Covering the impact of coronavirus on the sports world

At long last, the field of 68 for the 2022 NCAA Tournament has been revealed and the opening-round matchups are set for the best week of the college basketball season. After a 2021 event that was held exclusively in a controlled environment in Indiana amid the COVID-19 pandemic and a 2020 season that was without an NCAA Tournament altogether, it's great to have a normal Big Dance back.

Part of "normal" for college basketball in March also means debating the snubs. With 36 out of the 68 teams in the field selected as at-large teams, there is always plenty of debate surrounding the bubble and who really deserved the final spots in the field. Beyond the bubble, the seeding process lends itself to critique as fans around the country try and explain why their team should have received a more favorable slot in the bracket.

On the flip side, there are some instances in which teams receive seedings that are better than expected, which can end up making the difference between an early exit and a deep run. There is a saying in basketball that "ball don't lie," and while the debates will indeed be settled on the court over the coming weeks, the NCAA Tournament selection process is certainly subjective.

So what were some of the biggest snubs and who were a few of the surprise winners on Selection Sunday 2022? Here's a look as the full 68-team bracket has been revealed. 

Brackets are here! Get back in your pools and join our Men's and Women's Challenges for the chance to win a new truck and a college basketball dream trip!

At first glance, a No. 11 seed for Iowa State seems a bit harsh. The Cyclones boast a 9-8 record in Quad 1 games and were a projected No. 9 seed in CBS Sports Bracketology Expert Jerry Palm's final bracket projection. But upon further inspection, ISU has a favorable draw. To start, it will face a No. 6 seed in LSU that is going through a coaching change after the Tigers fired Will Wade and associate head coach Bill Armstrong on Saturday, meaning assistant coach Kevin Nickelberry will be in charge. 

The Tigers advanced to the Sweet 16 when Wade was suspended in 2019, but that team was playing well entering the Big Dance. This LSU team is not. If Iowa State wins its first round game, it will likely face a No. 3 seed Wisconsin team that is on shaky footing. The Badgers squandered an outright Big Ten title by losing at home to Nebraska on March 6 and then bowed out of their opening game in the Big Ten Tournament. Wisconsin's star guard Johnny Davis suffered an injury against the Cornhuskers, and it seemed like he wasn't 100% healthy against the Spartans.

So, yes, Iowa State had a good case to be seeded better. But this isn't all bad for a program that underwent a remarkable transformation in its first season under T.J. Otzelberger.

Xavier started out 11-1 with quality victories over Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati and Marquette to rise as high as No. 18 in the AP Top 25. But the Musketeers were left out of the field after an epic collapse in the second half of their season. After that 11-1 start, Xavier is just 7-12 and has lost six of its past seven games.

An NIT bid will do little to satisfy a fanbase that has grown accustomed to NCAA Tournament appearances as a baseline of success. Between 2001 and 2018, Xavier made 15 of 17 NCAA Tournaments under former coaches Skip Prosser, Thad Matta, Sean Miller and Chris Mack. But as the sun sets on Travis Steele's fourth season as coach, he's still yet to lead Xavier to the NCAA Tournament. Of course, that comes with the caveat of the 2020 event being canceled -- but. even during that season, Xavier was just 19-13.

When the first NET ranking of the season came out on Dec. 5, Rutgers ranked No. 217 behind teams like Howard, Mercer, Saint Francis and Samford. With losses to DePaul, Lafayette and UMass on their resume, the Scarlet Knights looked like they might be the doormat of the Big Ten just one season after making their first NCAA Tournament in 30 years.

Just over three months later, the Scarlet Knights are going dancing in back-to-back years for the first time since the 1970s. Rutgers and Notre Dame will square off Wednesday in the First Four in a battle of No. 11 seeds. The winner will advance to take on No. 6 seed Alabama on Friday in West Region action.

Rutgers was among the "First Four Out" of the final projection by Palm. So seeing the Scarlet Knights in the bracket — even in a First Four game — is a surprise, but there's no doubt this team can make some noise.

Rutgers began showing signs of life on Dec. 9 with an upset of then-No. 1 Purdue. Then, as Big Ten play progressed, it picked up wins over Michigan, Iowa, Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. In short, Rutgers beat all eight of the other Big Ten teams that are in the NCAA Tournament.

Entering conference tournament week, the Big Ten had six NCAA Tournament locks and three bubble teams. It seemed unlikely the conference would match its total of nine NCAA Tournament teams from last season, especially after Indiana knocked out Michigan in second-round action and following Rutgers' loss to Iowa in the quarterfinals.

But when the bracket was released on Sunday, all three bubble teams were in the field. While Rutgers and Indiana are going to First Four games, it's still a quality outcome for the conference This will be Indiana's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016 when Tom Crean was coach and the Hoosiers reached the Sweet 16. Legendary former player Mike Woodson quickly returned IU to respectability, following in the mold of Michigan's Juwan Howard. 

Texas A&M fans are likely looking at Rutgers' inclusion and the Aggies' exclusion with their jaws on the floor. If a fervent rally in the second half of the season was enough to get Rutgers in, why couldn't a similar rally get Texas A&M in? The Aggies were on a seven-game winning streak before running out of gas in the SEC Tournament title game on Sunday, losing to Tennessee and being left on the doorstep with a 23-12 record.

Texas A&M (42) is 35 spots higher in the NET than Rutgers (77) and 31 spots higher in KenPom. The fact that Rutgers lost in its first Big Ten Tournament game while Texas A&M won three in the SEC Tournament only makes it a tougher pill to swallow.

The Aggies have a 9-9 record in Quad 1/2 games, while Rutgers is 9-10 in Quad 1/2 games. Additionally, the Scarlet Knights have a Quad 4 loss and Texas A&M does not. Ultimately, the Scarlet Knights' eight wins over league foes in the NCAA Tournament helped their cause. Texas A&M finished with just four wins over SEC teams that made the Big Dance, but that explanation will do nothing to alleviate the frustration of the Aggies when they watch Rutgers play a Notre Dame team they defeated on Nov. 24.

The selection committee rolled out the red carpet for Duke's final NCAA Tournament appearance under legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski. Not only did the Blue Devils get a No. 2 seed, which was incredibly generous for a team with their resume, but the Blue Devils get to start out in Greenville, South Carolina. When it takes the floor against Cal State Fullerton on Friday, less than four hours from its campus, Duke will be in an arena filled with its own fans.

Duke hasn't beaten a team seeded higher than No. 8 in this bracket since December, but it earned a No. 2 seed because of who it beat in November. The Blue Devils took down Gonzaga and Kentucky that month and will need to start playing like it did in November ASAP if it wants to prolong Krzyewski's career for another week.

Colleague Kyle Boone already hit on it briefly, but the rationale for Duke as a No. 2 seed over Tennessee is difficult to ascertain. The Volunteers, who won the SEC Tournament on Sunday, are 10-7 in Quad 1 games, 5-0 in Quad 2 games and also have no losses in Quads 3 or 4. Duke, by contrast, is 6-2 in Quad 1, 6-3 in Quad 2 and does have a Quad 3 loss. The Blue Devils beat Kentucky and Gonzaga in November, yes, but the Volunteers have defeated Kentucky twice since then.

Since November concluded, Duke has not defeated a team seeded better than No. 8 in this bracket. Tennessee, by contrast, has six victories over teams that received No. 6 seeds or better in that same span. Make that make sense.

There is no beef between Murray State and Kentucky. In fact, the two teams from the Bluegrass State have never played. Never! But the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee may have just created some beef. If the No. 7 seed Racers beat No. 10 seed San Francisco in the first round, they will be in position to face the No. 2 seed Wildcats in a second-round game.

Of course, UK must get past No. 15 seed St. Peter's in the first round. Provided it does, it will set the stage for an in-state showdown that would surely do monster TV ratings in Kentucky. Now, just imagine if Murray State coach Matt McMahon were to take down the Wildcats and then accept the Louisville job. Never say never. The peaceful coexistence between Kentucky and its likable in-state cousin may be turning contentious soon.

Davidson point guard Foster Loyer has shown this season why he was considered a top-100 prospect in the class of 2018 when he signed with Michigan State. Now, after transferring to Davidson following three seasons with the Spartans, he'll have a chance to stick it to his old squad.

Loyer leads the Wildcats in scoring at 16.6 points per game and combines with Hyunjung Lee to make No. 10 seed Davidson a scary matchup for the No. 7 seed Spartans. Loyer and Lee combine to average more than 32 points per game, and Loyer should be able to provide the Davidson staff with a solid scouting report on his old teammates.

Shaka Smart did not win an NCAA Tournament game during his six seasons as the Texas coach. But now Smart has a chance to win one in Texas. Smart, in his first season with Marquette, will lead the No. 9 seed Golden Eagles against No. 8 seed North Carolina in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday.

Considering that the Longhorns have been struggling as they enter the NCAA Tournament under first-year coach Chris Beard with a No. 6 seed, there's at least some chance that Smart could end up dancing for longer than his old team as the Longhorns face a tough opening game against red-hot No. 11 seed Virginia Tech. Ironically, that game between Texas and Virginia Tech is in Marquette's home city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Creighton entered Selection Sunday with a 7-6 record in Quad 1 games and as a projected No. 7 seed, according to Palm. Instead, the Bluejays got stuck with a No. 9 seed and will likely have to face No. 1 seed Kansas if they advance past an opening-round game with No. 8 seed San Diego State. That's a tough draw.

Fans of rematches may like the South Region because there are plenty of possibilities for them among the region's top squads. But it's kind of a shame that No. 1 seed Arizona has already played No. 3 seed Tennessee and No. 4 seed Illinois with the Wildcats losing to the Volunteers and defeating the Illini. Additionally, No. 2 seed Villanova beat Tennessee during nonconference play. 

The South is shaping up to be a brutal region, and it seems like the committee could have shaken things up to avoid so many possible rematch scenarios among the top seeds.

© 2004-2022 CBS Interactive. All Rights Reserved.

CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc.

Images by Getty Images and US Presswire