NCAAB · 8 months ago

Top 10 Teams in the Running for an NCAA Tournament No. 1 Seed

David Connelly

Host · Writer

10. Iowa State
Just a few weeks back, we had the Cyclones in the conversation for a No. 1 seed, but that was before they dropped three consecutive contests at the turn of the month, including a home loss to lowly Kansas State. That kills their chances of being in the conversation, as it would likely require them to run the table to have a fighter's chance in this discussion.

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1. Auburn
Auburn's first home loss against Florida last weekend wasn't enough to derail them from the top overall seed slot. With 13 Quad 1 wins, by far the most in the country, it would take a catastrophic meltdown for the Tigers to lose their grasp on the northeast spot in the bracket next month. When they take on Alabama, they will face one of their most significant tests of the season on Saturday in Tuscaloosa.

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2. Duke
The Blue Devils remain one of the three consensus No. 1 seeds. Still, Saturday night's slip at Clemson brought them a bit closer to the pack and put the Tigers back into ACC regular-season title contention. The good news is that outside of a matchup with Illinois later this month for the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, Duke has a favorable schedule the rest of the way.
3. Alabama
The Tide keep stacking win after win, and they are now a part of the consensus No. 1 seed grouping with Auburn and Duke. While they sit outside the top four in every predictive metric on the selection committee's team sheets, they are second in every results-based metric and possess some colossal wins. Knocking off Auburn at home this weekend would only further send them on their way to a top seed next month.

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4. Tennessee
Despite a 7-5 record in conference play, the Volunteers are clinging on for dear life to the final No. 1 seed in our current bracket projections. Tennessee is coming off being swept by Kentucky and falling two points short of a massive win over Auburn a few weeks back. To hang on, they will have to capitalize in their matchups against quality opponents to close out the season, most notably a date with Alabama in two weeks in Knoxville.
5. Florida
The Gators blew their chance at a top seed two weeks ago when Tennessee, despite missing Zakai Zeigler and Igor Milicic, trounced Florida by 20. With each team having similar resumés, the committee will look at that lone head-to-head matchup and tip the scales in Tennessee's favor. The other concern is the winding road of landmines to close out the month of February for the Gators. According to Bracket Matrix, none of their next four matchups to close out the month come against a team projected to be a single-digit seed in the NCAA Tournament.
6. Houston
The Cougars have a nearly identical resumé to that of Duke's. They have five Quad 1 wins, are in the top three in all three results-based metrics, and are blemish-free when it comes to losses outside of the first quadrant. Their slight shortcoming comes from the predictive metrics, where the Blue Devils have the upper hand. There is a case to be made for Houston to already be on that one-seed line, depending on how you evaluate their team sheet, but we find them as a strong two for right now.
7. Purdue
The Boilermakers have steamed into this conversation over the past six weeks after an impressive 11-2 start to Big Ten play. Tuesday night in Ann Arbor was a golden opportunity to put themselves into the mix further, but a narrow defeat now holds them at bay for further consideration. Ample opportunity remains against Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Illinois, but they may have to sweep the board and have a strong showing at the Big Ten Tournament for a realistic shot.
8. Texas A&M
This feels like the team that could cause some chaos leading up to Selection Sunday. The Aggies have quietly pushed to 8-3 in SEC play thus far, primarily due to a lopsided schedule. The best win of the bunch has only come against Ole Miss, but there is plenty upcoming where Texas A&M could make a push. If they can take advantage of matchups against Tennessee, Florida, and Auburn, they could make the selection a serious headache for the committee come Selection Sunday.
9. Wisconsin
We are now entering serious long-shot territory. Wisconsin has a strong resumé worthy of potentially a two-seed, but they lack those signature wins outside of a victory over Arizona earlier in the year. The other issue is the lack of opportunities remaining on their schedule. A road date with Purdue inside Mackey Arena on Saturday is their best chance at grabbing a seriously defining victory ahead of conference tournament play.
10. Iowa State
Just a few weeks back, we had the Cyclones in the conversation for a No. 1 seed, but that was before they dropped three consecutive contests at the turn of the month, including a home loss to lowly Kansas State. That kills their chances of being in the conversation, as it would likely require them to run the table to have a fighter's chance in this discussion.

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1. Auburn
Auburn's first home loss against Florida last weekend wasn't enough to derail them from the top overall seed slot. With 13 Quad 1 wins, by far the most in the country, it would take a catastrophic meltdown for the Tigers to lose their grasp on the northeast spot in the bracket next month. When they take on Alabama, they will face one of their most significant tests of the season on Saturday in Tuscaloosa.

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Top 10 Teams in the Running for an NCAA Tournament No. 1 Seed

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