Bracket Watch: ACC finally grabs a No. 1 seed – for now

Published Feb. 21, 2017 10:14 a.m. ET

Stewart Mandel

For the first time since I started publishing these brackets in mid-January, an ACC team – North Carolina – claims the fourth No. 1 seed. The 23-5 Tar Heels displaced 22-5 Baylor, which fell off the top line for the first time all season.

I’d say there’s a decent chance an ACC team remains one of the top seeds come Selection Sunday. The question is whether it will still be North Carolina.

Roy Williams’ team sits alone atop the conference right now at 11-3. But it’s also benefited from what Ken Pomeroy ranks as the ACC’s easiest league schedule to date. That will change soon enough; three of UNC’s last four games are against Top 25 foes Louisville, Virginia and Duke.

If the Tar Heels slip up, 22-5 Louisville is sitting just two spots behind them at No. 6 on my overall seed list, and both 22-6 Florida State and 22-5 Duke aren’t far behind. Neither is a pair of Pac-12 teams, 24-4 Oregon and 25-3 Arizona.

Villanova, Kansas and Gonzaga seem entrenched as the first three No. 1 seeds, but the fourth one should remain up for grabs through the conference tournaments.

A reminder: Selection Sunday is March 12, and the tourney begins March 14. The Final Four is April 1-3 in Phoenix.

* -- Denotes projected conference champion, automatic berth

This edition's bracket is East vs. South and Midwest vs. West in the national semifinals, based on the order of my No. 1 seeds.

BRACKET WATCH

EAST REGION (NEW YORK)
Seed	Team	Location
1	Villanova*	at Buffalo
16	NC Central*
8	Virginia Tech
9	Iowa State
4	West Virginia	at Buffalo
13	Monmouth*
5	Virginia
12	UNC Wilmington*
6	SMU*	at Orlando
11	Kansas State
3	Florida State
14	Princeton*
7	South Carolina	at Salt Lake City
10	Michigan State
2	Arizona*
15	Florida Gulf Coast*

SOUTH REGION (Memphis)
Seed	Team	Location
1	North Carolina*	at Greenville, SC
16	North Dakota State*
8	Dayton*
9	Michigan
4	UCLA	at Sacramento
13	Belmont*
5	Maryland
12	Middle Tennessee*
6	Creighton	at Indianapolis
11	Clemson
3	Kentucky
14	Bucknell*
7	Minnesota	at Tulsa
10	Wichita State*
2	Baylor
15	Furman*

MIDWEST REGION (KANSAS CITY)
Seed	Team	Location
1	Kansas*	at Tulsa
16	UC Irvine/New Orleans
8	Miami
9	VCU
4	Butler	at Milwaukee
13	Valparaiso*
5	Wisconsin
12	Vermont*
6	Notre Dame	at Orlando
11	Seton Hall/TCU
3	Florida*
14	Akron*
7	Oklahoma State	at Indianapolis
10	Marquette
2	Louisville
15	North Dakota*

WEST REGION (SAN JOSE)
Seed	Team	Location
1	Gonzaga*	at Salt Lake City
16	Texas Southern/Mount St. Mary’s
8	Xavier
9	USC
4	Purdue*	at Milwaukee
13	Nevada*
5	Cincinnati
12	UT Arlington*
6	Saint Mary's	at Greenville, SC
11	Wake Forest/Cal
3	Duke
14	UNC Asheville*
7	Northwestern	at Sacramento
10	Arkansas
2	Oregon
15	Cal State Bakersfield*

LAST FOUR IN: Seton Hall, TCU, Wake Forest, Cal

FIRST FOUR OUT: Syracuse, Tennessee, Illinois State, Providence

NEXT FOUR OUT: Pittsburgh, Texas Tech, Indiana, Alabama

MULTIPLE BID CONFERENCES: ACC (10), Big Ten (7), Big 12 (7), Big East (6), Pac-12 (5), SEC (4), A-10 (2), American (2), WCC (2)