Can Houston still get a No. 1 seed in 2023 NCAA Tournament despite loss to Memphis in AAC Championship?

The Houston Cougars entered the AAC Conference Tournament as the No. 1 team in the country with a 29-2 record. Unfortunately, the Cougars weren’t able to complete the AAC title win and fell to Memphis on Sunday afternoon in the championship game. Houston was without leading scorer Marcus Sasser, who may end up being held out of the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Here we’re going to look at the impact of the loss to the Tigers and whether or not Houston can get a No. 1 seed in the tourney.

2023 Bracketology: Houston No. 1 seed chances

With the loss the Memphis, the Cougars may end up missing out on a No. 1 seed in the tournament. Kansas should get a top seed despite losing to Texas in the Big 12 title game. Purdue ended up holding off Penn State to win the Big Ten and should also get a top seed along with SEC champion Alabama. So there’s one spot that will seemingly go to either Houston, UCLA or Texas.

UCLA narrowly lost to Arizona in the Pac-12 title game without Jaylen Clark. The Bruins could end up getting a 1-seed depending on how the committee views the conference vs. the Big Ten and Big 12. You’d think Texas gets in after beating arguably the top team in the nation in Kansas with ease. Zona and Marquette probably don’t have good enough cases for a 1-seed and will end up 2’s or 3’s. So it feels like Texas gets the other No. 1 seed with KU, Bama and Purdue rounding out that field. The 2 seeds would be Houston, UCLA, Marquette and Arizona.