March Madness 2022: Schedule and Bracket Predictions for Top Seeds

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Jed Jacobsohn/Associated Press

All season long, the top men’s college basketball teams in the country have battled it out, trying to earn the best possible seeds for the NCAA tournament. And for good reason.

Since the tourney expanded to 64 teams in 1985, a No. 1 seed has won the national championship 23 out of 36 times. It’s been especially beneficial in recent years, as a No. 1 seed has captured the title in 11 of the past 14 NCAA tournaments, including each of the past four.

Which four teams will be the No. 1 seeds for March Madness in 2022? That has yet to be determined. Conference tournaments are now underway, and those will be taking place up until Selection Sunday on March 13. Then, the selection committee will reveal this year’s 68-team bracket.

With more than a week still to go, here’s an early look at this year’s NCAA tournament schedule, followed by predictions for the four teams that will end up with the No. 1 seeds.

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Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

Selection Sunday:  March 13

First Four:  March 15-16

First Round:  March 17-18

Second Round:  March 19-20

Sweet 16:  March 24-25

Elite Eight:  March 26-27

Final Four:  April 2

National Championship:  April 4

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Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

Last year, Gonzaga earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament. This year, there’s a good chance that the Bulldogs will be in the same position. But even if that doesn’t end up being the case, it’s likely they’ll at least earn one of the four top seeds.

Although Gonzaga lost its regular-season finale to Saint Mary’s, that was only the Bulldogs’ third defeat of the campaign, all of which have come against ranked opponents. They’re now poised to have a strong showing in the West Coast Conference tournament, where they may have a chance to get revenge against the Gaels.

This is an experienced Gonzaga squad led by junior forward Drew Timme. And this year, the Bulldogs also have an impact freshman in 7-foot center Chet Holmgren. It’s highly likely that they’ll get back on track and make a run to their ninth WCC tournament title in 10 seasons.

It would be a surprise if Gonzaga doesn’t end up as a No. 1 seed, and it should have a strong case for the No. 1 overall seed again this year.

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Eric Gay/Associated Press

Despite a challenging schedule this season, Baylor is heading into its regular-season finale against Iowa State with a 25-5 record. No team in the country has recorded more Quad 1 wins than the Bears, who are 12-4 in those games.

Baylor appears to be building momentum as well, as it has won six of its past seven games, a stretch that includes two victories over Texas and one against Kansas. The Bears could run into the Longhorns and/or Jayhawks again in the Big 12 tournament—as well as some other tough conference rivals—but they’ve already proved they’re capable of beating difficult competition.

Last year, Baylor was a No. 1 seed when it made a run to the first national championship in program history. Now, it seems the Bears could be one of the top teams in the bracket as they look to go back-to-back.

It’s possible that Baylor gets upset in the Big 12 tourney and falls to a No. 2 seed, but the prediction here is that won’t be the case, as the Bears will play well enough to again secure a No. 1 seed.

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Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Arizona has been dominant during the 2021-22 season, its first under head coach Tommy Lloyd. And after the Wildcats were ineligible to participate in last year’s NCAA tournament because of a self-imposed ban, they’re now one of the top teams in the nation heading into March Madness this year.

With two regular-season games still to play, Arizona owns a 26-3 record, which includes a 16-2 mark in Pac-12 play. The Wildcats should win those final two contests against Stanford and Cal, a pair of teams they’ve already defeated this season, which will build their momentum heading into the conference tournament.

While it’s possible that a team such as USC or UCLA could knock off Arizona in the Pac-12 tournament, that’s unlikely to happen. The Wildcats are the clear top offensive team in the conference, ranking first in points per game (84.7) and field-goal percentage (49.1) by wide margins, and that will power them to success.

Arizona will continue to roll by winning the Pac-12 tournament title and securing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tourney in the process.

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Adrian Kraus/Associated Press

As things stand, Duke is likely a No. 2 seed. But there still appears to be a path for the Blue Devils to end up with a No. 1 seed, and it’s quite possible that things will unfold in their favor between now and Selection Sunday.

First, Duke likely needs to win the ACC tournament. That shouldn’t be an issue, as the Blue Devils are the clear top team in the conference and should be powered by freshman forward Paolo Banchero and the rest of their talented lineup to their third conference tourney title since 2017.

In order for that to be enough for Duke to capture a No. 1 seed for March Madness, it would help if neither Auburn nor Kentucky wins the SEC tournament, while Kansas likely can’t make a deep run through the Big 12 tourney. That could give the Blue Devils a stronger resume than those other top contenders.

It seems plausible, so don’t be surprised if Duke ends up being the fourth team to be a No. 1 seed in this year’s NCAA tournament.