March Madness Top 16 Reveal: Gonzaga snags a 1 seed in early projection

Gonzaga has earned one of the four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA’s early reveal of the top 16 NCAA Tournament teams.

The top 16 were revealed Saturday afternoon live on CBS, and it represents a snapshot of what the top four seeds in each region would be if today was Selection Sunday.

The Bulldogs are undefeated at 25-0 and face Saint Mary’s Saturday night in what could be their final true challenge on their way to a perfect regular season. In addition to a home win over Saint Mary’s in January, Gonzaga’s resume also includes neutral court wins over Florida, Iowa State, and Arizona, as well as wins at BYU and Tennessee. KenPom ranks the Bulldogs No. 1 overall with the nation’s third-best offense and fourth-best defense.

Defending national champion Villanova earned the top overall seed, with Big 12 rivals Kansas and Baylor getting the other two 1 seeds.

Gonzaga was the only mid-major school to make the cut, but if the Gaels can take down the Bulldogs later, they can work their way into the picture.

Here’s a complete look at the top 16. Remember, this is merely a snapshot and will almost definitely change over the next month. Top seeds are placed in regions based on geographic proximity.

True seeds:

1. Villanova
2. Kansas
3. Baylor
4. Gonzaga
5. North Carolina
6. Florida State
7. Louisville
8. Oregon
9. Arizona
10. Virginia
11. Florida
12. Kentucky
13. Butler
14. West Virginia
15. UCLA
16. Duke

And here they are placed by region, how the Sweet 16 matchups would be if there are no upsets.

EAST (New York): 1. Villanova vs. 4. UCLA ; 2. Louisville vs. 3. Kentucky
WEST (San Jose): 1. Gonzaga vs. 4. West Virginia ; 2. Oregon vs. 3. Virginia
MIDWEST (Kansas City): 1. Kansas vs. 4. Duke ; 2. Florida State vs. 3. Arizona
SOUTH (Memphis): 1. Baylor vs. 4. Butler ; 2. North Carolina vs. 3. Florida

Here’s a link to our predictions. Take a look and call us out where we were wrong.

Reminder: Selection Sunday is just over one month away. The final, full bracket will be revealed Sunday evening, March 12.