Bracketology 2023: 8 biggest storylines during Championship Week

Feb 26, 2023; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines center Hunter Dickinson (1) is congratulated by teammates after making a three point basket to tie the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

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Bracketology Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) celebrates with center Zach Edey Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Are the No. 1 seeds locked in already?

Usually, there’s some level of mystery as to who will get all 4 seeds throughout Bracketology. But this time around, there have been consistently four programs in the mix for the past month and a plus. Houston, Alabama, Purdue, and Kansas have been the lone teams, with just a couple of others even being mentioned.

That doesn’t mean that those teams have been without flaws. Purdue especially, as the weakness of the Big Ten continues to be an anchor. But their non-conference wins over Gonzaga and Duke have remained solid and the Boilermakers still have plenty of wins over the projected field.

There’s a chance that UCLA if they win the Pac-12 Tournament, could overtake the Boilermakers but the difference between the Pac-12 and Big Ten is sizeable. Even a loss to either Rutgers or Michigan in the quarterfinals, might not be enough to change things.

The bigger battle may be for the No. 1 overall seed. Alabama was the team that got the top spot in the bracket reveal a couple of weeks ago but recently lost on the road at Texas A&M. Houston plays in the inferior AAC but has the best metrics in Bracketology, while Kansas has a national high of 15 Quad 1 wins, even before the Big 12 Tournament.

All three will have cases to make and it very well could come down to who wins their respective conference tournament this week.

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