Alabama players celebrate on the court after an NCAA college basketball game against Texas A&M in the finals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament, Sunday, March 12, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)
The stage is set for the most important tournament in college hoops after the 2023 March Madness bracket was revealed.
CBS and the NCAA held their annual Selection Sunday this week, and, in what wasn't much of a surprise to those that are tapped into men's college basketball this season, Alabama, playing out of the Southern region, landed the No.1 overall seed for the first time in the university's history.
Purdue, Kansas, and Houston were also named No. 1 seeds in the East, Midwest, and Western regions respectively.
On the women's side, South Carolina once again snatched the No. 1 overall seed as coach Dawn Staley and her Gamecocks look to not only return to the Final Four for the fifth time in seven years, they're looking to repeat as champions after winning in 2022.
Stanford, Indiana, and Virginia Tech were also named No. 1 seeds in their respective regions.
In the men's bracket, the Final Four is set to tip off on April 1 with a champion to be crowned on April 3 at NRG Stadium in Houston. The women's championship game is scheduled for April 2 at American Airlines Arena in Dallas.
March Madness is finally here as everyone is looking for which team to bet on and which teams to fade. Sports betting expert Alex Glaze joins Cheddar Bets to tell you which Cinderella team you should bet on and which teams to avoid for the NCAA Tournament.
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Sean Green, Co-founder of the Sports Gambling Podcast Network, discusses which teams he's leaning towards and away from, who the breakout stars will be, and explains why UCLA, a No. 4 seed, will leave New Orleans with the title.
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BetMGM host Olivia Harlan Dekker gives her plays for some of the NCAA Tournament's biggest storylines, and explains why she is selling on both Coach K and - yes - Sister Jean.
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Erika Nardini, CEO of Barstool Sports, joined Cheddar News senior reporter, Michelle Castillo at South by Southwest to talk about Barstool Sportsbook and the NCAA March Madness tournaments. "What we really believe is that there's going to be the next generation of sports bettor, [who] will follow sports the way Barstool Sports follow sports," she said. "They'll like winners. They'll like losers. They'll like the storylines. They'll like the drama with the fans.”
Amy Purdy, the three-time Paralympic medalist and first double-leg amputee competitive snowboarder, made her debut as a commentator at this year's games, and she joined Cheddar News to recap the event. "I like to challenge myself because I was challenging myself as a Paralympic athlete myself," she said. "But then to be able to be a commentator and be able to, you know, support the game, support the athletes in a completely different way, it was a lot of fun."
College basketball forward for the HBCU Texas Southern University, Mimi O'Neal, daughter of Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, is pushing for more changes in light of gender equity scandals in NCAA college hoops brought to light on social media last year.
It's been an eventful past few weeks for the WNBA. One of the league's top players, Brittney Griner, remains in Russian custody after being detained at an airport last month. The league is also dealing with a scandal after fining a team for providing charter flights to their players. Emily Caron, sports business reporter for Sportico, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Tyler Fulghum, ESPN betting analyst, joins Cheddar Bets to break down the best value picks of the remaining teams in the biggest conference tournaments.
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