Bracket Watch: Kentucky, Virginia, Gonzaga appear locked into top line

Kentucky, Villanova, Virginia and Gonzaga claim No. 1 seeds in our latest Bracket Watch. See how the rest of the field is taking shape.

There are still seven weeks remaining until Selection Sunday, but we may already know the identity of three No. 1 seeds.

It’s awfully hard to imagine Kentucky being anywhere other than the top line. Not only have they been the nation's best team all season, but the SEC won't offer the difficulty the degree of difficulty that Virginia, for instance, will have to endure in the ACC. We can say with a surprisingly high degree of certainty for this time of year that the Wildcats are going to be at the head of one of the four regions.

Even with all those contenders, the unbeaten Cavaliers also look like a strong bet to hold onto a 1-seed. They’ve yet to see Duke, Louisville or North Carolina this season, but they have vanquished three other teams that appear in this week’s Bracket Watch -- Maryland, VCU and Notre Dame and Virginia. None of those games were in Charlottesville either: Virginia beat the Terrapins and Fighting Irish on the road and the Rams on a neutral court, winning those three games by a combined 34 points. A brutal three-game stretch against the Blue Devils, Tar Heels and Cardinals is on the horizon, but the Cavaliers look like the class of what may be the nation’s best conference.

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Finally, losses by Duke and Wisconsin in recent weeks opened the door for Gonzaga to ascend to a 1-seed, and the Bulldogs may very well slam that door behind them. Gonzaga, ranked No. 3 by KenPom, doesn’t have a game remaining on its schedule against a top-50& RPI team. BYU, at No. 52, is the closest, and the the Zags already won in Provo this season. If Gonzaga wins out, the committee would likely grant it the top seed in the West.

Midwest Region

1. Kentucky (17-0, No. 1 overall seed; Last week: Midwest 1, No. 1 overall) -- The Wildcats won their games against Missouri and Alabama last week by a combined 71 points. With all due respect to teams like Virginia, Louisville and San Diego State, the Wildcats clearly have the best defense in the country.

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2. Iowa State (13-3, LW: South 3) --

3. Notre Dame (17-2, LW: West 3) -- The Irish beat Georgia Tech without forward Zach Auguste, who had been suspended for an academic issue, then got him back and knocked off Miami, too. Notre Dame once again ranks first in adjusted offensive efficiency, according to KenPom.

4. VCU (15-3, LW: S4) -- The Rams have now won 10 straight games since losing to Virginia on Dec. 6. If they have one Achilles’ heel it’s at the line. They’re connecting on just 62 percent of their free throws, which ranks 339th in the country.

South Region

1. Virginia (17-0, LW: S1) -- The Cavaliers remained undefeated with easy wins over Clemson and Boston College last week. They’re enjoying their best start in 34 years and have a 23.5-percent chance of finishing the season unbeaten, according to KenPom.

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3. Kansas (14-3, LW: East 3) -- The Jayhawks lost their first Big 12 game of the season, falling at Iowa State on Saturday. They have another tough week ahead, with games against ranked opponents Oklahoma and Texas (in Austin) looming.

4. Wichita State (16-2, LW: W5) -- As expected, the Shockers are rolling right through the Valley, winning their six conference games by an average of 13.7 points per game. That number may increase this week, as they take on doormats Missouri State and Drake.

East Region

1. Villanova (17-1, LW: W1) -- The Wildcats' only loss of the season thus far was to Seton Hall in overtime on the road on Jan. 3. They’ve notched all but three of their 17 wins by double digits. The Big East will provide them with some challenges, but they have a much easier path to a 1-seed than teams like Duke, Wisconsin and Arizona.

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2. Duke (15-2, LW: E1) --

3. Utah (14-3, LW: E2) -- Even though they were on the road, the Utes really disappointed in their first big showdown of the season with Arizona, losing by 18 points on Saturday. There isn’t a bad loss on Utah's resume, but its best wins are over Wichita State and BYU.

4. Maryland (17-2, LW: E4) -- The Terrapins could easily lay claim to a better seed, but there just wasn’t a spot for them above this spot right now. They’ve won three straight since losing to Illinois, and now own a season sweep over Michigan State after beating the Spartans again on Saturday.

West Region

1. Gonzaga (18-1, LW: MW2) -- The Bulldogs are now rightly on the top line, and they could easily remain there come Selection Sunday. Remember, their highest hurdles left to clear are two games against Saint Mary’s (the first of which comes at home on Thursday), a return matchup with BYU and an eventual West Coast Conference championship game. KenPom gives the Zags a 41.4-percent chance of winning out.

2. Arizona (16-2, LW: MW3) -- There was only enough room for one Pac-12 team on the 2-line, and that honor went to the Wildcats after they drubbed Utah in Tucson. The defense has been there all season, but they’re back inside the top-20 in adjusted offensive efficiency, as well.

3. Louisville (15-3, LW: W2) -- Are the Cardinals yet again perpetrating a major fraud against the American public, similar to the one they pulled off last year? Their three best wins of the season are all against the second tier of the Big Ten (Ohio State, Indiana, Minnesota), and their three losses are to Kentucky, North Carolina and Duke.

4. North Carolina (14-4, LW: MW4) -- The Tar Heels are trending in the right direction, picking up a road win over North Carolina State and home victory against Virginia Tech last week. They have about as unimposing a week ahead of them as you could hope for in the ACC: a visit to Wake Forest on Wednesday and a game in Chapel Hill against Florida State on Saturday.

MIDWEST	EAST

1 Kentucky16 N. Dakota St./Colgate

8 Stanford9 Indiana

4 VCU13 Buffalo

5 Seton Hall12 Harvard

3 Notre Dame14 Eastern Washington

6 Texas11 Miami

7 San Diego St.10 Georgia

2 Iowa State15 Stony Brook

Villanova 1Texas So. 16

Dayton 8SMU 9

Maryland 4Stephen F. Austin 13

Oklahoma 5Wyoming 12

Utah 3Coastal Carolina14

N. Iowa 6Syracuse/Tulsa 11

Iowa 7Georgetown 10

Duke 2Georgia So. 15

1 Gonzaga16 St. Francis (PA)

8 George Washington9 Michigan State

4 UNC13 Northeastern

5 W. Virginia12 Wofford

3 Lpuisville14 N.C. Central

6 Butler11 Tennessee

7 Oklahoma St.10 Cincinnati

2 Arizona15 UC Davis

Virginia 1UNF/New Mexico 16

Providence 8LSU 9

Wichita St. 4UW Green Bay 13

Baylor 5N.C. State/St. John's 12

Kansas 3Iona 14

Old Dominion 6Temple 11

Arkansas 7Xavier 10

Wisconsin 2E. Illinois 15

WEST	SOUTH