March Madness Bracket Projections, Week 18: No. 1 Seeds
March Madness bracket projections for Week 18 of the 2015-16 season. Predicting the No. 1 seeds ahead of the conference tournaments.
March Madness bracket projections for Week 18 of the 2015-16 season. Predicting the No. 1 seeds ahead of the conference tournaments.
East
Villanova Wildcats
Villanova closed the regular season by winning 10 of its final 11 games, and that one loss came on the road vs. a strong Xavier squad. Yes, the Wildcats have padded their record by beating up on a relatively weaker Big East schedule, but by every important metric, Villanova deserves this spot. Three of their four losses came vs. RPI top 25 squads, and the Wildcats went 8-4 vs. RPI top 50. They likely will have to win the Big East Tournament to keep this spot as some strong teams are buzzing close, but right now, ‘Nova is a No. 1 as we take a step closer to March Madness.
Midwest
Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas has erased all doubts about which team is the best squad in college basketball right now by rolling to an 85-78 win over Iowa State Saturday, and the Jayhawks head into the postseason riding an 11-game winning streak. That includes wins over ranked teams such as West Virginia, Oklahoma, Baylor, Iowa State and Texas over the past month, and Bill Self has his team exactly where he wants it—playing its best basketball in mid-March. Even a loss in the Big 12 Tournament won’t knock KU off the top line.
South
Virginia Cavaliers
The Cavaliers have won 10 of their last 12, and those two losses came on the road at Duke and Miami (Fla.), two teams that could very well be playing when the Elite Eight rolls around. Those losses came by a combined four points, but there was nothing close about the way UVA hammered Louisville Saturday. The Cardinals were playing to be spoilers, and the Cavs dismissed them like they were some mid-major. Virginia has proven itself time and time again, and Tony Bennett’s team deserves a No. 1 slot come March Madness.
West
You knew all along that Tom Izzo would have his team rolling by the end of the regular season, and sure enough, his ballclub hasn’t lost in a month. Not only that, but MSU has been ripping teams in the Big Ten. Only Wisconsin has gotten as close as a dozen points in the last six games of the year, and the Spartans have been nothing short of spectacular on both ends of the floor. As long as MSU doesn’t face plant during the Big Ten Tournament, the Spartans are going to be on the No. 1 line and will have a clear path to the Final Four.
March Madness Projection: Last Four In, First Four Out
