›Congratulations to the newly crowned regular season champions. Any recap of those who secured titles should probably begin with a tip of the cap to Mississippi State. The Bulldogs parlayed their eleventh hour claiming of the SEC title into the top spot in two major national polls. Miami clinched the number one overall seed in the ACC with a solid weekend against rival Florida State. Minnesota will lead the field into Omaha’s TD Ameritrade Park this week after claiming the Big 10 crown. Texas Tech locked up the Big 12 relatively early in conference action, leaving only the Pac 12 to be settled among the Power 5 conferences.
›The traditional pennant race in the Pac 12 will be settled by a showdown this weekend. Keep in mind that the Pac 12 awards its automatic berth into the NCAA tournament to the regular season champion, so the stakes are even higher out west. A wild and wacky finish to the season which saw as many as ten teams alive across the last couple of weeks has been reduced to a winner-take-all series between Utah and Washington. The Utes own home field advantage and a one game lead entering the series. High noon starts (MT) for each game Friday thru Sunday seem only fitting.
›Conference tournament week has arrived. Teams on the bubble, teams hoping to host a regionals, teams looking to secure national seeds; they will all have one final chance to make their case and impress the selection committee at this week’s conference tourneys. That doesn’t even address the automatic berths that will be handed out left and right to each conference champion. Nor does it factor in the excitement of the elimination contests which will fill each day around the country. The best part of it all? It’s merely a warmup for the NCAA Tournament action which is now just over a week away.
›Reservations are now beginning to be made en masse for the “Road To Omaha.” Princeton, Bethune-Cookman, Alabama State and the Naval Academy are among those who have already etched their names onto the official tournament bracket. By the end of the week all 31 automatic bids will have been secured allowing the 2016 tournament field to take shape. Keep up with all the action on the “Road To Omaha” page throughout the busy week full of extended invitations.
›Mark your calendar, “Selection Monday” is almost here. Speaking of the national tournament, in less than one week the bracket will be revealed. Make plans to step away from your time of reflection and patriotic celebrations on Memorial Day long enough to take a glance at the official pairings which will set the 2016 regional participants in stone. Remember, the sixteen regional site locations will be served up as an appetizer of sorts on Sunday night. The full selection show airs on ESPNU at Noon ET May 30.
“First Glances” provides a weekly snapshot of the story lines impacting the hunt for the National Championship with quick-hit headlines from around the country.