NCAA Tournament Bracket 2016: Early Championship Odds, Predictions for Top Seeds

The teams have been announced, and the locations are set. All that's left is to start playing basketball.

The NCAA tournament officially begins on Tuesday with the First Four, signaling the start of March Madness—as if there wasn't enough madness during the conference tournament portion.

After a crazy Saturday that saw the Villanova Wildcats lose in the Big East title game, and potentially lose a No. 1 seed, Sunday was going to determine which teams would be the top four in the field of 68. It's official now, with the Kansas Jayhawks, North Carolina Tar Heels, Oregon Ducks and Virginia Cavaliers as the No. 1 seeds.

It's also time to head to the books and place your bets on who wins it all. Here are the odds for that, as well as some predictions for how the top seeds in the tournament will fare.

Michigan State	+500
Kansas	+500
North Carolina	+900
Kentucky	+1000
Oklahoma	+1200
Villanova	+1200
Virginia	+1400
Maryland	+2000

No. 1 Seed Predictions

Midwest: Virginia Cavaliers

Despite losing to the Tar Heels in the ACC championship, Virginia finds itself as the top team in the Midwest region over Michigan State. The Spartans, winners of the Big Ten, are the No. 2 seed in this region.

For the third year in a row, Michigan State and Virginia find themselves in the same bracket, and Jason McIntyre of the Big Lead thinks this is a major blunder by the committee:

Nevertheless, NCAA tournament chairman Joe Castiglione said it was Virginia's strength of schedule that went into determining Virginia's placement, per Stewart Mandel of Fox Sports.

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Virginia prides itself on defense, which is why the Cavaliers have the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in Malcolm Brogdon. Also the ACC Player of the Year, Brogdon averaged 18.7 points per game. His performance will dictate how far the Cavaliers go in this tournament.

The key hurdle for Virginia lies at that No. 2 seed. Michigan State knocked Virginia out of the tournament the last two years. Virginia will make it to at least the Elite Eight, where Michigan State will be meeting it again.

West: Oregon Ducks

The Ducks are a No. 1 seed for the first time ever. Their gift? A very tough top of the bracket, especially at the No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchup.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Long gone are the days of Jameer Nelson and Delonte West at Saint Joseph's, but the Hawks have two forwards in Isaiah Miles and DeAndre Bembry that can score, rebound and stretch the floor. Oregon plays a similar style, which could be a matchup nightmare in the second round.

The general consensus is the Ducks will be the first No. 1 seed to be eliminated in the tournament. Chris Vernon from ESPN Radio in Memphis came across this bit of information, which doesn't bode well for Oregon:

Oregon is a fun team to watch with freshman guard Tyler Dorsey and sophomore forward Dillon Brooks running the show. The problem could be matchups, and it wouldn't be a surprise if Oregon either went as far as the Elite Eight and lost to Oklahoma or lost in the second round to St. Joe's.

The Ducks are one of the bigger mysteries of this tournament.

East: North Carolina Tar Heels

North Carolina will be in the Final Four because there's no team in the East region that can match up with Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson.

The closest thing that could rival UNC's star duo is Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil from Providence, if the Friars can get through the USC Trojans in the first round.

Rob Carr/Getty Images

North Carolina did what didn't seem possible and defeated Virginia in the ACC championship. Sometimes it takes senior leadership to match other teams' senior talent, and that's what North Carolina has at its disposal. Paige and Johnson are not just two seniors that have tournament experience, but they also play the pick-and-roll better than most tandems in the country. 

The Tar Heels' lone test could be Providence in the second round. After that, there isn't a team that can contend with them. Not even Indiana or Kentucky.

South: Kansas Jayhawks

It's not often the overall No. 1 seed gets the murderer's row region, but that's the case for the Jayhawks.

There's a legitimate chance Kansas will have to go through Austin Peay, UConn, Maryland, Cal and either Miami or Villanova to get to the Final Four.

Reid Forgrave of Fox Sports tried to figure out how Kansas was left with the more difficult road to Houston than a team like Oregon.

This is not going to be easy for the Jayhawks. Whichever team comes out of this region will win the national championship. 

That's why it'll be the Jayhawks.

Kansas has been carried all year by Perry Ellis and Wayne Selden, but the Jayhawks can add Devonte Graham to that list. Graham scored 27 points in the Big 12 title game on Saturday, becoming the third scoring option for Kansas.

ESPN.com's Myron Medcalf highlighted Graham's ability to impact the game away from the stat sheet as a reason why he's so valuable:

"

Graham is not the only leader on Kansas. [Frank] Mason III's grit carries this team some nights. Wayne Selden's offensive efforts -- he scored 21 points -- guide the Jayhawks, too. The steady play of Perry Ellis (17 points, five rebounds) keeps the Jayhawks calm, even in uncertain moments.

But Graham? He leads with his bounce. He leads with his hustle. He leads with the defensive attentiveness of a soaring falcon tracking a rabbit on the ground. He leads with the speed of a Black Friday crowd spilling into a department store once the doors open.

"

With the emergence of Graham, Kansas is given another option that's capable of carrying it to the title game. And if given another chance, he'll do just that.

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