Selection Sunday 2015: Start Time, TV Coverage for Bracket Release Special

The NCAA tournament houses a seating capacity of 68 teams, yet many more clubs will nervously watch Selection Sunday in hopes of receiving an invitation to March Madness.

Once the conference tournaments wrap up, CBS will unveil the highly anticipated bracket on Sunday night. Along with college hoops fans across the country, players and coaches will gather around the TV screen and hope to see good news.

Toying with everyone's emotions creates compelling drama and suspense, along with days of scrutinizing the choices and analyzing every revealed matchup. We might as well get a head start on dissecting the tournament field. 

2015 NCAA Tournament Selection Show

Date: Sunday, March 15, 2015

Start Time: 6 p.m. ET

TV: CBS

Previewing Top Seeds

Humans share an odd obsession over firsts. From cars to dates to NCAA tournament seeds, the firsts get glorified over all else that follows.

In the grand scheme of things, holding a No. 1 seed instead of a No. 2 designation won't make a huge difference. There's no home-field advantage gained, but there is a giant target plastered on the top team's back.

Those Kentucky fellas are pretty good, so let's give the undefeated squad top billing regardless of the SEC tournament's outcome. ESPN Stats & Info placed the Wildcats' stifling defense into historical perspective:

The first choice is obvious, but the next three remain contested heading into the weekend. 

A pair of ACC schools in Duke and Virginia can cement one of the four prestigious spots by outlasting the conference field. While there's room for both should they set up a marquee ACC final, the winner can rest easy before Selection Sunday.

Although the Cavaliers' methodical tempo won't attract a feverish following, their 84.8 adjusted defensive rating tops even Kentucky, per KenPom.com. Losing to Louisville, however, downgraded them from a comfortable choice to a fringe candidate needing a strong rebound.

CBS Sports' Doug Gottlieb removed Virginia from his personal top four after Saturday night's last-second defeat.

"

4 best teams (my 1 seeds) 1- Kentucky Duke Wisconsin Arizona 2- Seeds Gonzaga Virginia Nova KU

— Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) March 10, 2015"

Along with getting the rub of being Duke, the Blue Devils have netted 12 straight victories after dismantling North Carolina State on Thursday night. Despite some inconsistent play, they're 5-1 against teams inside ESPN's Top 25 RPI, including wins over Virginia and Wisconsin.

Their high-profile freshmen have displayed a towering ceiling that makes them a legitimate choice to run the gauntlet. Barring an ACC tournament hiccup, they'll start atop their allotted region.

Lance King/Getty Images

Meanwhile, Villanova is hosting an offensive seminar on the road to March Madness. After dropping 105 points in its season finale against St. John's, the Big East powerhouse opened the conference competition with an 84-49 massacre over Marquette.

Ranked third in adjusted offense by KenPom.com, the Wildcats—whichever Wildcats team wins or lasts the longest should claim exclusive rights to the overused nickname—drained an unconscionable 17 three-pointers.

Coach Jay Wright commented on his team's hot hand, via the Big East men's basketball Twitter page:

A Big East title should lock down a top seed for a two-loss school riding a 13-game winning streak. It's about time Villanova gets treated as a top dog.