March Madness 2017: Predicting Top 4 Seeds and Championship Favorites

Upsets and Cinderella stories are what define March Madness, but the cream of the crop usually rises to the top when it comes to the championship discussion.

In the past five years, Syracuse of last season, a No. 10 seed, was the only double-digit seed to advance to the Final Four. A No. 1 seed has won its regional each of the past six years, with top two seeds making up six of the last eight Final Four teams.

Thus, the top teams are always a safe bet to be among the last schools standing, which shows how important seeding is. Let us take a look at which teams are the favorites for a No. 1 seed when the 2017 selection show rolls around on Sunday. Also, here is the schedule for each round:

Round	Dates
First Four	March 14-15
First	March 16-17
Second	March 18-19
Sweet Sixteen	March 23-24
Elite Eight	March 25-26
Final Four	April 1
National Championship	April 3

Villanova peaked at the perfect time last season, as the No. 2 seed created a magical tournament run to win a wild national title. In 2017, the Wildcats are a legitimate threat to repeat thanks to some familiar faces.

Head coach Jay Wright's team is 28-3 and ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press Top 25. Villanova opened up as the top overall seed in the NCAA selection committee's bracket preview on Feb. 11, and the Wildcats look poised to remain a No. 1 seed on Sunday.

Since that reveal, Villanova's lone blemish has been a home loss to Butler. When looking at Villanova's resume, there is no doubt it should produce a top seed. The Wildcats have road wins at Purdue and a then-healthy Creighton to go along with neutral-court wins over Notre Dame, Virginia and Wake Forest. 

The team is No. 2 overall, per the Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings, and as CBS Sports' Gary Parrish recently noted, Villanova's RPI resume is equally as impressive:

No matter what happens in the Big East tournament, expect Villanova to earn a No. 1 seed.

The other school that appears to be a lock for a top seed is Kansas.

The Jayhawks were the No. 2 overall seed in the initial tournament rankings, and they have gone undefeated since. This includes wins over West Virginia and at Baylor. Their previous notable wins include another pair of victories against the Bears and Mountaineers, in addition to Duke and at Kentucky. 

Kansas also has the benefit of excelling in a premier conference, as CBS Sports' Matt Norlander noted, citing KenPom.com:

However, Kansas looks to be another school that is immune to any trouble in the conference tournament. Despite Thursday's loss to TCU, the Jayhawks could still be the top overall seed for the second straight season.

As for the next two No. 1 seeds, there is a small group of teams that look to have the best opportunity to grab these spots. Those teams would be Arizona, Gonzaga, North Carolina, Oregon and UCLA.

The Bulldogs are the No. 1 team in college basketball, according to KenPom.com. They were also the No. 3 overall seed in February, so the committee clearly thinks highly of Gonzaga despite its weak WCC slate.

Although Gonzaga did drop a home game to BYU, it still dominated its conference by cruising through the regular season and tournament. With nonconference wins over ranked foes Arizona, Florida and Iowa State, it is a solid bet that the Bulldogs will at least earn the fourth No. 1 seed.

As for the other top spot, that will likely come down to the results of the conference tournaments.  

North Carolina came in at the highest spot in February, No. 4, and the Tar Heels have been solid of late. They boast wins over Duke, Louisville and Virginia, while their only loss came on the road against the Cavaliers. 

If North Carolina wins a strong ACC tournament, it is a pretty safe bet to earn a top spot. Yet the Pac-12 winner could snag that position if the Tar Heels fall.

Arizona, Oregon and UCLA have improved dramatically throughout the season, but the Bruins are the hottest team at the moment. They have not lost since Jan. 25, and they possess the best playmaker in college basketball in Lonzo Ball.

In addition to leading the nation with 7.8 assists per game, Ball also broke a conference record thanks to his passing ability and the scoring talents of his teammates, per UCLA Basketball:

UCLA should be favored to win the Pac-12 tournament and challenge for a top seed, but Arizona and Oregon can also seriously contend. Regardless, look for the highlighted teams above to be among the No. 1 seeds when the bracket is revealed on Sunday.

Statistics are courtesy of NCAA.com unless otherwise noted.