Louisville:
1. Louisville
16. Grand Canyon (WAC)
8. South Florida
9. Ball State (MAC)
The Cardinals are 18-0 but will put their unbeaten streak on the line Thursday when they host Notre Dame. Not that they should be scared of anyone — Louisville has already defeated Ohio State and Oregon. South Florida just lost by 51 at home to UConn but still has wins over St. John’s and LSU on the resume. Then there’s Ball State, who has knocked off Purdue and Butler.
Columbia:
4. Missouri
13. Gonzaga (WCC)
5. Arizona State
12. Butler
The team that just defeated South Carolina gets rewarded with a protected seed in the first two rounds. With all the attention in the SEC focused on South Carolina and Tennessee, the Tigers don’t get enough credit. Sophie Cunningham is averaging 18.2 per game and shooting 50 percent from three. Their projected second-round matchup would be with Arizona State. The Sun Devils have won six straight, including an impressive home weekend sweep of Cal and Stanford.