2022 NCAA Tournament: Here Are The Four Likely No. 1 Seeds Before Sunday’s Selection Show

Which teams will lead the way in March Madness?

Selection Sunday is finally here. At 6 p.m. ET, the selection committee will announce the field of 68 for the men’s NCAA tournament

While a handful of teams are teetering on the edge of the bubble, hoping to hear their school’s name announced on Sunday, a select group will be aspiring for much more this evening. Four programs in particular are looking to come in atop the rest as this year’s No. 1 seeds.

The final day of the conference tournaments is often filled with important games that help determine the four teams that will be on the top line heading into March Madness, but the No. 1 seeds seem pretty clear cut this year. 

Here’s a look at the likely No. 1’s ahead of Sunday’s selection show: Gonzaga (26–3, 13–1), Arizona (31–3, 18–2), Kansas (28–6, 14–4), Baylor (26–6, 14–4)

According to Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Sweeney, the four aforementioned programs have earned their spots on the No. 1 line. Gonzaga is projected to lead the West region, Arizona the South, Kansas the Midwest and Baylor the East.

Kentucky, Villanova, Tennessee, Auburn and Duke are among the teams most likely to be on the outside looking in at a No. 1 seed on Sunday evening.

For more bracketology, including analysis and predictions on the entire field of 68, check out the latest edition of SI’s Bracket Watch

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Zach Koons
ZACH KOONS

Zach Koons is a programming editor at Sports Illustrated who frequently writes about Formula One. He joined SI as a breaking/trending news writer in February 2022 before joining the programming team in 2023. Koons previously worked at The Spun and interned for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He currently hosts the "Bleav in Northwestern" podcast and received a bachelor's in journalism from Northwestern University.