Gut reactions

SI.com caught up with Seth Davis to get his reaction to the announcement of the NCAA tournament field.

SI.com: What was the biggest surprise to you?

Seth Davis: I have to say that there really weren't any ... the biggest would have to be Arizona State not being in, but that's more of a quibble, not really a concern. Georgia obviously ate a space when it won the SEC tournament, but obviously we don't know for sure if the Bulldogs ate up Arizona State's spot.

I was a little surprised to see Tennessee as a two-seed with North Carolina -- I think you could have made the case for Tennessee over Kansas. At the very least, the Vols were the highest two-seed ... so I guess that was a bit of a surprise.

Also Duke as a two, I thought it should have been a three. And Pitt as a four, should have been a three.

But those are very very small differences, there's no indignation. I thought the committee did a good job, especially with South Alabama -- leaving them out would have been a travesty. For them to deal with all the contingencies and deliver the bracket to us at 5:45 was extremely impressive, and I thought they did a great job.

SI.com: Who has the easiest road to the Final Four?

SD: UCLA, without a doubt. Partly because the Bruins are getting Duke as a two, but mostly because they're UCLA and I think they're going to win the whole thing. They start off in Anaheim, so that's a free pass to the Sweet 16. Then in Phoenix, I think Xavier, as a three, didn't play so well down the stretch -- its point guard is battling a sprained ankle, and I think that's a bigger problem than it's letting on. Also UConn didn't play so well down the stretch, either. To the extent that you can skate to the Final Four, I think UCLA can do it.

SI.com: Who has the hardest road?

SD: Memphis, no doubt about it. Pittsburgh won four games in four days at the Big East tournament ... clearly, with Levance Fields back, that's a different team. Memphis will have to get past Pitt, then past Texas in Houston, where Texas has a home-court advantage -- it will be burnt orange wall-to-wall