Who Are The Top Seeds in March Madness?
With Selection Sunday and the regular season in the rearview mirror, the top seeds are locked in for the 2021 men's NCAA tournament. Gonzaga, Baylor, Illinois and Michigan were given the No. 1 seeds for March Madness, with the Bulldogs taking home the honor of No. 1 overall seed.
Here's a look at the top four teams that are expected to be favorites throughout the bracket:
Gonzaga
Undefeated Gonzaga was an easy pick for one of the four coveted spots. The Zags are the lone team who have yet to lose a game and finished their season 26–0, including their WCC championship run that ended with a 88–78 win over BYU.
Gonzaga is led by Corey Kispert and his 19.2 points per game. The WCC player of the year is shooting 44.4% from deep and 89.8% from the charity stripe. He's one of four Gonzaga players averaging double digits in the scoring column. Kispert, Drew Timme and Jalen Suggs were all in the top 10 of SI's top 50 players of the season.
Related: NCAA Men's Tournament Opening Odds
Baylor
Baylor was upset in its conference championship tournament, but despite losing to Oklahoma State in the Big 12 championship semifinals, the team still locked in a No. 1 seed thanks to its impressive regular season resume.
The Bears finished 22–2 with just one loss in their conference. Baylor has three players averaging more than 14 points a game and all three haven't missed a single game this season. Junior Jared Butler leads the team with 17.1 points a game while shooting 42.9% from behind the arc.
Illinois
The Big Ten saw unbelievable talent this season but Illinois came out on top after beating Ohio State 91–88 in the conference championship that went to overtime right before Sunday's selection show began.
The Fighting Illini are 23–6 and heading into March Madness on a seven-game winning streak while being lead by junior Ayo Dosunmu. The 6-foot-5 guard is averaging 21.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 2021.
Michigan
Juwan Howard's squad is the second Big Ten team to snag a No. 1 seed as it enters the tournament at 20–4. The Wolverines kicked of the season with 18 wins in their first 19 games, though they enter the NCAA tournament with three losses in the month of March. Michigan exited the Big Ten tournament after a 68–67 loss to Ohio State.
The Wolverines are led by potential All-America center Hunter Dickinson, though their frontcourt suffered a major loss in the Big Ten tourney. Forward Isaiah Livers was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right foot after a quarterfinal matchup against Maryland, sidelining him indefinitely.
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