NCAA Basketball Bracket 2017: Latest Bracketology Before Selection Sunday

Championship week is nearing a close as the majors battle in semifinal and final conference tournament games on Saturday.

Bracketologists are updating their predictions in real time as the fast-paced action from around Division I forces change.

Here's a look at the latest picks from three experts as well as five games on Saturday that could have a big impact on the final bracket, which will be revealed on Sunday, March 12 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET on CBS.

Bracketology

Kerry Miller (Bleacher Report)

No. 1 Seeds	Villanova	North Carolina	Gonzaga	Kansas
First Four In	USC	Providence	Rhode Island	Kansas State
Last Four Out	Illinois State	TCU	Monmouth	Iowa

Joe Lunardi (ESPN)

No. 1 Seeds	Villanova	North Carolina	Kansas	Gonzaga
First Four In	Syracuse	Wake Forest	USC	Kansas State
Last Four Out	Rhode Island	Illinois State	Houston	Cal

 

Jerry Palm (CBS)

No. 1 Seeds	Villanova	Kansas	North Carolina	Gonzaga
First Four In	Kansas State	Wake Forest	Cal	Rhode Island
Last Four Out	Vanderbilt	Illinois State	Georgia	Iowa

 

Alabama vs. Kentucky: 1 p.m. ET on ESPN

This game is important for two reasons.

First, Alabama has a chance to enter the NCAA tournament at-large discussion with a big win over Kentucky. If the Crimson Tide beat UK and take down the winner of Vanderbilt vs. Arkansas in the SEC title game, then Alabama will knock an at-large hopeful off its perch.

On the flip side, Kentucky now has an easier road to the SEC title game with Florida no longer in the mix after it lost to Vandy in the quarterfinal round. If the Wildcats beat 'Bama and then go on to win the title game, they could perhaps sneak into a No. 1 seed. Right now, Kentucky is considered a No. 2 seed by Palm, Miller and Lunardi.

 

Davidson vs. Rhode Island: 1 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network

Rhode Island is the team to watch, as the Rams are the premier bubble team in the nation right now. They are either just in or just out of bracketologists' predictions.

The Rams can put that all to bed with a win over Davidson and then a victory over the winner of the VCU/Richmond semifinal game to take the Atlantic-10 championship, which would give the Rams an automatic bid.

Don't sleep on Davidson, though, who just took down No. 1 seed (and future NCAA tournament team) Dayton in the quarterfinals. If the Wildcats continue their run, they will take the place of a bubble team in the tournament field.

 

Iowa State vs. West Virginia: 6 p.m. ET on ESPN

Both teams are headed to the NCAA tournament, but how high can West Virginia go with a Big 12 title win? The Mountaineers sit fourth in Miller's and Lunardi's rankings but third in Palm's. Could they slide as high as No. 2 with a win?

That would be unlikely, as the top two seed lines are stacked with teams that have better resumes, but a No. 3 seed certainly isn't out of the question and should be granted to WVU with a win over Iowa State.

 

Duke vs. Notre Dame: 9 p.m. ET on ESPN

How much higher will the winner of this game go in the NCAA tournament? Is a No. 2 seed for the ACC champion out of the question?

For Notre Dame, it probably is, as it sits at No. 4 or No. 5 in the three projections above. But Duke, which just beat Louisville and No. 1 seed North Carolina in the last two days, is projected as a No. 2 seed right now by Palm and Miller (and a No. 3 by Lunardi). The Blue Devils would lock up a No. 2 seed with a win over the Fighting Irish.

 

Arizona vs. Oregon: 11 p.m. ET on ESPN

This could be a battle for a No. 1 seed if the selection committee was so turned off by Kansas' bad loss to TCU in the quarterfinals.

Oregon figures to have the best chance to make a move up, as it currently is projected as a No. 2 seed by all three experts. The Ducks also won the Pac-12 regular-season title.

The guess here is that the Ducks beat the Wildcats and steal a No. 1 seed from Kansas.