Few surprises in seeds as NCAA bracket announced

Published January 08, 2015

NEW YORK (Reuters) - There were few surprises when the 65-team NCAA championship bracket was announced on Sunday with all the predicted top teams earning number one seeds.

Top seeds Kansas will begin March Madness in the Midwest against 16th ranked Lehigh while fellow number ones Kentucky, Duke and Syracuse lead the East, South and West respectively.

Syracuse faces a stiff task to emerge as national champions having been upset early in the Big East tournament, while center Arinze Onuaku is expected to struggle with an injured quadriceps muscle.

The tournament will begin with a game between Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Winthrop to determine who makes entry into what will become a 64-team affair.

Contending with Kansas in the Midwest region is second seed Ohio State, who will open against UC Santa Barbara. Third seeded Georgetown takes on Ohio, while fourth ranked Maryland plays Houston.

In the West, Syracuse is joined by Kansas State, Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt and Butler as the top five seeds.

Following a poor season, defending champion North Carolina misses out on the event, as do regular powerhouses Connecticut and Arizona, ending a NCAA-leading streak of 25 straight appearances.

(Reporting by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by John O'Brien)

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