Oklahoma Could Miss Out On March Madness Hosting Duties Due To Scheduling Conflict

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NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament - Second Round - California
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 20: Taylor Robertson #30 of the Oklahoma Sooners shouts in excitement during the game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the UCLA Bruins during the second round of the 2023 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament held at UCLA Pauley Pavilion on March 20, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John W. McDonough/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
A gymnastics tournament could send the Sooners all the way to Spokane.

A unique oddity could occur later today when the bracket for the women's March Madness is unveiled. Oklahoma could be named as one of the top-16 seeds in the tournament, which would typically come with the right to host first- and second-round games. However, a scheduling conflict could mean that Oklahoma may miss out on that opportunity. The Big 12 gymnastics tournament is scheduled to be hosted at Oklahoma's basketball arena on the same weekend as the opening rounds of March Madness.

ESPN currently has the Sooners as a five-seed in a quadrant hosted by Colorado in Boulder. However, the Sooners' regular season title plus Gonzaga's shock loss in the WCC title game could see Oklahoma move up to a four-seed. Due to rules about when teams from the same conference can play each other, that would see Oklahoma and Kansas State, the current five-seed in Gonzaga's quadrant, swap places. However, due to Oklahoma's scheduling conflict, Gonzaga would still have the option to host the games in Spokane.

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Selection Sunday Looms

(Photo by John W. McDonough/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Today, the 68-team bracket for March Madness will be announced. Three more automatic berths will be decided just ahead of the bracket reveal. While four games will be played, Le Moyne are ineligible due to their NCAA transition period. The group of automatic berths includes everyone from giants like South Carolina and UConn to first-time dancers such as Presbyterian and Texas A&M - Corpus Christi. There are several teams, such as Eastern Washington, who ended lengthy postseason droughts this year.

36 teams will be announced alongside the conference champions today. This will include the 8 "First Four" teams, who play a preliminary play-in game. The bracket is split into 16 quadrants, with the highest seed in each quadrant hosting the first two rounds. After the first two rounds, the tournament moves to two regional sites - Portland and Albany. The final four and national championship game will take place in Cleveland. Meanwhile, the men's national championship game takes place in Glendale, Arizona this year.

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About The Author
Ben Mock
Benjamin Mock (they/them) is a sports and culture writer working out of Philadelphia. Previously writing for the likes of Fixture, Dexerto, Fragster, and Jaxon, Ben has dedicated themselves to engaging and accessible articles about sports, esports, and internet culture. With a love for the weirder stories, you never quite know what to expect from their work.
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