Bracketology 2023: Latest Expert Predictions for Men's Top Four Seeds
Selection Sunday has arrived following a wild championship week that is sure to have a profound effect on who makes it into the NCAA Tournament and what seed they'll be.
And as much as people will be paying attention to the bubble teams who will or won't make it into the Big Dance, the weekend's results were of equal importance to teams fighting for better seeding, particularly those wanting a top-four seed.
Bracketology experts like ESPN's Joe Lunardi and The Athletic's Brian Bennett were locked in throughout championship week, updating their brackets every day as conference tournaments unfolded.
While they both have most of the same teams as top-four seeds, it is interesting to see how teams with great conference tournament performances, like Marquette, Texas and Duke, may have put themselves in a better position going into Selection Sunday.
There are also teams that had a rough time in their conference tournament or championship game—I'm looking at you, Xavier and Indiana—that may have done themselves more harm than good and will likely slip down a couple of seeds.
The results of this weekend's games are the difference between a 4-5 matchup in the second round compared to potentially having to face a No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the Round of 32.
Here is some interesting insight on the potential top four seeds.
Make your picks: Play the NCAA March Madness Men's Bracket Challenge and Tournament Run.
How Does Big 12 Title Game Change Things?
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Ahead of the Big 12 Tournament championship game, both Lunardi and Bennett were looking at Kansas as the favorite to be the top-overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks had the most impressive resume out of the other teams in contention for the honor.
But following Kansas' 76-56 loss to Texas in the tournament final, it'll be interesting to see just how much the result affects the Jayhawks in the eyes of the selection committee, if at all.
The Jayhawks still have the most Quad 1 wins of any team in the country and cruised to the championship game before they were outmatched by the Longhorns.
Texas' win could have some big-picture implications, especially considering how it ended the regular season when it welcomed the Big 12 regular-season champions to Austin.
The game was nearly identical to the tournament championship. Texas took a slim lead into the locker room before deftly outplaying Kansas in the second half for a 75-59 win.
The Longhorns are riding a four-game win streak after winning the tournament title.
Interim coach Rodney Terry and his team are projected as a No. 2 seed by both Lunardi and Bennett.
The two wins over the Jayhawks to close out conference play is as good a resume as any for a No. 1 seed.
As for Kansas, its shot at the top-overall seed may be in jeopardy following the blowout loss.
Marquette Moving Up
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Marquette was one of those teams that experts couldn't seem to pin down where to put on the bracket. Lunardi barely had the Golden Eagles as a top-four seed while Bennett had them all the way up as a No. 2.
But after a regular season conference title and a dominant performance in the Big East Championship game, there's no question at all that coach Shaka Smart's team should be at least a No. 3 seed.
Marquette bulldozed its way through Xavier—who was projected as a No. 4 seed by most experts as well—en route to a 65-51 win, a scoreline that doesn't reflect how dominant the Golden Eagles were for 40 minutes.
In the Big East's preseason coaches' poll, Marquette was picked to finish ninth in one of the best conferences in the country but managed to silence all the doubters as it had one of the best seasons in program history.
The highest seed that Marquette has ever gotten in the NCAA Tournament was the No. 3, which it achieved in 1979, 2003, 2012 and 2013. But this year's team has done more than enough to prove itself to the selection committee and make history.
Duke Did More Than Enough
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Some late-season magic had Duke on the edge of being a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament. Lunardi had the Blue Devils as a No. 5 seed, while Bennett had them as a No. 6.
But after winning the the ACC Tournament title over Virginia on Saturday night behind a dominant defensive display, there's no question that the Blue Devils have earned the right to be among those elite teams when the bracket is unveiled Sunday.
Duke has been on a tear over the last month, winning nine-consecutive games and looking like a real threat to cause a lot of damage in the Big Dance. Aside from Saturday's win, the team also has impressive victories over North Carolina, Miami, Pittsburgh and N.C. State.
The Blue Devils have also not allowed more than 69 points over that stretch, which they allowed to Pittsburgh in a game in which Duke scored a season-high 96 points in the ACC quarterfinals.
Jon Scheyer's team has also quietly climbed its way to No. 17 in the NCAA's Net Rankings, which plays a big role for the selection committee.
The team also has a great blend of veteran leadership in guys like Jeremy Roach, as well as young talent like freshman sensation Kyle Filipowski.
In their first season without coach Mike Krzyzewski, Duke still looks like it could be a menace in March.
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