NCAA Bracket 2020: March Madness Schedule, Bracket Predictions for Marquee Teams

In under two weeks, Selection Sunday will be in the books and so will some actual NCAA tournament tilts.

Breathe it in, folks. Savor the sweet aroma of March Madness, because it will be bracket-busting time before you know it.

While the early fun revolves around Cinderella sleepers, the real action arrives late when the marquee clubs separate from the rest of the pack. So after we lay out the tournament schedule, we'll shift our attention to the elites and provide bracket predictions on three of the nation's top teams.

March Madness 2020 Schedule

Selection Sunday: March 15

First Four: March 17, 18

First Round: March 19, 20

Second Round: March 21, 22

Sweet 16: March 26, 27

Elite 8: March 28, 29

Final Four: April 4

National Championship: April 6

Bracket Predictions

Dayton Makes the Final Four

There are two ways to react to this prediction. It all depends on how much you've been paying attention this season.

If you've spent the campaign under a rock—or are one of those, "Wake me up when it's March," casual fans—then we'll apologize for making you spit out your beverage of choice. Dayton isn't exactly a powerhouse. The Flyers didn't even make the Big Dance the last two seasons, they last won an NCAA tournament game in 2015 and they've only made the Final Four once...in 1967.

But if you have been keeping up to speed, then you know this makes sense for a couple of reasons. For starters, this team is really good. Dayton holds down the No. 4 spot in KenPom.com rankings, and it has the second-best adjusted offensive efficiency. It sports a pristine 28-2 record, hasn't lost a game since December and took Kansas to overtime during the Maui Invitational championship.

But the biggest motivation here is Obi Toppin, a 6'9" sophomore forward who occupies the No. 8 spot on the latest NBA mock draft from B/R's Jonathan Wasserman.

"It's getting harder to keep downgrading Toppin due to the level of competition or defensive questions," Wasserman wrote. "He's been too effective offensively given the improved shooting and advanced passes that continue to pop."

Toppin has a good shot at taking home the John R. Wooden Award given to the outstanding college player of the year. His per-game contributions include 19.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 blocks and 0.9 steals. He's also shooting 62.9 percent overall and 39.0 percent from range. There's a non-zero chance he's the best player in this tournament, and our crystal ball sees Dayton following his lead to the Final Four.

Duke Doesn't Survive the First Weekend

Momentum can carry a red-hot team deep in this tournament. Conversely, cold spells can prove disastrous for the field's most frigid teams.

As ESPN's Myron Medcalf explained, it's been a brutally cold stretch of late for Mike Krzyzewski's bunch:

"After a 1-3 slide, Duke entered Monday's win over NC State ranked sixth in the NET and fifth on KenPom.com. But the Blue Devils have been ranked 61st overall in efficiency since Feb. 19, when the slide began with a loss at NC State, and they connected on just 43% of their shots inside the arc and 30% of their 3-point attempts, according to barttorvik.com data. Yes, it's a snapshot that might not define the team's season. But it's also a funk Duke has to shake before the NCAA tournament."

The Blue Devils can play with anyone when they're right, but a cold stretch from distance can sink this ship.

They are tied for 206th with 207 threes and tied for 99th with a 34.7 three-point percentage. Their 71.2 free-throw percentage (tied for 168th) is another indicator this is not a good shooting team. And if Duke's shooters can't keep defenses honest, that makes it easier to bring extra help toward top scorer (and rebounder) Vernon Carey Jr.

Maybe the talent and coach are enough for this club to overcome its flaws, but this stretch has us thinking twice about a long run awaiting the Blue Devils.

Kansas Takes the Title

Bill Self has something special brewing in Lawrence.

This may not be the deepest, or best-shooting Jayhawks team we've ever seen, but it is elite at the top. Sophomore guard Devon Dotson is a nightly source of 18.2 points, 4.0 assists, great decision-making and feisty defense. Senior center Udoka Azubuike provides 270 pounds of brute force, plus 13.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 75.1 percent shooting.

They're both Wooden Award candidates. There isn't another two-man tandem quite like this.

"Few can match the inside-outside combo of Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike, arguably the best point guard and the best low-post big man in the Big 12 and perhaps the nation," ESPN's Jay Bilas wrote.

If Kansas squeezes enough out of its support shooters—looking at you, Isaiah Moss, Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun—this club could be unstoppable. Already, it's the country's only team with top-eight adjusted efficiency ranks on offense (seventh) and defense (second).