Field is Set

All conference tournaments are over and the tournament field is set, with the number one overall seed being Kansas, along with Virginia, North Carolina, and Oregon. Three of them won their conference tournament, with Kansas winning the Big 12, Oregon winning the Pac 12, and North Carolina beat out Virginia for the ACC crown. Michigan State won the Big 10 and were rewarded a 2 seed, and Kentucky won the SEC yet got only a 4 seed, which seems slightly unfair. Seton Hall upset Xavier and Villanova on their way to a Big East title, and St. Joe's upset Dayton and VCU (who both made the tournament), which earned them a Atlantic 10 title, and an 8 seed. Other conference champions who are in the tournament are Connecticut (AAC), Stony Brook (AEC), Florida Gulf Coast (ASC), Weber State (Big Sky), UNC-Asheville (Big South), Hawaii (Big West), UNC-Wilmington (CAA), Middle Tennessee (C-USA), Green Bay (Horizon), Yale (Ivy), Iona (MAAC), Buffalo (MAC), Hampton (MEAC), Northern Iowa (MVC), Fresno State (MWC), Farleigh Dickinson (NC), Austin-Peay (OVC), Holy Cross (Patriot), Chattanooga (Southern), Stephen F. Austin (Southland), Southern (SEAC), South Dakota State (Summit), Arkansas Little Rock (Sun Belt), Gonzaga (WCC), and Cal State Bakersfield (WAC).

Most of that group is going to lose in either the first or second round, so it's important to pick the right upsets when making your brackets. Some teams like UNI, Gonzaga, Stephen F. Austin, Wichita State, VCU, and Dayton all make the tournament frequently so they would be a good pick for an upset. Some other qualities that bracket busting teams usually have are great three point shooting, a dominant player, or really good guard play.

However these Cinderella teams rarely make it far past the Sweet Sixteen, so don't get too carried away with the upsets. Usually the Final Four consists of seeds 1-4, with the occasional outsider. Within those top four seeds I think teams like Kansas, North Carolina, Michigan State, Kentucky and Duke all have good chances at deep runs because they have experience in the tournament. Villanova and Virginia are both teams known for early exits in the tournament, but don't over analyze that too much, both are very capable teams. Then there are the teams like Oregon, Oklahoma, Xavier, and Texas A&M don't have very much experience with the NCAA tournament, but all are elite teams.