Selection Sunday 2017: Start Time, TV Coverage for Bracket Release Special

As the conference tournaments head towards a crescendo, college basketball fans are waiting for the big event.

Shortly after the last championship net is cut down this weekend, it will be time for the NCAA Tournament Committee to release the NCAA tournament draw.

The Bracket Release Special will be televised by CBS at 5:30 p.m. ET through 7 p.m. The program will also stream live at NCAA.com.

While nothing is official yet, there doesn't appear to be much drama among the four top seeds. Even though Kansas lost its opening-round game of the Big 12 tournament in shocking fashion to TCU, the Jayhawks (28-4, 16-2) are expected to be one of the four top seeds along with defending national champion Villanova (29-3, 15-3), North Carolina (27-6, 14-4) and Gonzaga (32-1, 17-1).

ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi has had those four teams at the top of his brackets since February.

There will be plenty of drama as the teams are revealed, but unless the committee suddenly decides to punish the Jayhawks for their one-and-done performance in its conference tournament, it would be a shocker if the previously mentioned team are not standing with No. 1 designations next to their names.

The NCAA tournament consists of 68 teams, and 32 of them are automatic qualifiers as a result of winning their conference tournament. The committee then selects the 36 best at-large teams and then seeds all 68 teams into the bracket. 

There is no limit on the number of teams that can come from any single conference. It would not be a shock to see nine or 10 teams selected from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

All 67 games in this year's NCAA tournament will be televised, and the broadcasts will be divided among TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV. 

CBS will broadcast the Final Four semifinals and the national championship April 1 and April 3.

CBS will televise two of the regional finals, and TBS will televise the other two.

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

There could be some special stories this year as the teams and initial matchups are announced. One of the biggest appears to be that of the Northwestern Wlldcats. 

Northwestern has never earned a spot in the NCAA tournament, and head coach Chris Collins appears to have his team on track. The Wildcats have a 22-10 overall record after beating Rutgers in the Big Ten tournament Thursday night, and they were 10-8 in the Big Ten regular season. As a result of their consistent performance this season, the Wildcats are expected to hear their names called when the announcements are made Sunday evening.

Lunardi has the Wildcats as a potential ninth seed in the tournament.

Florida State (25-7, 12-6) is not going to make the top line of the tournament, but the Seminoles could be one of the most dangerous teams to compete in March Madness.

The Seminoles have an excellent chance of landing one of the third seeds in the tournament, and they are led by sophomore guard Dwayne Bacon, who averages 16.9 points per game. Freshman forward Jonathan Isaac is second on the team with a mark of 12.2 points per game, and he is also solid on the boards, as he brings down 7.2 rebounds per night.

Guard Terance Mann could be an X-factor throughout the tournament because he is shooting a dynamic 57.5 percent from the field while averaging 8.5 points per game.

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Keep an eye on Iowa State (21-10, 12-6) as the tournament progresses. Lunardi has the Cyclones as a potential No. 6 seed, and this team is playing its best basketball of the season as it has won seven of its last eight games.

Iowa State is a fast-paced offensive team that averages 80.4 points per game, and the Cyclones are led by senior guards Monte Moore and Nazareth Mitrou-Long. Those two are averaging 16.2 and 16.0 points, respectively.

The Cyclones are unusual because both of its leading scorers are seniors, and that rarely is the case in the modern game.

If that wasn't enough, their third-leading scorer is senior guard Deonte Burton, who is scoring 14.4 points per game and collects 6.2 rebounds per outing.

The senior-dominated team may be hard to knock out of the NCAA tournament.