So what if we still have a week to go and a bunch of Conference Tournament excitement to play out?!
It’s time to take a moment and seed the tournament to see who has played their way in and who is still fighting for their lives with a handful of games left to go.
The 1 Seeds
Kentucky Wildcats
Virginia Cavaliers
Kansas Jayhawks
Villanova Wildcats
It is a no-brainer Kentucky will be the top overall seed whether they lose or not in the next few games. Barring a disaster Virginia will be the second-overall seed, followed by Kansas and then Villanova.
The 2 Seeds
Duke Blue Devils
Gonzaga Bulldogs
Arizona Wildcats
Wisconsin Badgers
It’s usually about this time of year where a two-seed can play its way up. But it takes a lot for them to play themselves down. That is pretty much the case here this season too. The interesting fact is there are very few candidates capable of playing their way up.
The 3 Seeds
Wichita State Shockers
Baylor Bears
North Carolina Tar Heels
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
This list is about as stable as teenage girl without a date the night before prom. Wichita State is the only lock. In fact the Shockers could play up to a two. But Baylor, UNC and the Irish have a lot left to prove if they want to be one of the top 12 teams in the Big Dance.
The 4 Seeds
Iowa State Cyclones
Maryland Terrapins
Utah Utes
Oklahoma Sooners
The Fighting Fred Hoibergs are going to be a tough out come tournament time. They have what it takes to win the Big 12 and could really play their way up the seedings. Same for Maryland, Utah and Oklahoma. All four of these teams have played top-notch competition, know how to respond in close games and know what it’s like to win ones they are not supposed too.
The 5 Seeds
VCU Rams
Louisville Cardinals
Arkansas Razorbacks
SMU Mustangs
Four teams with big questions down the stretch. But also four teams who are built for their conference tournament and have all-star coaches. Give this guy coaches who know how to prepare a team to win over a good team with a bunch of wins.
The 6 Seeds
Providence Friers
Northern Iowa Panthers
West Virginia Mountaineers
Butler Bulldogs
Northern Iowa getting punished by Wichita State really killed their seeding. They could fall even further to be honest. But this is the seed that always seems to find a way to make a run in the tournament.
The 7 Seeds
Georgetown Hoyas
Georgia Bulldogs
Colorado State Rams
Dayton Flyers
Georgetown has had a solid season in the best conference in the land. Believe it or not, Georgia could move up higher on this list when they beat Kentucky this week. Yes. You read that right. Colorado State should pull out their conference title, and Dayton has proven itself as a lock at seven no matter what.
The 8 Seeds
Michigan State Spartans
BYU Cougars
Davidson Wildcats
Oregon Ducks
Feel free to flip flop these four and the next four. Michigan State has the pedigree and the coaching to make a deep run. The rest are just looking to be cinderella.
The 9 Seeds
North Carolina State Wolfpack
Purdue Boilermakers
Stanford Cardinal
Rhode Island Rams
These are the four teams who have some solid wins and some horrible losses. They will need a good tournament and a little luck but they should make it to the decisive 8-9 match-up.
The 10 Seeds
Tulsa Golden Hurricane
Pittsburgh Panthers
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Ohio State Buckeyes
Oh to the list of the last teams to either play in or get a ticket to the big dance. Take your pick on these 7 vs 10 match ups. They will be worth every second of a tune in.
The 11 Seeds
San Diego State Aztecs
Murray State Racers
Temple Owls
St. John’s Red Storm
Not going to lie on these four. Each one can win their opening round game, and at least two more. San Diego State and Murray State could be this year’s darlings.
The 12 Seeds
Georgia State Panthers
UC Davis Aggies
Eastern Washington Eagles
Mercer Bears
This is not the same Mercer team that knocked off Duke last year. But, they are battled tested and pulled the upset in the tournament to punch their ticket. They along with the rest of these teams will not be afraid to battle the list of coaches who oversee the No. 5 seeds.
The 13 Seeds
Yale Bulldogs
Valparaiso Crusaders
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Northeastern Huskies
Don’t see any upsets here or really on the remaining list of teams. But if there is one here to watch it has to be Northeastern.
The 14 Seeds
Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
NC Central Eagles
Central Michigan Chippewas
Iona Gaels
Something tells this guy to put some money on Central Michigan to cover. Don’t care who the opponent is but they look like a team that can play a March Madness type game.
The 15 Seeds
New Mexico State Aggies
South Dakota State Jackrabbits
Bucknell Bison
St. Francis Terriers
New Mexico State has a chance to pull the 15 vs 2 upset. But that is it.
The 16 Seeds
Albany Great Danes
USC Upstate Spartans
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Alabama State Hornets
USC Upstate is a very interesting team. But the top eight teams in the nation are solid on the defensive end of the floor. They will have to shoot lights out to make a run at the ultimate upset. Meanwhile, Kentucky is going to win by maybe the largest margin ever in a 1 vs 16 game.
*Section Photo credit to Andy Lyons, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to Bob Donnan, USA Today Sports