Selection Sunday 2019: Start Time, TV Schedule and Bubble Teams to Watch
March 17, 2019
While some teams can sit comfortably on Selection Sunday, others will be waiting anxiously during the bracket reveal on Sunday evening.
After the final automatic bids are awarded with the remaining conference tournament championship games on Sunday, the NCAA tournament selection committee will decide which other schools will receive at-large bids to fill out the 68-team field.
By Sunday evening, the bracket will be set and fans can begin to fill them out ahead of the NCAA tournament.
Selection Sunday Information
Time: 6 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Live Stream: NCAA.com
Bubble Teams to Watch
Belmont
Belmont hasn't played since March 9, but there have been varied opinions on whether it should make the NCAA tournament.
The Bruins won 14 games in a row before they lost to Murray State in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament championship game. Although they were 26-5, they never played a ranked team this season.
However, things have unfolded that have helped Belmont's case. Fellow bubble teams Indiana, Temple and NC State all had early losses in their respective conference tournaments.
Through Friday, the Bruins ranked No. 46 in the NCAA Evaluation Tool rankings, which would be good enough to get them into March Madness.
ESPN's Joe Lunardi has Belmont among his first four teams out. Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller has it as his last team in. Either way, Bruins coach Rick Byrd has his team ready.
"The committee will do the best job they can do to pick the teams, and if we're one of those, we'll be on the plane to wherever we go," Byrd said, according to Steven Boero of Belmont Vision. "I think we have to trust the committee to make the right decisions."
Texas
Most times, a 16-16 team wouldn't be considered for an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament. However, Texas is among this year's bubble teams.
The Longhorns had a rough end to their season, losing five of their last six games, including a loss to Kansas in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament. But they have some quality wins, including victories over North Carolina, Oklahoma and Kansas.
Texas ranks among the top 30 in the KenPom rankings, as it navigated one of the toughest schedules in the country this season.
Like Belmont, there are varied opinions on which side of the bubble the Longhorns will be on. Lunardi has them among his first four teams out, while Miller has them as one of his last four teams in.
If Texas makes the NCAA tournament, it will be the first team to receive an at-large bid with a .500 record in tourney history.
Arizona State
Typically, the team that finishes second in the Pac-12 Conference during the regular season receives an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament. But Arizona State is on the bubble this year.
The Sun Devils are 22-10, but they lost to Oregon in overtime in the Pac-12 tournament semifinals. The Ducks went on to win the championship, which means Washington will be getting an at-large bid instead of an automatic one.
That could hurt Arizona State's chances, as Oregon was not going to be in the NCAA tournament had it not won the Pac-12 tournament.
But the Sun Devils could still make it to March Madness. They went 12-6 in Pac-12 play during the regular season while also notching quality wins over Kansas and Mississippi State. The Jayhawks were the No. 1 team in the country when they lost to Arizona State on Dec. 22.