NCAA Tournament Brackets: Picking the Top Five Seeds in All Four Regions

March Madness is one of our nation's most cherished traditions. The country's top 68 college basketball programs battle it out over the course of a few weeks to find out who really is the best of the best.

When it comes down to it, the four regions of the bracket always advance at least one or two of their top five seeds somewhere deep into the Dance, making who those 20 teams are extremely important.

With only the conference tournaments left to play out, we take a sneak peek at who should be the top five seeds from the South, Midwest, West and East regions of this year's bracket.

West (5) Creighton

Starting off the West region, the Bluejays out of the Missouri Valley Conference. The MVC has been one of the most competitive mid-major leagues in the nation, putting up two strong teams who both can compete with the best.

Creighton and Wichita State have duked it out all season, coming down to the Bluejays falling a few games short. Despite this, the small program out of Nebraska should still acquire one of the better seedings in the Dance. Their conference tournament may help them change their fate, but for now they sit at second.

Led by the prolific sophomore Doug McDermott, Creighton can compete with the best of them. Their wins over Wichita State and Nebraska are the only notable ones, but just their entire body of work is enough for the NCAA selection committee to look upon the Bluejays with some promise.

West (4) Temple

To continue into the West Region, the top squad out of the Atlantic 10. The Owls have silently crept their way into one of the better seeds of the entire bracket, owning a strong 23-6 record with just one game left in their regular season.

While the A-10 tournament will be important for them to take home, their only real competition will be Saint Louis and Xavier. Temple's big-time wins over the course of the season are what set it apart from some of the other mid-majors, as it took down Duke, Wichita State and Saint Louis. 

A No. 4 seed is more than deserved for the Owls. They are competitive on the hardwood just like any other squad, as they proved with their victory over the Blue Devils at home.

West (3) Georgetown

Playing in the toughest conference in the nation isn't easy, even if you're a top-notch basketball program. In fact, one could argue that being one of the known basketball universities in the nation would add so much pressure that it's difficult to consistently succeed.

The Hoyas have had some of those problems over the past few seasons. This year, however, has been much different. Their senior guard Jason Clark has led this team to third in the Big East and allowed it a great chance to steal the conference tournament title.

Georgetown's best wins this season have been over some of the top teams in the country, ranging from Louisville and Marquette to Notre Dame and Alabama. The top-three seed is more than deserved for this marquee Big East program.

West (2) Michigan State

As the rest of the country has had some solid evidence of who is on top of their respective conferences and who isn't, the Big Ten has thrived in utter turmoil. The Spartans, Buckeyes, Wolverines and Badgers have all been in competition to take home the league regular-season title.

Approaching the final game of the season against second-place Ohio State, MSU leads the conference. Its impressive resume has earned it the top-two seed in my books, as its underrated squad took control of its own destiny following a rough start.

The Spartans' two straight losses to UNC and Duke to begin the season left a bad taste in every Michigan State fan's mouth, but a resurgence in conference play with wins over Ohio State, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan has Tom Izzo and company ready for another run at the title.

West (1) North Carolina

When it comes to the ACC, the Tar Heels and the Blue Devils are the class of the league. This season, Duke took down UNC at Chapel Hill with a buzzer-beater by the freshman phenomenon Austin Rivers.

In all honesty, however, the Tar Heels owned Duke the entire game, and if it wasn't for the superior play of Rivers, the Blue Devils wouldn't have had a chance.

With the second clash of these two powerhouses approaching with great haste and the fate of the ACC regular-season title hanging in the balance, watch for the Tar Heels to come out swinging on Duke's home court.

By securing the regular season and most likely the conference tournament championship, UNC snares the final No. 1 seed for the bracket. Led by one of the most overall solid players in Harrison Barnes, Roy Williams and crew will be looking for another national title this season.

Midwest (5) Wichita State

As I mentioned earlier, the Missouri Valley Conference has been extremely powerful this season. Putting up both Creighton and Wichita State as top teams nationwide, the Shockers have "shocked" almost everyone with their strong play.

Starting five seniors for what has turned out to be one of the promising seasons in the program's history, WSU should easily secure the MVC and then own the conference tournament. After that, it's easily looking at a decent No. 5 seed and a shot to get deep in the dance.

Starring two superb players in Garrett Stutz and Joe Ragland, the Shockers more than deserve their No. 5 seed. If they crush Creighton in the MVC, they may even be looking at a No. 4 seed.

Midwest (4) Louisville

While the Cardinals began the year as one of the nation's top programs, they somewhat fell apart midseason. Now, however, Rick Pitino's crew has resurfaced in the Big East and wants to make a major splash in the Big Dance.

Louisville has proven that it deserves to be considered a threat with its one-point loss to Syracuse, its home win over Vanderbilt and a solid victory over West Virginia. A big-time performance in the Big East tournament and the Cardinals could be looking at a great seed in the NCAA tourney.

Led by the senior guard Kyle Kuric, not to mention the pure experience of coach Rick Pitino, Louisville has all the potential to go deep in the dance. Its strong seeding at around a four will be a huge assistance in that pursuit.

Midwest (3) Michigan

As the Big Ten has been stunned by the likes of Indiana, impressed by Michigan State and its first-place standing and disappointed slightly by the play of Ohio State, Michigan has silently proven itself week in and week out on the court.

Reviving a storied program from the dead, John Beilein has taken the Wolverines to new heights. They've contended the entire season, taking down Wisconsin, Michigan State, Indiana and Ohio State en route to a second-place tie with the Buckeyes in the conference.

On an extremely young squad, sophomore Tim Hardaway Jr. and freshman Trey Burke have both been phenomenal this season. Taking the No. 3 seed is more than enough credit for this underrated squad.

Midwest (2) Duke

While the ACC is usually one of the deepest conferences in the nation, it underperformed this season and was easily considered top-heavy. Duke played it out well, however, tying its rival for first place in the league going into the season finale against the Tar Heels at home.

All-time winningest coach Mike Krzyzewski will have more than a plateful to deal with after the Blue Devils upset UNC at Chapel Hill earlier in the season. The amazing play by their freshman guard Austin Rivers is the main reason for the Blue Devils' success this year, and if he ever fails to come up big, Duke will drop in a heartbeat.

While this No. 2 seed is perfect for the Blue Devils, the immense pressure of the conference tournament and the big dance will most likely cause the young superstar to snap. Carrying an entire program the weight of Duke's on your back is not only difficult, but almost impossible considering Rivers' youth.

Midwest (1) Missouri

After an entire offseason of doubts due to their new head coach Frank Haith, the Tigers have officially proven everyone wrong. Their experience has been their key to success, as this deep team has competed against top squads all season, searching to unseat the powerhouse that is Kansas.

Unfortunately for Missouri, it will come up short after its overtime loss to the Jayhawks in Lawrence. However, the Big 12 tournament awaits, and the Tigers will have their eyes locked on Kansas the entire tourney.

Mizzou's strongest wins this season have been over Notre Dame, Baylor and Kansas. Expect the seniors Marcus Denmon and Ricardo Ratliffe to make a giant impact in both their league and national tournaments as these "old men" gun for one last shot at championship.

East (5) Notre Dame

Another extremely underrated team, the Irish are noted for being the only squad this season to upset the all-powerful Orange. Losing one of their top players in Tim Abromaitis early on didn't slow down Notre Dame but rather seemed to inspire it on to third place in the toughest conference in the country.

Bringing down the wrath of God on Syracuse, Louisville, UConn and Marquette this season, the Irish are set up to make a giant impact in their conference and national tournaments. After the loss of a big-time player in Abromaitis, Notre Dame's team effort has been its key to success.

While a No. 5 seed may end up being somewhat low depending on how they perform in the conference tournament, the Irish certainly deserve a little attention. Watch out for this scrappy squad to turn some heads in the dance this year.

East (4) Wisconsin

The Big Ten beat up on itself all this basketball season, forcing us to conclude that it is one of the strongest conferences nationwide. Wisconsin was certainly in the mix for the title up until recently, when a few bad losses knocked it out of contention, yet a few huge victories in the league tournament and the Badgers are, once again, looking dangerous.

This No. 4 seed was almost built for them. After underperforming in what many believed would be a breakout year for the program, Wisconsin still managed to maintain itself despite being pulled down by some ugly upsets.

Big-time wins against UNLV, Indiana, Ohio State and Illinois are mostly due to the credit of senior guard Jordan Taylor, a strong post presence with a lot of experience. Bo Ryan might just be the instigating factor, however, to push this Badger squad deep into the dance.

East (3) Florida

When Billy Donovan and the Florida Gators of yore brought home both the 2006 and 2007 national titles, everyone knew that this Deep South program was now one of the marquee basketball schools in the country. Now, even with the giant resurgence of Kentucky, the Gators have maintained a second-place spot in the underrated SEC.

UF is, by definition, physical. The Gators play tough and will threaten any team that challenges them. Florida proved that this year with an extremely close loss to Syracuse and big wins over Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Florida State and Vanderbilt.

Donovan and his crew are once again back to make an impact in the dance. This No. 3 seed is more than high enough to assist the Gators in returning the Final Four, so watch out for this dangerous squad, for they are vicious.

East (2) Kansas

When it comes down to it, Kansas is basketball.  Its showing in the Big 12 over the past decade or so has proven it is one of the most dominant forces on the hardwood ever and will continue to be so for a long time to come.

After taking home the regular season title once again, the Jayhawks will have a tough time stealing the conference tournament away from a very determined Missouri. However, they might be better suited as a No. 2 seed due to their desire to not take the last No. 1 seed and have to sit in the West region far away from any of their fans.

The Jayhawks have a multiplicity of huge victories on the year ranging from Georgetown and Ohio State to Baylor and Missouri in OT. Most of these wins, however, have come off the superb talent of Thomas Robinson, considered one of the top players nationwide.

East (1) Syracuse

There isn't much else you can say about a team that has already secured the Big East other than that it's extremely impressive. The Orange have basically embodied that this season by only owning up to one loss on the year in what many think was a fluke stumble to the Irish.

Point is, Syracuse is a shoo-in for either the overall No. 1 seed or, as I have it here, the second overall seed in the dance. Bringing home wins over Florida, Louisville, Marquette and Georgetown, among countless others, the Orange are en route to their first national title since 2003.

With phenomenal players such as Fab Melo, Kris Joseph and Dion Waiters all under the instruction of longtime coach Jim Boeheim, this is one dangerous squad. The Orange have dominated all season and look to continue that trend with a Big East tournament title and a run at the national championship.

South (5) Florida State

While I've discussed the ACC's top two squads in excruciating detail already, I have failed to mention the silent killer that is Florida State. The Seminoles have outperformed everyone's expectations for the season, easily owning the third-place spot in a very tough conference.

Toppling the mighty Duke and UNC programs in the same year is a feat unaccomplished by most being that it is extremely difficult to do. FSU decided that this year was the year and took down the Tar Heels at home and the Blue Devils away. Their top-notch play has them able to threaten any team in the country.

In addition to wounding the ACC giants, Florida State defeated fourth-place Virginia twice. Led by a true man in Air Force veteran Bernard James, the Seminoles are a force to be reckoned with out of their top-heavy conference.

South (4) Baylor

While the Bears continued to resurface this season as one of the most potent basketball programs in the nation, their inability to maintain consistent results has hurt them down the stretch. Owning a perfect non-conference record, it's the Big 12 that has handed Baylor every single one of its losses.

Strong wins over St. Mary's, Mississippi State and Kansas State have the Bears in a better than decent position, but this struggling team's problems will most likely continue into its conference tournament and well into the dance.

With junior guard Pierre Jackson hitting the clutch shots and sophomore forward Perry Jones III coming up huge statistically almost every game, Scott Drew has morphed this team into a fighting force. Don't expect the Bears to win any championships this year, but be watching for Baylor to pull off an upset or two come the tourney.

South (3) Ohio State

When the year began, the Big Ten was seemingly already in control of the all-powerful Buckeyes and their superstar Jared Sullinger. Instead, Ohio State has allowed five despairing conference losses and a possible first-place tie with Michigan State if it can pull off the win this Sunday in its regular-season finale.

OSU is a powerful team, and personally I believe it to be worthy of a Final Four run, but uninspired play by Sullinger and lackluster coaching by Thad Matta has doomed this Buckeye team to a No. 3 seed. Their potential is much greater even to the extent of a possible No. 1 seed, but that's just not how the dice rolled out for Ohio State this season.

Their giant wins over Duke, Florida, Indiana and Wisconsin are strong indicators of what they can do when they get going. If, and only if, the Buckeyes get on a roll from their conference tournament onwards, this is one dangerous squad to come up against.

South (2) Marquette

As I've said before, the Big East is easily the best basketball conference in the nation. Syracuse, however, took over the league with no problem and swept away any chance of being overtaken long ago. Second place certainly isn't too bad in my opinion, especially considering the talent pool this Golden Eagles team brings to the hardwood.

After starting off conference play 1-2 with two consecutive losses to Georgetown and Syracuse, Marquette went out and played some inspired basketball. It rampaged through the Big East, taking down Louisville, Cincinnati, UConn and West Virginia. 

Led by the prolific senior Darius Johnson-Odom, the Golden Eagles are en route to one of their most promising big-dance runs ever. A national title looms in the distance as Marquette strives to bring its first one home since 1977. With the big-time competitiveness of this program making its mark all over its league, a No. 2 seed is more than deserving.

South (1) Kentucky

When you talk about the sport of college basketball in any circle of friends, one of the first programs that should come to mind is Kentucky. The Wildcats have built a history of success, intertwining themselves into the thread of the game itself.

After a prolific Final Four run last season, the SEC's best has come back to take home that title it missed out on last year. Owning the No. 1 overall seed is an honor not lightly bestowed upon any program, but Kentucky wears the badge like an old friend, welcoming the target that it paints on its back going into March Madness.

With a one-loss season, only falling to Indiana at Bloomington on a buzzer-beater, the Wildcats have taken down anyone and everyone ranging from Florida and Louisville to UNC and Kansas. Led by the phenomenal freshman forward Anthony Davis, Kentucky is prepared to take home the title it's been missing since 1998.