6 takeaways from Selection Sunday

All 68 tickets have now been punched for the NCAA Tournament and the bracket is officially out following the Selection Sunday bracket release show.

Teams can now prepare for their opening-round matchups, while those left on the outside looking in will consider where they went wrong.

Here are six immediate takeaways following the festivities.

Coach K's final run will be tough

Mike Krzyzewski certainly didn't get many favors ahead of his final NCAA Tournament, as Duke faces a difficult road. While the second-ranked Blue Devils should cruise in the opening round, a Round of 32 matchup with Tom Izzo and Michigan State could await, followed by a potential Sweet 16 contest with Texas Tech. Izzo's prowess in March is well documented, while KenPom's rankings rank the Red Raiders ninth in the country - three spots head of Duke.

The Blue Devils haven't made it past the Elite Eight since 2015, and with a tough road followed by a possible matchup with No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga in the regional final, it seems unlikely that Krzyzewski rides off into the sunset with a sixth national title.

East region is loaded

No. 1 seed Baylor is going to face a whole lot of competition to represent the East Region in the Final Four. The Bears are joined by always dangerous No. 2 Kentucky, No. 3 Purdue led by a three-headed monster of Jaden Ivey, Zach Edey, and Trevion Williams, and last year's darling, No. 4 UCLA, with its entire core returning.

Adding in 6-seed Texas to the mix, there are five schools in the East that have at one point held a top-five ranking in the weekly AP Poll this season. Whichever team makes it out of the region will have had to win a handful of difficult games along the way.

Committee was kind to Auburn

It was an electric start to the season for Auburn, as the Tigers raced out to an 18-1 start and grabbed the No. 1 spot in the AP Poll for the first time in school history. However, the finish to the season has been less than stellar with losses in four of their last nine games, including a loss in the SEC tournament to a Texas A&M team that was left out of the field of 68.

Despite the recent struggles, the committee still rewarded Auburn with the tournament's top 2-seed slot. That ensured the Tigers avoided a spot in Gonzaga or Arizona's bracket in the process and fell in the Midwest. The third seed on their side of the bracket is a Wisconsin team that falls outside the top 30 in KenPom's rankings.

It's been an impressive season for the Tigers, but it's highly debatable that they are a top-five team at this point.

Midwest region weak in middle

Outside of top-seeded Kansas, plenty of teams could see upsets in the middle portion of the Midwest Region. No. 2 Auburn has struggled immensely down the stretch and sits in a quadrant with jumbo-sized opponents LSU and USC.

No. 3 Wisconsin and No. 4 Providence are two of the season's biggest surprises, but both carry significant weaknesses. The Badgers are heavily dominant on star Johnny Davis, who's failed to top 20 points in five straight games. Meanwhile, the Friars have been incredible in close games, but a lack of convincing victories has them lagging in analytic rankings.

Texas A&M's SEC tourney run not enough

Texas A&M's prospects of making the NCAA Tournament seemed bleak at the start of the week, but a run to the SEC championship game with convincing wins over Auburn and Arkansas had many feeling like the Aggies were worthy of a spot. A tenacious defense and up-tempo offense certainly passed the eye test.

But at the end of the day, a weak nonconference schedule and an early eight-game losing streak in league play proved to be Texas A&M's downfall. As a result, the Aggies will continue to search for their first Big Dance ticket in the Buzz Williams era.

Big Ten schools get unfavorable matchups

Nine teams from the Big Ten will make an appearance in March Madness this year, but a handful of tough matchups off the bat will make it unlikely any of the conference's representatives pull off a deep run.

No. 3 seeds Purdue and Wisconsin are ranked the highest, but the challenging East Region will be tough for Purdue, and Wisconsin's recent struggles loom large. The conference also sees two teams in play-in games, with Rutgers and Indiana needing to win a contest just to make the field of 64. Beyond that group, Michigan State (versus Davidson), Michigan (versus Colorado State), and Ohio State (versus Loyola Chicago) all draw mid-major powerhouses.

After a rough showing in last year's NCAA Tournament, the Big Ten may be in tough once again.