Selection Sunday men's winners and losers: Tom Brady unretires, and March Madness suffers

Tom Brady gave college basketball roughly 73 minutes in the spotlight. There were 70 to celebrate Gonzaga, and 67 to argue about Duke. There were 48 to analyze how Kansas' Big 12 tournament run earned it a gloriously clean path to the Final Four. There were 40 to ponder Selection Sunday's winners and losers.

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Then Brady's stunning un-retirement turned the selections into a sideshow, and made March Madness secondary smack-dab in the middle of its eponymous month.

And the Madness itself became the evening's biggest loser.

The 2022 NCAA tournaments will go on, but the coverage won't; it can't, not right now. And college hoops will suffer. The men's game, already declining in popularity, was overshadowed. The women's game, looking to capitalize on momentum, went to air for its selection show with Brady's face monopolizing the front page of ESPN — which holds the rights to the women's tournament.

The sport began its banner week crowded out of public consciousness and digital spaces, and so, on this night typically reserved for debates about matchups, upsets and underdogs, the biggest upset happened in headlines.

Of course, the 68 teams selected by the NCAA's men's basketball committee won't care about a 44-year-old quarterback. So we'll still dissect them. And, well, some were bigger losers than others.

Selection Sunday winners

Kansas | Seed: 1 | Region: Midwest

Sunday's conference tournament outcomes very clearly did not matter to the selection committee. Kansas' run through the Big 12, on the other hand, did. It lifted the Jayhawks above Baylor, into the No. 3 overall slot, and up to the Midwest regional, which just so happens to be the weakest of the four.

San Diego State could be tough in Round 2. Iowa wouldn't be easy thereafter. But Ken Pomeroy's ratings say Providence, the No. 4 seed in the Midwest, presents more like a double-digit seed. Wisconsin, likewise, is clearly the mildest of the 3s. And Auburn, at the other end of the region, has faded over the past five weeks. The Jayhawks should love their draw.

Auburn | Seed: 2 | Region: Midwest

And so should the Tigers. They, perhaps, have the most straightforward path to the Elite Eight of any team not seeded No. 1. Their two most likely Sweet 16 opponents enter the tournament having lost either two straight games (Wisconsin) or their head coach (LSU). The bottom half of the Midwest is, overall, the most uninspiring eight-team pod of all.

Arizona | Seed: 1 | Region: South

The cleanest path to the Final Four's doorstep, however, belongs to Arizona. Illinois is ordinary. Houston is wounded. Seton Hall and TCU shouldn't pose problems. Tennessee could arrive at the South regional final on a scorching 10-game win streak, which is why this isn't a slam dunk of a draw for the Wildcats. But it's a solid one.

UAB and Chattanooga | Seed: 12 and 13 | Region: South

Arizona's biggest obstacle before the Elite Eight? It might be one of these two. Each could win its opening-round matchup — against Houston and Illinois, respectively. Each could reach the second weekend.

Selection Sunday Losers

Baylor | Seed: 1 | Region: East

Baylor very well could defend its national title. But North Carolina-UCLA-Kentucky-Gonzaga is about as obstacle-ridden as potential paths to the pinnacle come.

Duke | Seed: 2 | Region: West

The Blue Devils were, perhaps, fortunate to sneak onto the second seed line — but they almost would've been better off with a 3. Tom Izzo and Michigan State, who ended Duke's last tournament run, loom in the round of 32. Texas Tech, which would grind them to a pulp, is the likely Sweet 16 matchup, and Gonzaga is the best team in the land. So, if Mike Krzyzewski is to make one last March run, he'll have to do it the hard way.

Villanova | Seed: 2 | Region: South

The Wildcats not only drew a potentially tricky second-round opponent (Loyola) and the hottest 3-seed out there (Tennessee); they'll have to navigate those hurdles on the road. Philadelphia was a potential second-weekend landing spot. Instead of playing in its backyard, Villanova will trek to San Antonio — if, that is, it survives the opening weekend in Pittsburgh, where it could be a de facto road team against Ohio State as well.

Providence | Seed: 4 | Region: Midwest

The Friars' reward for their first Big East regular-season title?

First, a matchup with South Dakota State, who is riding a 21-game win streak and 44% 3-point shooting — the best mark in Division I by 4 full percentage points — into the Big Dance.

Then, if that goes well (unlikely), Iowa, who has won nine of its past 10, boasts the second-best offense in the nation, and perhaps boasts the best player.

We could go further through the bracket, but no need — because Providence isn't.