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Bracketology 2019: Duke, Gonzaga, UNC and Texas Tech among top 4 projected seeds

By Alex Weber

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - FEBRUARY 28: Colin Castleton #11 of the Michigan Wolverines celebrates with teammates on the bench while playing the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Crisler Arena on February 28, 2019 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - FEBRUARY 28: Colin Castleton #11 of the Michigan Wolverines celebrates with teammates on the bench while playing the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Crisler Arena on February 28, 2019 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – FEBRUARY 27: Mamadi Diakite #25 and the Virginia Cavaliers bench cheers in the second half during a game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at John Paul Jones Arena on February 27, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – FEBRUARY 27: Mamadi Diakite #25 and the Virginia Cavaliers bench cheers in the second half during a game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at John Paul Jones Arena on February 27, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

Selection Sunday is coming up in a matter of days, and with the general bubble debate dominating most bracketology discussion, let’s take a look at the top-tier.

While the NCAA Tournament gets a ton of the excitement, its usually the top seeds that are remaining around the Elite 8/Final 4 time. Last season, No. 1 seeds Villanova and Kansas made it all the way to the final weekend, while third-seeded Michigan also took a spot.

In what I would consider a “down year” for college basketball’s middle class (essentially the teams ranked 10-25 in the AP Poll) the best of the best–your Duke’s and Virginia’s and Kentucky’s–have held serve, and have asserted themselves as clear superiors. Upsets are few and far between for teams projected as one or two seeds, and aside from a few blunders, these teams’ only losses come at the hands of fellow elites.

But that hasn’t slowed down the nausea-inducing top-seed deliberation. After approximately an hour of mapping campuses, erasing and re-erasing, studying NET rankings, and fitting the 16 teams into their regions like a glove, I’ve come to a conclusion on who – right now – I think will end up as the top 16 overall seeds in this year’s NCAA Tournament.

*I put their tournament seed first and then in parentheses is their overall ranking.

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