March Madness 2023: Top Bracketology Predictions for Men's Tourney from Experts

March is here, in all of its glorious madness.

It's the most wonderful, nail-biting, frustrating time on the men's college basketball calendar. When the basketball gods grant NCAA Tournament wishes, burst bubbles and eventually crown the champion of a 68-team, anything-can-and-does-happen dance.

With Selection Sunday fast approaching, let's take stock of the hoops world and zero in on what the experts are thinking about how those selections will shake out. To get a clear read of college basketball's temperature, we're checking expert predictions from ESPN's Joe Lunardi, CBS Sports' Jerry Palm and USA Today's Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith and Eddie Timanus to find notable trends at the top and bottom of the bracket.

The Top Seeds

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MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE - MARCH 05: Marcus Sasser #0 of the Houston Cougars reacts during the first half against the Memphis Tigers at FedExForum on March 05, 2023 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)

For all of the debates that can happen this time of year, there is a near-consensus at the top of the bracket.

Two are in lockstep on all three No. 1 seeds. Both Lunardi and the USA Today crew have Kansas, Alabama, UCLA and Houston in those spots.

Palm agrees on three of them. His change is swapping out UCLA for Purdue. UCLA is a No. 2 seed in Palm's bracket, just as Purdue is in the other brackets.

Lunardi noted there is a "virtual tie" between UCLA and Purdue for the final No. 1 seed, explaining his seed order by writing, "Common sense suggests UCLA should be the No. 1 seed in the West, while Purdue takes the No. 2 seed in the South."

Last Four In

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COLUMBUS, OH - FEBRUARY 23: Jalen Pickett #22 of the Penn State Nittany Lions moves the ball up the court during the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Jerome Schottenstein Center on February 23, 2023 in Columbus, Ohio. Penn State defeated Ohio State 75-71. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)

While the top seeds typically drive the direction of the tournament itself, those who live on the bubble dominate the pre-selection talk.

So, who should like their chances of securing one of the final spots? Well, it depends on whom you ask, since none of the experts agree on the last four teams into the dance.

Lunardi put Penn State, Utah State, Rutgers and Oklahoma State into those spots. The USA Today crew agreed on Penn State, but the other three spots went to Mississippi State, Wisconsin and Nevada. Palm, meanwhile, filled out his final quartet with Utah State, Penn State, Mississippi State and Michigan.

So, all three have Penn State in that range, while two agree on Utah State and Mississippi State.

First Four Out

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LUBBOCK, TEXAS - MARCH 04: Guard Bryce Thompson #1 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys stands on the court during the second half of the college basketball game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at United Supermarkets Arena on March 04, 2023 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)

This group of experts has a pretty decent idea of which clubs will seat out Selection Sunday the most.

Lunardi and Palm have an agreement on three of the four teams: Arizona State, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. Lunardi has Nevada whilst Palm has Oklahoma State in their only difference. They agree on half of their next four out group with both putting Clemson and Oregon in that range.

The team over at USA Today has some changes, though they also counted Arizona State among their last four out. But instead of North Carolina (a "next four out" team for them) and Wisconsin (a tournament team in their eyes), they filled out their group with Utah State and Michigan. They also had Oklahoma State like Palm.

Utah State is a tournament team for both Palm and Lunardi, while Michigan just made the cut for Palm and missed it for Lunardi, who slotted the Wolverines in his next four out group.