The Atlantic Coast Conference claimed the top three seeds in the tournament, but it was the Big Ten leading the nation in tournament bids.
The Big Ten had eight teams make the field: No. 2 seeds Michigan and Michigan State, No. 3 seed Purdue, No. 5 seed Wisconsin, No. 6 seed Maryland, No. 10 seeds Minnesota and Iowa, and No. 11 seed Ohio State.
-- 6th #B1GTourney -- --#GoGreen pic.twitter.com/MEzhheM8Gz
— Michigan State Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) March 17, 2019The stage is SET!We will take on Bradley on Thursday in Des Moines, Iowa --#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/1eaVhe9pjd
— Michigan State Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) March 17, 2019Let the madness begin as we head to Des Moines, Iowa on Thursday to take on Montana in the West Regional!#GoBlue x #MarchMadness x #LetsDance pic.twitter.com/tJLrKIRU2V
— Michigan Men's Basketball (@umichbball) March 17, 2019The ACC had led the country with nine bids in each of the past two seasons, but slipped to seven this time to tie the Southeastern Conference, while the Big 12 had six.
The American Athletic Conference and Big East each had four teams, while the Pac-12 ended up with three after looking at times like it might be a one-bid league this season
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Minnesota's first-round opponent will sure look familiar to coach Richard Pitino.
The Gophers got the 10th seed in the East Region, matched up with No. 7 seed Louisville in a first-round game in Des Moines, Iowa.
Pitino had two stints as an assistant coach at Louisville under his father, Rick Pitino, who was fired prior to last season after his name surfaced in connection to the bribery scandal that has been playing out in federal court.
Richard Pitino is in his sixth season at Minnesota. This is his second trip to the NCAA Tournament.
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Oklahoma received a bid to the NCAA Tournament on Sunday after some uncertainty.
The ninth-seeded Sooners (19-13) will play No. 8 seed Ole Miss (20-12) in the South Region on Friday in Columbia, South Carolina.
Outside of the program, expectations for Oklahoma were low this season. The Sooners lost superstar guard Trae Young to the NBA, and it was unclear where the Sooners' points would come from this season. The Sooners re-invented themselves as a grind-it-out defensive team that heads into the NCAA Tournament with one more win than last year's squad.
The Sooners got off to a strong start and worked their way into the in the Top 25. They struggled during the middle of Big 12 play, losing five games in a row and putting their NCAA hopes in jeopardy. The Sooners bounced back by winning four out of five, including a big win over Kansas. That gave them enough leeway to survive an upset loss to West Virginia in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament.
It was Oklahoma's sixth bid in the past seven years under coach Lon Kruger.
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Kansas coach Bill Self was more concerned about matchups and destinations than seeds.
Well, he could end up liking his destination.
The Jayhawks were the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region, and that means a potential regional semifinal in Kansas City. But they must first beat Colonial champ Northeastern and then beat either SEC Tournament champion Auburn or No. 12 seed New Mexico State, the high-octane WAC champ, in games played in Salt Lake City.
For those that really want to peer into the future, the No. 1 seed is North Carolina. And that could mean a matchup between the Jayhawks and their former coach just down the road from their campus in Lawrence for a spot in the Elite Eight.
Kentucky earned the No. 2 seed in the Midwest, and the Wildcats could be in line for a tough second-round matchup against Wofford. The No. 7 seed Terriers have won 20 straight.
