The mist is beginning to clear in the NCAA tournament picture. Official announcements will be made at 5:30 tonight. But it is fairly clear the top four seeds in the 68-team field will be Villanova, North Carolina, Kansas and Gonzaga. In our bracket, Villanova, the overall No. 1 seed and defending national champion, will get the allegedly weakest two seed, Notre Dame– which jumped two spots by reaching the ACC final– in the East Region in New York City. Kansas will play the strongest two, Duke, in the Midwest Region in Kansas City.
There is not much difference between 1 and 8 and Duke, Kentucky, Arizona, Notre Dame and Louisville are all good enough to win four games..
It was a soft bubble this year, which should allow the Atlantic Coast Conference to get 10 teams in the brackets. Duke, a fifth seed which defeated Louisville, North Carolina and Notre Dame to win the Atlantic Coast Conference, likely made the biggest jump from a 4 to a 2.
The power conferences and the Big East gobbled up most of the at large bids. The Atlantic 10 could get 3 bids if Rhode Island defeats VCU to win the tournament today. Dayton and VCU appear to be safely in. The American (SMU, Cincinnati) and West Coast (Gonzaga, St. Mary’s) are the only other non power league teams with multiple bids. If URI becomes a bid thief, the team most likely to be left out is USC.
Here’s the bracket early Sunday morning We like this bracket because it gives Iowa State credit for winning the Big 12 and cost SEC power Florida a four seed and a spot in nearby Orlando after a third straight loss to Vanderbilt in the conference quarterfinals.

East
Buffalo
1. Villanova
16. Mt. St. Mary’s//South Dakota State
8. Northwestern
9. South Carolina
Orlando
5. Iowa State
11. Middle Tennessee
4. Florida State
13. East Tennessee
Milwaukee
6. Michigan
11. Syracuse/Rhode Island
3. Baylor
14 Iona
Tulsa
7. Maryland
10. VCU
2. Notre Dame
15. North Dakota

South
Greenville
1. North Carolina
16. Texas State/New Orleans
8. Wichita State
9. Dayton
Buffalo
5. Cincinnati
12. Vermont
4. West Virginia
13. Princeton
Sacramento
6. Wisconsin
11. Xavier
3. UCLA
14. Northern Kentucky
Indianapolis
7. Miami
10. Providence
2. Kentucky
15. North Kentucky.

Midwest
Tulsa
1. Kansas
16. Texas Southern
8, Virginia Tech
9. VCU
Milwaukee
5. Florida
12. Nevada.
4. Butler
13. Bucknell
Sacramento
6. St. Mary’s
11 Marquette
3. Oregon
14. .New Mexico State
Greenville
7. Minnesota
10.Seton Hall
2. Duke
15. Jacksonville State

West
Salt Lake City
1. Gonzaga
16. South Dakota State
8, Arkansas
9. Oklahoma State
Orlando
5. Virginia
12. UNC-Wilmington
4. Purdue
13. Winthrop
indianapolis
6. SMU
11. Wake Forest/Kansas State
3. Louisville
14. Florida Gulf Coast
Salt Lake City
7. Creighton
10. Michigan State
2. Arizona
15. UC-Davis.