NCAA Bracket 2020: Tournament Schedule, Bracket Predictions for March Madness

The 2020 college basketball season has been defined so far by its unpredictability.

Seven schools have held the No. 1 ranking in the AP Top 25 poll, including Kansas, which is currently in the top spot. The Jayhawks moved to No. 1 for the second time this season when they beat Baylor, the previous No. 1, on Feb. 22.

Last week, nine ranked teams lost to unranked opponents, which led to only Kansas, No. 5 San Diego State, No. 9 Maryland and No. 18 Iowa staying in the same spot in the rankings this week, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com).

That's been par for the course this season, as teams have struggled to hold top spots in the rankings, with plenty of unranked teams scoring upset wins.

Considering how wild and erratic the regular season has been, March Madness could be filled with upsets and shocking victories this year.

Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament takes place March 15. Here's a look at the rest of the upcoming schedule, followed by some early predictions.

2020 NCAA Tournament Schedule

March 17-18

First Four games in Dayton, Ohio

March 19-20

First-round games at eight different sites

March 21-22

Second-round games at eight different sites

March 26-27

Sweet 16 games in Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and New York City

March 28-29

Elite Eight games in Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and New York City

April 4

Final Four in Atlanta

April 6

National championship game in Atlanta

Predictions

Virginia makes some noise again in March

Andrew Shurtleff/Associated Press

Last year, the Virginia Cavaliers were dominant. They went 29-3 during the regular season and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, then won six straight games to capture the first national championship in program history.

It hasn't been as easy for Virginia this season. It has lost seven games, all of which came between Dec. 22 and Feb. 8. However, the team has bounced back since then, winning seven straight games to build momentum heading into the ACC tournament.

In March, the Cavaliers' low-scoring, defensive-minded style of play typically yields positive results. They have notched at least one NCAA tourney win in six of the last seven years, and they've reached the Sweet 16 three times during that stretch.

Plus, Virginia has several key players back from last year's championship squad. Its two leading scorers, Mamadi Diakite (13.6 points per game) and Kihei Clark (10.7), both started in last year's national championship game.

The Cavaliers may not win another national title, but as a likely mid-tier seed, they should make another decent run and continue their recent string of program success.

Kansas makes best run as a No. 1 seed

Only three teams have defeated Kansas this season, and all of them were quality opponents: Duke, Villanova and Baylor.

The Jayhawks also avenged the loss to the Bears when they played them again a month later, notching an impressive Big 12 road victory.

On Saturday, Kansas plays at Texas Tech in its final game before the Big 12 tournament, and it should win to improve to 28-3. That should put it in control of its own destiny for not only a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tourney, but also the No. 1 overall seed.

Considering how well the Jayhawks have played of late—they've won 15 straight games and not lost since Jan. 11—they appear to be in good shape to win the Big 12 tournament for the third time in five seasons. And once they reach March Madness, they typically fare well, after reaching at least the Elite Eight three straight years from 2016-18.

Led by Devon Dotson (18.2 points per game) and Udoka Azubuike (13.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game), Kansas will be a dangerous No. 1 seed during March Madness that could continue its stellar play and roll through the early rounds.

If any No. 1 seed could make a run to the Final Four and beyond this year, expect it to be the Jayhawks.

Northern Iowa becomes this year's Cinderella

Lizzy Barrett/Getty Images

With no automatic qualifiers yet handed out by conference tournaments, it can be a bit difficult to predict potential Cinderella teams this early in March. However, Northern Iowa has a strong chance of being this year's surprise team in the NCAA tourney.

The Panthers have had March Madness success before. They reached the Sweet 16 as a No. 9 seed in 2010, and they won their first-round games in each of their past two appearances in 2015 and 2016.

Ben Jacobson is in his 14th season as Northern Iowa's head coach, so he knows what it takes to guide a team to postseason success.

This season, the Panthers are 25-5 and have clinched the regular-season championship in the Missouri Valley Conference. They won 16 of their first 18 games, which included an impressive road victory over Colorado on Dec. 10.

Sophomore guard AJ Green is a talented scorer averaging 19.7 points per game. If he gets hot during March Madness, then it could lead to a deep tournament run for Northern Iowa.

The Panthers should certainly have that chance, as they'll likely win the MVC tournament and have momentum entering the NCAA tourney, where anything can happen.