The LSU men's basketball team are headed north to open the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

Interim coach Kevin Nickelberry and the No. 6 Tigers (22-11) will face No. 11 Iowa State (20-12) on Friday in Milwaukee in the opening round of the Midwest Region.

The winner will advance to play Sunday against the winner between No. 3 Wisconsin (24-7) and No. 14 Colgate (23-11).

No. 1 Kansas (28-6) and No. 2 Auburn (27-5) earned the top two seeds in the region, which also includes No. 4 Providence (25-5), No. 5 Iowa (26-9), No. 7 USC and No. 8 San Diego State (23-8) among its highest seeds.

LSU heard its name announced for the third Selection Sunday in the past four years, with the only exception coming when the NCAA canceled the 2020 tournament because of COVID-19.

The university's termination of coach Will Wade and associate head coach Bill Armstrong on Saturday will make Nickelberry the third different coach to lead the team into the event in that span.

He joins interim coach Tony Benford in 2019 and Wade in 2021.

The Tigers were the No. 3 seed in the East Region in 2019 and beat No. 14 Yale, 79-74, and No. 6 Maryland, 69-67, before falling to No. 2 Michigan State, 80-63, the following weekend.

LSU was the No. 8 seed in the same region this past season and beat No. 9 St. Bonaventure, 76-61, before losing to No. 1 Michigan, 86-78.

The Tigers were among six SEC representatives in this year's field.

Kentucky (26-7) in the East Region and Auburn in the Midwest earned the highest seeds at No. 2.

Conference champion Tennessee (26-7) is the No. 3 seed in the South.

And No. 4 Arkansas (25-8) and No. 6 Alabama (19-13) will each compete in the West.

Conference runner-up Texas A&M (23-12) was announced as an alternate participant on stand-by to take the place of any team that might have to pull out of the tournament this week.

1. Kansas

16. Texas Southern or Texas A&M (Corpus Christi)

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8. San Diego State

9. Creighton

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5. Iowa

12. Richmond

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4. Providence

13. South Dakota State

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6. LSU

11. Iowa State

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3. Wisconsin

14. Colgate

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7. USC

10. Miami (Fla.)

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2. Auburn

15. Jacksonville State