Bracketology: Definitive Guide to Where Every Team Will Land

With Selection Sunday just a few days away, speculation is rampant with regards to how the NCAA Tournament bracket will shape up. While there are already some certainties, such as Kentucky garnering a No. 1 seed, there are plenty of question marks and teams on the bubble as well.

The bracket never seems to play out the way people think it should, but that is part of the fun. There will always be discussions about teams who made the tournament undeservedly and teams who ultimately got snubbed. The selection committee has final say, but fans have no issue voicing their support or displeasure.

Here is a projection for how the 68-team field will look come Sunday.

West

No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 16 Detroit

No. 8 VCU vs. No. 9 Cincinnati

No. 5 Creighton vs. No. 12 Seton Hall/Mississippi State

No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 13 Nevada

No. 6 Florida vs. No. 11 Saint Louis

No. 3 Marquette vs. No. 14 Belmont

No. 7 Iowa State vs. No. 10 Purdue

No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 15 Texas-Arlington

This is certainly an interesting region that is buoyed by two perennial powers in North Carolina and Ohio State. It is littered with unheralded yet solid teams such as Marquette, Indiana, Creighton and Florida. Make no mistake that UNC and OSU are the cream of the crop here, but there won't be an easy game from the second round on.

Upset Watch: Florida draws the unenviable task of dealing with Saint Louis, who rolled through the Atlantic 10 this season and beat several power conference teams. The Gators have a lot of stars, including Kenny Boynton, but Rick Majerus' Billikens play great team basketball and could be a Sweet 16 sleeper.

Prediction: North Carolina may look like the team to beat on paper, but I like Ohio State to reach the Final Four out of this region. The Tar Heels have a great, fast-paced offense, but nobody who can match up with Ohio State forward Jared Sullinger. As long as the Buckeyes stay in a half-court offense and get the ball into the paint, they should be able to knock off UNC.

Midwest

No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 16 Stony Brook/Savannah State

No. 8 Drexel vs. No. 9 Harvard

No. 5 Wichita State vs. No. 12 Xavier

No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 13 South Dakota State

No. 6 UNLV vs. No. 11 Washington

No. 3 Georgetown vs. No. 14 Davidson

No. 7 Memphis No. 10 Connecticut

No. 2 Duke vs. No. 15 Montana

If you're looking for program prestige, then the Midwest is the region for you. Kansas, Duke and Georgetown are all high seeds who have had plenty of success in the tournament. On top of that the defending National Champions are lurking in the form of UConn, while other teams who always make noise in the tournament such as Xavier, UNLV and Memphis are in the fold as well.

Upset Watch: There are plenty of potential upsets in this region, but my pick is No. 4 Wisconsin. The Badgers have often disappointed in recent years in the tournament, and they have an extremely tough game against South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits had a great season in the Horizon League and have one of the most underrated stars in college basketball in Nate Wolters.

Prediction: There are a lot of things that could happen in this stacked region, but it should ultimately come down to an epic clash between Kansas and Duke. Because of the star power provided by Austin Rivers, Duke will be the sentimental favorite. Thomas Robinson will prove to be too much to handle in the post for the overmatched Duke bigs, however.

East

No. 1 Syracuse vs. No. 16 UNC-Asheville

No. 8 Vanderbilt vs. No. 9 New Mexico

No. 5 San Diego State vs. No. 12 Texas

No. 4 Florida State vs. No. 13 BYU

No. 6 Saint Mary's vs. No. 11 West Virginia

No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 14 Bucknell

No. 7 Louisville vs. No. 10 Alabama

No. 2 Missouri vs. No. 15 Loyola-Md.

There is usually one region that doesn't quite stack up against the rest at first glance, and the East may be just that. Syracuse is strong as a No. 1 seed, but there are plenty of question marks regarding other high seeds like Missouri, Michigan and Florida State. This region could be ripe for the picking for an unheralded team like San Diego State or Saint Mary's.

Upset Watch: Saint Mary's is usually the hunter thanks to its mid-major status, but in this region it would become the hunted against a solid West Virginia squad. The Mountaineers' overall record may not jump out as overly impressive, but Big East teams swap wins and losses so often that it's best to look past that. They have a lot of skill and tournament experience, and a great coach in Bob Huggins, so they have the tools to pull off the upset.

Prediction: Syracuse should pretty much breeze through to the Elite Eight, where I believe Michigan will be waiting. The bottom half of the region isn't overly brutal for the Wolverines, and they have the guard play to get past Missouri. The Orange will ultimately be too much for Michigan, however, as they have a stacked rotation and the benefit of Jim Boeheim on the bench.

South

No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 16 Western Kentucky/Mississippi State

No. 8 Virginia vs. No. 9 Kansas State

No. 5 Temple vs. No. 12 Colorado State

No. 4 Murray State vs. No. 13 Northwestern/South Florida

No. 6 Notre Dame vs. No. 11 Southern Mississippi

No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 14 Buffalo

No. 7 Gonzaga vs. No. 10 California

No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 15 LIU-Brooklyn

In addition to the fact that the overall No. 1 seed Kentucky resides in this region, it is quite intriguing thanks to the amount of schools in mid-level conferences that hold high seeds. Murray State, Temple and Gonzaga are all mid-major darlings who have the potential to do a lot of damage. At the same time, there are a lot of lower-seeded power conference teams that will be looking to make a statement.

Upset Watch: This may sound crazy, but don't advance Baylor to the round of 32 in ink if this bracket comes to fruition, because your bracket could look a little messy otherwise. Most pundits are picking Akron to come out of the MAC, but Buffalo has had a very strong season and beat the Zips twice. The Bulls have a couple great bigs, including conference player of the year Mitchell Watt, and Baylor is prone to defensive breakdowns. This game would have the potential to be the biggest upset of the tournament.

Prediction: Kentucky is currently the overwhelming favorite to win whatever region it is in, and also to win the whole tournament. It's certainly for good reason as the Wildcats have the deepest starting five in the nation and a number of athletic bigs. They will likely draw the savvy Michigan State Spartans in the Elite Eight. Tom Izzo's squad won't go quietly, but they simply don't have the firepower to hang with John Calipari's young squad.