The selection committee is charged with the duty of seeding college basketball teams. This process begins after selection, or the two can overlap. Seeding dictates the match-ups. High-seeded teams get to play with low-seeded teams. Since seeding is based on the strength of a team, higher seeds are at an advantageous position while the lower seeds are perceived as weak. The higher the seed is, the weaker is the draw. That is why two strong or two weak teams cannot play against each other during the first round of a tournament.

Definition of a Seed

It is regarded as a walkover that is conferred to a team with a great previous performance in a similar basketball competition. Seeding is mainly done to avoid conflicts between two strong teams during the preliminary rounds, something that can spoil the entire tournament. If a certain team took the national championship prize of the NCAA tournament last year, it is placed at the bottom of the fixture and as a top runner-up. In the semi-finals, it is listed in the middle of the list. This kind of organization ensures a healthy competition as the higher levels of competition approach.

The Potential of the Seeds

No. 1 seeds tend to be the most successful during college basketball tournaments. At the top of the line are 139-1 teams that participate in the first round with a winning probability of 99.3%. Then the No. 2 seeds have a 94.3% winning possibility. The No. 3 seeds have a 15% chance of losing during the tournament. The subsequent seeds only get worse. No. 1 seeds are more likely to progress into the semi-finals and finals. Most of them reach the Sweet Sixteen category, and a good number make it to the Elite Eight. Then a few will be among the Final Four. Since 1993, No. 1 seeds have won over 20 national championships out of the 35 that have been held.