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Bracketology: Virginia holds No. 1 overall seed

Notre Dame v Virginia

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - MARCH 3: Devon Hall #0 of the Virginia Cavaliers drives through Matt Farrell #5 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half during a game at John Paul Jones Arena on March 3, 2018 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)

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Welcome to Championship Week!

Whether it’s a seed line position or a position in the final Field of 68, there’s a lot on the line in the next six days. If there’s one confident bet it’s this: Virginia will be the No. 1 overall seed come Sunday night. Villanova and Xavier also look like good wagers, although there are scenarios in which only one of them ends up being a No. 1 seed. Kansas retains its No. 1 slot out West, with Duke very much in the mix (No. 5 on the seed list). How Kansas, Duke, Villanova, and Xavier fare in their conference tournaments may well determine how the final one-line looks this weekend. We can say the same for the two-line with teams like Cincinnati, Auburn, Tennessee, and North Carolina (as examples).

As for the bubble, let’s just say its highly unsettled. Multiple teams have an opportunity to play their way in or out come Sunday morning. Here’s were we stand ...

UPDATED: March 5, 2018

FIRST FOUR PAIRINGS - Dayton (First Round)


  • Syracuse vs. Alabama | East Region
  • Marquette vs. UCLA | South Region
  • SE Louisiana vs. Iona | East Region
  • Hampton vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff | South Region

BRACKET PROJECTION ...

SOUTH - AtlantaEAST - Boston
CharlottePittsburgh
1) Virginia1) Villanova
16) Hampton / Ark-PB16) SE Louisiana / Iona
8) TCU8) Rhode Island
9) St. Bonaventure9) Florida State
San DiegoSan Diego
5) Florida5) Ohio State
12) MURRAY STATE12) Syracuse / Alabama
4) West Virginia4) Texas Tech
13) Louisiana13) Vermont
NashvilleWichita
6) Miami-FL6) Kentucky
11) Marquette / UCLA11) Texas
3) Cincinnati3) North Carolina
14) Charleston14) UNC-Greensboro
NashvilleDetroit
7) Seton Hall7) Missouri
10) Arizona State10) Butler
2) Auburn2) Michigan State
15) Wagner15) Wright State
WEST - Los AngelesMIDWEST - Omaha
WichitaPittsburgh
1) Kansas1) Xavier
16) RADFORD16) Harvard
8) Nevada8) NC State
9) Creighton9) Oklahoma
BoiseBoise
5) Arizona5) Clemson
12) New Mexico St12) LOYOLA-CHI
4) Gonzaga4) Wichita State
13) South Dakota St13) Buffalo
DallasDallas
6) Arkansas6) Houston
11) Kansas State11) Middle Tennessee
3) MICHIGAN3) Tennessee
14) Montana14) Bucknell
CharlotteDetroit
7) Texas AM7) Virginia Tech
10) Providence10) Saint Mary’s
2) Duke2) Purdue
15) LIPSCOMB15) UC-Davis

NOTES on the BRACKET: Virginia is the No. 1 overall seed - followed by Villanova, Xavier, and Kansas

Last Four Byes (at large): Butler, Arizona State, Kansas State, Texas

Last Four IN (at large): UCLA, Marquette, Syracuse, Alabama

First Four OUT (at large): Baylor, Washington, USC, Oklahoma State

Next four teams OUT (at large): Louisville, Notre Dame, LSU, Penn State

Breakdown by Conference …

ACC (9): Virginia, Duke, North Carolina, Clemson, NC State, Miami-FL, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Syracuse

SEC (8): Auburn, Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky, Arkansas, Texas AM, Missouri, Alabama

BIG 12 (7): Kansas, West Virginia, Texas Tech, TCU, Oklahoma, Kansas State, Texas

Big East (7): Villanova, Xavier, Seton Hall, Creighton, Providence, Butler, Marquette

Big 10 (4): MICHIGAN, Purdue, Michigan State, Ohio State

Pac 12 (3): Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA

American (3): Cincinnati, Wichita State, Houston

Atlantic 10 (2): Rhode Island, St. Bonaventure

West Coast (2): Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s

Mountain West (1): Nevada

ONE BID LEAGUES: LOYOLA-CHI (MVC), Iona (MAAC), Middle Tennessee (C-USA), Louisiana (SBELT), Harvard (IVY), Montana (BSKY), Wright State (HORIZON), SE Louisiana (SLND), UNC-Greensboro (STHN), UC-Davis (BWEST), Buffalo (MAC), LIPSCOMB(ASUN), MURRAY STATE (OVC), Charleston (CAA), RADFORD (BSO), Hampton (MEAC), South Dakota State (SUM), New Mexico State (WAC), Vermont (AEAST), Bucknell (PAT), Wagner (NEC), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC)