March Madness 2018: Tournament Schedule, Bracket Predictions for No. 1 Seeds

Amid all the chaos and turnover in the top 25 this season, some of the elite programs in men's basketball have risen to the top over the last few weeks.

Throughout the course of the 2017-18 season, plenty of teams have made a legitimate case for a No. 1 seed, but only few have remained at the forefront of the discussion ahead of Selection Sunday.

No matter what happens during the conference tournaments, Virginia and Villanova appear to have a lock on two of the four No. 1 seeds, but the other two are up for grabs depending on what occurs over the next two weeks.

Just because a team receives a No. 1 seed this season doesn't mean it has a clear path to the Final Four, as plenty of surprising results are expected to occur with no truly dominant team in the sport.

March Madness Schedule

Selection Sunday (March 11)

First four (March 13 and 14)

First round (March 15 and 16)

Second round (March 17 and 18)

Sweet 16 (March 22 and 23)

Elite 8 (March 24 and 25)

Final Four (March 31)

National Championship (April 2)

No. 1 Seed Predictions

Virginia

Virginia has avoided the chaos that has engulfed college basketball, as it's put together a 15-1 record in ACC play. 

The only stumble by the top-ranked team in the nation came in an overtime loss to Virginia Tech on February 10. 

With two games remaining, the Cavaliers have locked up the ACC regular-season title and earned the No. 1 seed at the ACC tournament. 

As long as they win one game at the Barclays Center, the Cavaliers should assure themselves of being among the top seeds on Selection Sunday on March 11. 

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

Tony Bennett's team may play a boring style in the eyes of some outside observers, but it's been effective in a year in which every side in the nation has been susceptible to multiple upsets. 

The top-ranked Cavaliers are led by senior Devon Hall and sophomores Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome. Guy leads Virginia with 14.5 points per game, while Hall is averaging 11.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per contest. 

Jerome leads the team with 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game, and he is a 90.3-percent shooter from the free-throw line.

The Cavaliers appear to be poised to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament, but all it takes is one offensive game plan to tear their packline defense to shreds for their title hopes to come crashing down.

Villanova

Villanova hasn't been as perfect as we'd like it to be in February to put a firm lock on a No. 1 seed, but it has put itself in position to do so with a pair of victories over Xavier in Big East play.

Losses to St. John's, Creighton and Providence have proved the Wildcats aren't untouchable, but you have to give them credit for showing up in the biggest game of their season to date against Xavier on February 17.

The 95-79 victory over the Musketeers handed the Wildcats an advantage in the discussion for a No. 1 seed despite being one game behind Xavier in the loss column in the Big East standings.

A third win over Xavier in the Big East tournament would solidify Villanova's resume, which includes nonconference wins over Gonzaga and Tennessee.

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

With five players shooting better than 40 percent from three-point range, the Wildcats can pummel any opponent with their play beyond the arc.

However, there will come a game in March where big men Omari Spellman and Eric Paschall are forced to lead the team as an opponent keys in on stopping the three-point barrage.

As long as Spellman and Paschall pack a punch inside, the Wildcats should have enough of a well-rounded game to get them to the Final Four.

Kansas

Kansas deserves a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament after working its way through the minefield that was the Big 12 regular season.

The Jayhawks weren't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but they turned it up to a championship gear no one else in the conference has to close out their 14th-straight regular-season title.

Coach Bill Self's team is peaking at the right moment with five consecutive victories, including wins over West Virginia and Texas Tech.

Ed Zurga/Getty Images

Even if the Jayhawks don't win the Big 12 tournament, they should be in good shape to secure a No. 1 seed with a trio of top-10 victories a part of their 5-3 record against top-25 teams.

The strength of the Big 12 should also push the Jayhawks among the top seeds on Selection Sunday, but just because they survived the Big 12 doesn't mean they'll go far in the NCAA tournament.

The Jayhawks lack consistency in the paint, and it wouldn't be surprising if opponents force Udoka Azubuike, who is a 44.2 percent free-throw shooter, to beat them at the free-throw line.

Devonte Graham and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk provide Kansas with senior leadership, and both are capable of winning games by themselves.

However, they must receive contributions from the supporting cast of Malik Newman, Lagerald Vick and Azubuike in order to stay alive past the first weekend of the NCAA tournament.

Michigan State

The final No. 1 seed should be determined during the conference tournaments.

Xavier appears to be in good position to earn it, but a loss to Villanova in the Big East tournament could drop it down to a No. 2 seed if Michigan State controls the Big Ten tournament.

The Spartans aren't the sexy pick to earn a No. 1 seed based off how poor the Big Ten is as a league compared to the Big East or Big 12, but they've made a significant claim with a 12-game winning streak that dates back to January 19.

However, the only victory over a ranked team during that stretch came on February 10 against Purdue, who at one time appeared to be a lock for a top seed in March.

Rey Del Rio/Getty Images

Head coach Tom Izzo's squad has an opportunity to solidify a resume that includes a trio of wins over top-10 teams with a Big Ten tournament title.

If the Spartans play up to their potential in the NCAA tournament, they could be hard to beat, as they possess a versatile group with five players averaging over 11 points per game.

Miles Bridges gets most of the spotlight, and deservedly so, but Cassius Winston is one of the best distributors in the nation, while Jaren Jackson Jr. is poised to have a breakout tournament and show he's the most dominant freshman in college basketball.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.