NCAA Tournament 2016: Predictions for Top Seeds Ahead of Bracket Reveal

Selection Sunday is just a day away, and the ongoing conference tournaments should help reveal a clearer picture of which teams will emerge with an envious No. 1 seed for the Big Dance. 

Here is a look at the predictions of which teams will claim the coveted top seeds.

East: Villanova Wildcats

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In a season where no team has distinguished itself the clear-cut No. 1, Villanova has arguably been college basketball’s most consistent. 

The Wildcats have only one loss outside the current Associated Press Top 25 and entered the postseason winners of 11 of their last 12. The one blemish was to No. 5 Xavier. 

CBS Sports gave its prediction on how Villanova will then fare in the Big Dance:

Regardless of how Selection Sunday plays out, Villanova head coach Jay Wright might be an outlier in his views on claiming a No. 1 seed. 

"People are tired of hearing it, and I know it sounds corny,” Wright said, per Cormac Gordon of SILive.com. "But we don't think about the seeds.”

South: Virginia Cavaliers

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Virginia certainly isn’t the flashiest of top contenders, but the Cavaliers are primed to take the South’s No. 1 seed as they head to the ACC tournament title game in their third showdown with North Carolina. 

Here is a look at the top highlights from their latest meeting on Feb. 27, courtesy of the ACC Digital Network:

Virginia is the only team that ranks in the top 10 in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.com. The team is also fourth in the nation in the site’s Pythagorean rating. 

The Tar Heels are currently No. 3 in the latest bracketology by Jerry Palm of CBSSports.com. A win over Virginia would certainly help their case for a No. 1 seed, but for now, it’s the Cavaliers’ for the taking.

Midwest: Michigan State Spartans

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Michigan State is going for its fifth No. 1 seed in the 21-year tenure of head coach Tom Izzo.

But the head coach isn’t too concerned about where his team is seeded—at least not as much as he might have used to be.

“Being a No. 1 or 2 or 3 seed is not as important to me as it used to be,” Izzo said, per Matt Charboneau of the Detroit News. “Is it a status for the program? Maybe a little bit. I don’t even know if I look at it like that anymore. I want to see us getting better at these little things.”

After dismantling Ohio State, 81-54, in the Big Ten Tournament, the Spartans have now won 11 of their last 12 with the lone loss to No. 13 Purdue in overtime by one point.

Not winning the Big Ten regular-season title might be a minor blemish, but Michigan State should nonetheless take the top spot in the Midwest region come Sunday.

West: Kansas Jayhawks

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Kansas seems a lock for a No. 1 seed regardless of how it fares in the Big 12 tournament. 

The Jayhawks have nine wins over teams currently ranked in the Top 25 and will top college basketball in top-50 RPI wins by Sunday regardless of the outcomes in the other tournaments, according to CBSSports.com.

Fourteen of Kansas’ 27 wins have come against RPI top-50 teams, according to Blair Kerkhoff of the Kansas City Star. They also entered the postseason on an 11-game win streak.