March Madness 2019 Bracket: Favorites, Sleepers and Cinderellas

The 68 teams entered into the 2019 NCAA men's basketball tournament can be divided into a few different categories.

The top seeds, like Duke and Virginia, fall under the favorite umbrella, as they'll be picked by many fans to advance to the Final Four.

The next collection of programs are sleeper teams who had strong years but may have been overlooked during the course of the regular season.

Then there are the potential Cinderella teams, who usually fall between the No. 11 and No. 16 seeds, and those are the teams who capture our attention the most, especially since so few of them advance into the second weekend of the competition.

Favored teams will receive the majority of the attention ahead of the first round, but we suggest taking a look at the full bracket, which can be printed out from NCAA.com, to get a glimpse at every team and matchup.

2019 NCAA Tournament Bracket

Favorites

Duke

Let's start with the odds-on favorite to win the NCAA tournament.

Duke tops the odds chart at +180 (bet $100 to win $180), according to Oddschecker, with the closest team to it at +850.

There's good reason to lay down a wager on the Blue Devils since they possess a once-in-a-generation talent in freshman Zion Williamson.

In his return from injury, Williamson scored 81 points in Duke's run to the ACC tournament title.

Chuck Burton/Associated Press

A dominant Williamson combined with fellow star freshmen RJ Barrett, Tre Jones and Cam Reddish should strike fear in any opponent Mike Krzyzewski's team faces.

With one of the easiest paths to the Final Four, Duke should put itself in good position to win its first championship since 2015.

Gonzaga

At +850, Gonzaga has the second-best odds to win the Big Dance, and it has plenty of talent capable of challenging Duke once again if the two sides meet in the Final Four.

Mark Few's Bulldogs should come into March Madness with a bit of a point to prove, as they stumbled in the West Coast Conference tournament final to Saint Mary's.

With the extra motivation in hand and some potential NBA talent in Rui Hachimura and Brandon Clarke, Gonzaga is a worthy second favorite, but it faces a more difficult road to Minneapolis than Duke.

Young Kwak/Associated Press

Syracuse's stingy zone defense looms in the second round and either Florida State's length or a college basketball star in Markus Howard of Marquette or Ja Morant from Murray State could face the Zags in the Sweet 16.

If chalk holds, an Elite Eight showdown with Michigan won't be easy to overcome, as the Wolverines have a wide array of talent, led by freshman Ignas Brazdeikis, that could help them make a Final Four run.

In fact, Michigan carries the fourth-best odds at +1,400 going into the NCAA tournament, which means if Gonzaga makes the Final Four, it will be more than deserving of its spot.

Sleepers

Iowa State

Rarely is a Big 12 tournament champion considered a sleeper, but Iowa State resides in a Midwest Region where North Carolina, Kansas and Kentucky will receive the bulk of the attention.

Before winning the Big 12 tournament, the Cyclones wouldn't have been on anyone's radar, as they closed the regular season with losses in five of six games.

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

With their course reversed, the Cyclones could be a dangerous team in the same pod as third-seeded Houston headed to Tulsa, Oklahoma.

What makes Iowa State so difficult to play against is opponents can't shut down a single player in order to win, as the Cyclones have four student-athletes who average over 10 points per game.

Beneath their top four scorers, the Cyclones have a few key contributors who come off the bench that can keep them in a rhythm.

Iowa State's depth and the experience of its leaders, like Marial Shayok, should make it a dangerous team in a loaded region.

Cincinnati

Cincinnati is another tournament champion who could wreak havoc in its bracket.

The Bearcats come into the Big Dance off a win over Houston in the AAC tournament, and they have a favorable draw close to home in Columbus, Ohio, alongside second-seeded Tennessee.

Mick Cronin's team has been hard to score on, as it held opponents to under 70 points in 12 of its last 13 victories.

Michael Hickey/Getty Images

Cincinnati is prepared to play in a rock fight, and it has a ruthless scorer in Jarron Cumberland, who recorded 33 points Sunday against Houston.

If the Bearcats get Tennessee in the second round, they could be facing a vulnerable team going through a drop in confidence, as the Vols lost by 20 to Auburn in the SEC tournament final.

Cinderellas

Saint Mary's

Since the start of February, the only losses suffered by Saint Mary's came to Gonzaga, and the Gaels avenged those regular-season defeats in the WCC tournament final.

With their winning form triggering an uptick in confidence, the Gaels will be a dangerous first-round opponent for Big East champion Villanova.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Villanova is usually one of the most consistent teams in college basketball, but it struggled at times this season with more inexperience on its roster than expected.

Although they aren't in the NCAA tournament every year, the Gaels typically make noise when they enter the field of 68.

Randy Bennett's team made the Sweet 16 with a second-round win over Villanova in 2010 and won its First Four and first-round matchups in 2013 and 2017, respectively.

Saint Louis

The Saint Louis Billikens are playing with house money.

The Billikens unexpectedly reached the field of 68 by winning the Atlantic 10 tournament as the No. 6 seed, which earned them a No. 13 seed in the East Region.

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Saint Louis could be prime for an upset because it faces a Virginia Tech side welcoming Justin Robinson back to the lineup.

Robinson has been out since February 2, and he's going to experience some type of rust getting back on the court with his teammates.

If Saint Louis is able to pounce on the Hokies early, it could ride its remarkable end-of-year run into the second round.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.