March Madness 2019: Top Bracketology Predictions from Around the Web
March 13, 2019
Who will be the four No. 1 seeds in this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament? Who will be the last bubble teams to make it in? And who will be the first ones left out?
We'll have the answers to all those questions Sunday evening, when the 68-team field will be revealed. Until then, experts will continue to speculate and make their predictions about what this year's March Madness bracket will look like.
Although Gonzaga, the No. 1 team in the country, lost to Saint Mary's in the West Coast Conference championship Tuesday, it appears many experts still believe that the Bulldogs will earn a No. 1 seed.
Here's more of what bracket experts are predicting as Selection Sunday gets closer.
Predictions from Around the Web
No. 1 seeds: Virginia, Gonzaga, North Carolina, Kentucky
Last four in: Temple, NC State, TCU, Clemson
First four out: Ohio State, Indiana, Creighton, Belmont
Next four out: Alabama, Lipscomb, UNC Greensboro, Georgetown
Three of Lunardi's last four teams in still have the opportunity to improve its resume before Sunday.
Temple received a bye in the AAC tournament as the No. 3 seed and will open with a quarterfinal matchup Friday, taking on the winner of the first-round game between Wichita State and East Carolina.
TCU is the No. 8 seed in the Big 12 tournament and plays a first-round matchup against Oklahoma State on Wednesday.
NC State opened the ACC tournament with a second-round win over Clemson, so the No. 8-seeded Wolfpack will advance to face top-seeded Virginia in the quarterfinals.
It's possible Lunardi's bracket will change following Wednesday's full slate of games after Clemson was eliminated in the first round of the ACC tourney.
No. 1 seeds: Virginia, Gonzaga, North Carolina, Kentucky
Last four in: Belmont, Florida, Arizona State, NC State
First four out: Clemson, St. John's, Lipscomb, Temple
Miller's last four teams in vary greatly from Lunardi's, with NC State as the only school in both experts' groups.
Belmont's resume is set, as the Ohio Valley Conference tournament has already taken place. The Bruins were the No. 1 seed but lost to Murray State in the championship game Saturday.
Florida (No. 8 seed in the SEC tournament) and Arizona State (No. 2 seed in the Pac-12 tournament) each still have chances to impress the NCAA tournament selection committee. They could perhaps even make a run and win the automatic bid that comes with its conference's tourney championship.
No. 1 seeds: Virginia, Gonzaga, North Carolina, Kentucky
Last four in: Arizona State, Creighton, Clemson, UNC Greensboro
First four out: Furman, Florida, Belmont, Indiana
Arizona State and Creighton are among the bubble teams in this bracket projection, and Palm has both making it into the tournament.
Palm also included UNC Greensboro, which has already concluded its season. The Spartans were the No. 2 seed in the Southern Conference tournament, but they lost to top-seeded Wofford in the final.
Also worth noting is that Palm included Furman at the top of his "first four out" category. The Paladins' season also ended in the SoCon tourney after losing to UNC Greensboro in the semifinals.
If one of these Southern Conference schools make it in, it likely should be UNC Greensboro over Furman.
Last four in: Ohio State, Belmont, Creighton, Georgetown
First four out: Florida, Alabama, UNC Greensboro, Indiana
This is the only projection among this group of four to not have Kentucky as a No. 1 seed. Instead, Duke has the last No. 1 seed, making it three ACC teams at the top.
Also, this projection differs because it has Ohio State and Georgetown being among the last four in. The Buckeyes and Hoyas can improve their chances, so this could certainly happen if these teams impress this week.
Ohio State plays its first Big Ten tournament game Thursday, when it faces Indiana in a second-round matchup. Georgetown plays Seton Hall in the second round of the Big East tournament Thursday.