FEB 28 - Bracketology 2017 Teams Locks For March Madness

Bracketology 2017 Teams Locks For March Madness

Written by on February 28, 2017

I you’re gearing up for the quickly approaching March Madness national championship tournament and you want to know which teams are already bracket locks to reach the annual tourney, then you’re in luck. This March Madness ‘bracketology’ breakdown will reveal, not only the top 25 teams in the nation, but a handful of other teams that already have the look of tournament locks. With each of the top 25 teams in the country right now being locks to get in, I’ll direct my focus to those teams that are just outside the national rankings but have the look of virtual March Madness betting tournament locks and received at least one vote to be included in this week’s new national rankings. Let’s get started with a look at the nation’s top 25 teams as of Tuesday morning.

In Depth Analysis On The Bracketology 2017 Teams Locks For March Madness

 
 

No. 1 Seeds

No. 1 Kansas (27-3) No. 2 Villanova (27-3) No. 3 UCLA (26-3) No. 4 Gonzaga (29-1)  Group Analysis: I’m going on record to say that the national championship winner is coming out of this group.

No. 2 Seeds

No. 5 N. Carolina (25-6) No. 6 Oregon (26-4) No. 7 Arizona (26-4) No. 8 Louisville (23-6)  Group Analysis: At least one Pac-12 team will reach the Final Four. Now, take your pick between Oregon and Arizona.

No. 3 Seeds

No. 9 Kentucky (24-5) No. 10 West Virginia (23-7) No. 11 Baylor (24-6) No. 12 Florida (23-6)  Group Analysis: Baylor, Kentucky and West Virginia have all been wildly inconsistent this season, making Florida my pick to advance further than anyone out of this group.

No. 4 Seeds

No. 13 Butler (23-6) No. 14 SMU (25-4) No. 15 Florida St. (23-6) No. 16 Purdue (23-6)  Group Analysis: Could one of these teams reach the Final Four? Yes…Florida State will – and remember, you heard it here first!

No. 5 Seeds

No. 17 Duke (22-7) No. 18 Cincinnati (25-4) No. 19 Notre Dame (22-7) No. 20 St. Mary’s (26-3)  Group Analysis: St. Mary’s plays mostly poor competition and Duke is too wildly unpredictable. Notre Dame is well coached but doesn’t have the ‘horses’ to really contend this season, making unheralded Cincinnati my pick to advance the furthest out of this quartet.

No. 6 Seeds

No. 21 Wichita St. (27-4) No. 22 Wisconsin (22-7) No. 23 Virginia (20-9) No. 24 Iowa St. (19-9)  Group Analysis: Each and every one of these teams is quite dangerous for their own reasons. Wichita State and Iowa State get it done at the offensive end of the floor while Wisconsin and Virginia play lockdown defense like nobody’s business.

No. 7 Seeds

No. 25 Miami (FL) (20-9) Previously No. 23 Creighton Previously No. 24 Maryland (19-10) Oklahoma St. (20-9) Group Analysis: I smell at least one tourney upset out of this group with Creighton most likely shooting out the lights on some higher ranked tourney opponent.

No. 8 Seeds

Minnesota (22-7) Dayton (23-5) Michigan (19-10) VCU (23-6) Group Analysis: Either VCU or Dayton – or both – will pull off at least one huge upset once March Madness gets underway.

No. 9 Seeds

USC (21-8) Michigan St. (18-11) Monmouth (26-5) Middle Tenn. St. (25-4) Group Analysis: Could inconsistent Michigan State make a deep tourney run after struggling all season long? Nope!

No. 10 Seeds

Vermont (26-5) Virginia Tech (21-8) Arkansas (22-7) BYU (21-10) Group Analysis: The Virginia Tech Hokies are the pick out of this group to exceed tourney expectations after recording some quality wins over Duke, Syracuse, Virginia and most recently, Miami.

No. 11 Seeds

Nevada (23-6) South Carolina (21-8) Princeton (19-6) Belmont (22-5) Group Analysis: These four teams have the look of tourney locks, but they all look like one-and-done March Madness participants as well.