MILWAUKEE — The highest-seeded teams appearing here at Fiserv Forum on the opening weekend of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament were No. 3s Iowa State and Kentucky. But in this week’s “Polling Place,” your home for Sun-Times sports polls on the social platform X, we focused on the 1s playing elsewhere.
Specifically, we wanted to know which men’s 1 seed (Auburn, Duke, Florida or Houston) and which women’s 1 seed (South Carolina, Texas, UCLA or USC) will go furthest.
The largest chunks of the voting went to Duke and South Carolina.
“Ah, Duke — something completely different,” @RonaldVoigt4 commented, his sarcasm button activated.
“It would be a great way for Cooper Flagg to go out on top,” observed @ronw_sportsnut about Blue Devils freshman Flagg, who’s expected to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.
Voter @JBIRD1268 referred to South Carolina as “the next UConn.”
Last, we asked how much bread you’ll risk over the course of this college basketball postseason. A thou? A hundo? Nada?
On to the polls:
Poll No. 1: Which No. 1 seed will go furthest in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament?
It’s time for this week’s “Polling Place.” Let us hear from you! Selected comments will appear in Sunday’s paper.
Poll No. 1: Which No. 1 seed will go furthest in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament?
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) March 20, 2025
Upshot: No respect here for Auburn, which was the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed. Is Duke the team to beat? The Blue Devils’ top three players are freshmen — which could haunt them in the end — but there’s no denying the talent on this team is extraordinary.
Poll No. 2: Which No. 1 seed will go furthest in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament?
Poll No. 2: Which No. 1 seed will go furthest in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament?
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) March 20, 2025
Upshot: UCLA has never been to a Final Four. USC hasn’t been to one since the salad days with Cheryl Miller in the 1980s. And UConn? Perhaps hard to believe, but its last championship was in 2016. South Carolina has won it all three times since then, including last year.
Poll No. 3: In all this year, bracket pools included, how much will you gamble on postseason college basketball?
Poll No. 3: In all this year, bracket pools included, how much will you gamble on postseason college basketball?
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) March 20, 2025
Upshot: That’s a whole lot of zeroes. How are you supposed to make it into the “One Shining Moment” video with an attitude like that?