The four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA men's basketball tournament can all make legitimate arguments as to why they will take home the national championship April 2.
Conversely, the programs could exit the Big Dance earlier than the Final Four based off the difficult matchups in their respective brackets.
Virginia is the No. 1 overall seed, but Villanova appears to have the best opportunity to win the title given its potential opponents.
Kansas and Xavier could face intriguing matchups in the round of 32 and Sweet 16, but their tests lie in the Elite 8, with big-name programs presumably succeeding in the other half of their brackets.
Predictions for Top Seeds
Villanova (+575; Bet $100 to Win $575)
You don't need to do a deep dive into the brackets to realize Villanova has the easiest path to the Final Four of the No. 1 seeds.
The Wildcats carry the best odds to win the national championship because of the path in front of them, which includes No. 2 Purdue, No. 3 Texas Tech and No. 4 Wichita State.
Each top-four seed in the East region showed flaws throughout the regular season, and that leads to the potential of more upsets to occur than any other bracket.
If the lower seeds reign supreme in the round of 64, the Wildcats could have an even easier path to San Antonio.
Jay Wright's team is favored to make another deep run into the NCAA tournament because of its tremendous backcourt play, led by Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges.
If Bridges continues to emerge as a go-to guy alongside Brunson, like he did during the Big East tournament, opponents will have a hard time defending the Wildcats in and around the three-point line.
The toughest test before the Final Four for the Wildcats could come in the round of 32 if Collin Sexton and No. 9 Alabama knock off No. 8 Virginia Tech since they haven't faced many players as dynamic as the Crimson Tide freshman.
Prediction: National champion.
Virginia (+600)
Just as Virginia thought this would be its year to thrive in the Big Dance, it received a brutal draw that includes No. 4 Arizona and No. 5 Kentucky in its half of the bracket.
No matter how tough Virginia's defense is, it might not have an answer for Arizona freshman DeAndre Ayton, who is one of the most dominant forces in men's college hoops in recent memory.
Virginia would be better off facing Kentucky's youth, as the Cavaliers stand a better chance of rattling Kevin Knox and Co. with their defensive pressure.
If you are looking for positives as a Virginia fan, you can take solace in the fact the first weekend should be straightforward, as the Cavaliers will play in front of what will likely be a friendly crowd in Charlotte, North Carolina.
If the Cavaliers survive the Sweet 16 test against either Arizona or Kentucky, they will be favored against No. 2 Cincinnati, No. 3 Tennessee or whichever foe awaits in the Elite 8.
However, it's hard to see Virginia getting past Arizona, which is only a No. 4 seed because of the down year the Pac-12 had.
Prediction: Loss to Arizona in the Sweet 16.
Kansas (+1,000)
As if this were possible, the Kansas Jayhawks got better during their Big 12 tournament championship run, as Malik Newman emerged as a marquee scorer alongside Devonte' Graham and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk.
If the three-pronged offensive attack shines at the start of the Big Dance, the Jayhawks might not be able to be stopped.
Kansas faces a favorable second-round matchup against No. 8 Seton Hall or No. 9 NC State, and the potential Sweet 16 clash with No. 4 Auburn or No. 5 Clemson isn't too scary, as both teams faded in February.
That leaves the Jayhawks with a potential clash of blue bloods in the Elite 8 versus either No. 2 Duke or No. 3 Michigan State.
Both teams present problems for the Jayhawks, as Michigan State possesses depth at every position and Duke has superior talent thanks to its group of freshmen.
Michigan State and Duke also contain an active paint presence that could hurt Bill Self's team if Udoka Azubuike, who missed the Big 12 tournament, isn't 100 percent.
There's always a chance upsets occur throughout the Midwest and that Kansas' path to the Final Four gets easier, but for now, it's hard to see the Jayhawks getting past one of the two men's basketball powers on the other half of the bracket.
Prediction: Loss to Michigan State in Elite 8.
Xavier (+1,200)
It's hard to express little trust in Xavier given its recent NCAA tournament history, but that's what faces Chris Mack's team.
The Musketeers could have the toughest round-of-32 matchup of any No. 1 seed if Michael Porter Jr. leads No. 8 Missouri to a first-round victory over No. 9 Florida State.
The Sweet 16 doesn't give the Musketeers a reprieve, as No. 4 Gonzaga is much better than its seed, while No. 5 Ohio State carries plenty of knowledge about Xavier from head coach Chris Holtmann's time in charge of Butler.
A pair of red-hot teams in No. 2 North Carolina and No. 3 Michigan reside in the bottom part of the bracket, with one of those sides expected to advance to the Elite 8.
Lingering over Xavier is a pair of defeats to Villanova and an early exit in the Big East tournament to Providence.
If the Musketeers are unable to learn from those clashes, they could falter against one of the established programs in their bracket.
It's worth keeping Mack's success in the NCAA tournament in the back of your mind while making your bracket selections.
In his seven tournament appearances with Xavier, Mack has guided the team to three trips to the second weekend, including a run to the Elite 8 a year ago.
Prediction: Loss to North Carolina in Elite 8.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Odds obtained from OddsShark.
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