Bracketology 2017: Latest Expert Predictions for Top 4 Seeds

Once the safest bet to snag a top seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament, Kansas endured an untimely stumble right before Selection Sunday.

Entering the Big 12 tournament as the Associated Press' No. 1 team and on a seven-game winning streak, the Jayhawks suffered a surprising 85-82 quarterfinals loss to the eighth-seeded TCU. 

Duke, meanwhile, ousted rival and top-seed candidate North Carolina in the ACC tournament's semifinal. While Friday's heated showdown will likely help the Blue Devils more than it will hurt the Tar Heels, it could plausibly alter both squads' seedings.

By overcoming Seton Hall in an enthralling Big East semifinal, Villanova should sit pretty atop the NCAA's hierarchy. Gonzaga coasted to a WCC title, but the 32-1 squad still faces critics pointing to a light schedule

How will the conference tournaments affect the top of each region? Let's examine the latest projections from top bracket analysts before the selection committee makes its final ruling.

Latest Top-Seed Predictions

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Despite Kansas' latest loss, the experts still believe it will headline one of the quadrants. 

CBS Sports' Jerry Palm and ESPN's Joe Lunardi both predict the Jayhawks remain a No. 1 seed but lose the overall top rank. Since there's no home-court advantage at stake, the overall honor is more of a formality anyway.

It appears the program will receive a mulligan for falling without freshman Josh Jackson, who was suspended for Kansas' quarterfinals contest. While CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein believes the selection committee will consider the forward's absence, he doesn't think that leaves them entirely off the hook:

Lunardi bumped Duke up to a No. 2 seed but did not punish North Carolina for Friday's 93-83 loss. ESPN's bracket expert said its recent portfolio will outshine one conference-tournament shortcoming against a marquee foe:

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In terms of seeding, the selection committee historically values regular-season championships over conference-tourney titles. In Carolina’s case, the Tar Heels were outright winners of the nation’s best conference. They might have lost two of three to archrival Duke, but the Heels were three games better than the Blue Devils over an 18-game ACC schedule.

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Palm and USA Today's Shelby Mast also stood pat and penciled the Tar Heels into a top spot. They rank No. 3 in both RPI and KenPom.com's team-efficiency rating, so the committee shouldn't overreact to one recent event.

But what about their nemesis? Before Saturday's ACC-final win over Notre Dame, USA Today's Nicole Auerbach made the case for a conference crown elevating Duke into the top-seed discussion:

Despite the program's high pedigree under head coach Mike Krzyzewski, it's still a tough sell given the Blue Devils' No. 5 conference seeding. They placed No. 9 in RPI before fending off the Fighting Irish.

First in RPI and second to Gonzaga in KenPom's team efficiency, Villanova appears the safest bet to secure a No. 1 seed. After surviving a scare against Seton Hall, the Wildcats closed out the Big East tournament by beating Creighton. At 31-3 with a 14.9-point average scoring margin and 12-2 record against Top 50 schools, the defending champions will be a popular pick to repeat.

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For all the late drama, the highlighted bracketologists agree on Kansas, North Carolina and Villanova earning No. 1 placements. There's no consensus, however, on the last spot.

While Lunardi and Palm both gave Gonzaga the honor, Mast had Oregon/Arizona in the spot before Saturday's Pac-12 title game, noting that Arizona is "still very much in contention to shoot up to a No. 1 seed should they win the Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas."

The Bulldogs don't compete in a powerhouse conference, but they went 15-0 in non-conference play. As noted by CBS Sports' Gary Parrish, they accrued plenty of impressive triumphs along the way: 

Nevertheless, they rank No. 10 in RPI despite topping KenPom's grading system. The selection committee tends to place a higher emphasis on the former, but it also can't ignore a 32-1 record and 23.4-point differential per bout.

Prior to its showdown with Arizona, Mast's contrarian Oregon pick took a hit with news of senior Chris Boucher tearing his ACL during Friday's semifinal against California, per Erik Skopil of 247Sports. The forward registered 11.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and a team-high 2.5 blocks per game.

Not encountering Oregon at full strength may also derail Arizona's dim chances of leapfrogging Villanova, Kansas, North Carolina or Gonzaga. Those four have the inside the track on becoming Selection Sunday's most satisfied viewers, but it's not a closed case.

Advanced stats courtesy of ESPN.com and KenPom.com.