wins against Stanford and Middle Tennessee, they’ve gone up against VCU and Kansas and they edged out Murray State in overtime to clinch the conference title and a birth into the Big Dance.
Hottest: No. 2 Ohio State – You could definitely make the case that Gonzaga is the hottest team in this region and in the country, given they haven’t lost since January. However, Ohio State, behind junior guard Aaron Craft, has been on a roll since a loss at Wisconsin back on February 17.
Coldest: No. 6 Arizona – Arizona has lost three of its last five games, including two losses to UCLA and one to USC. They were extraordinary in non-conference play, but quickly faded in Pac-12 play with six losses.
East Region (Washington D.C.)
Best team not No. 1: No. 2 Miami – The Hurricanes were effective in the ACC tournament, and the only thing that held them back from a No. 1 seed was not having a rematch with Duke in the championship game.
Best 1st round matchup: No. 7 Illinois vs. No. 10 Colorado – This game is very intriguing, and it’s difficult to get a reading on either of these teams. Illinois has an excellent backcourt led by senior Brandon Paul, and Colorado junior forward Andre Roberson is No. 2 in the nation in rebounds.
Sleeper: No. 5 UNLV – Though the Runnin’ Rebels lost a close MWC championship game to West region No. 3 New Mexico, the play of freshman forward and Wooden Award finalist Anthony Bennett has been phenomenal.
Shocker: No. 14 Davidson – No one is talking about the Wildcats despite 17 straight wins and a tough non-conference schedule that included tests against Gonzaga, Duke and an impressive five point loss to New Mexico.
Hottest: No. 2 Miami – Miami has now regained the confidence that they were playing with when they beat Duke by 27 points back in January. They have an elite combination of a great decision maker in sophomore guard Shane Larkin and the dominant post presence that is senior Kenny Kadji.
Coldest: No. 3 Marquette – Marquette was an early out in the Big East tourney, as they lost their quarterfinal game against Notre Dame. Junior guard Vander Blue has been sensational, but can his play lift the Golden Eagles past the Sweet 16, where they’ve tripped up the last two seasons?
Stay tuned for more coverage, analysis and predictions from the 2013 edition of March Madness.
