2013 NCAA Tournament Bracket Predictions: No. 1 Seed Most Likely to Lose First

2013 NCAA Tournament Bracket Picks and Predictions – No. 1 Seed Most Likely to Lose First: While you can go ahead and push all the No. 1 seeds through to the round of 32 in your NCAA Bracket, things slowly start to get scary after that. Only once have all four top seeds reached the Final Four in the same year, and three No. 1 seeds have all advanced to the national semifinals only three times. Basically, the chances of all four teams getting to Atlanta are basically the same as one of the top seeds falling in the round of 64. In other words, at least one of the No. 1 seeds is going down sooner rather than later. With that in mind, here is a closer look at how the top seeds stack of in this year’s NCAA Bracket and which one is in the most trouble.

1.      Kansas Jayhawks (South Region)

Kansas only lost five games this year, but the few losses the Jayhawks did suffer exposed some major weaknesses. Kansas doesn’t have a great point guard, and they are prone to offensive lulls. Meanwhile, the Jayhawks’ region is full of teams that have plenty of offensive firepower that can test Kansas’ sketchy scoring attack. Starting with a potential matchup with North Carolina in the round of 32 and followed by a potential meeting with either VCU or Michigan, the Jayhawks are going to have to be able to score points in order to advance. Throw in the fact the VCU’s pressure defense and Michigan’s Trey Burke could both take advantage of Kansas’ situation at point guard, and the Jayhawks have the potential to make an early exit.

2.      Gonzaga Bulldogs (West Region)

It is going to be boom or bust for the Bulldogs as their high-scoring offense will have to battle a region loaded with opponents that win with defense. Starting with a round of 32 meeting with either Wichita State or Pittsburgh, Gonzaga’s road to Atlanta could include the likes of Wisconsin, Kansas State and Ohio State. Every team I just mentioned can play elite-level defense and control the pace of the game. The Bulldogs are going to have to be able to win some ugly, low-scoring games. Granted, they did get by the Wildcats in the regular season despite scoring just 68 points, but they fell to the Butler Bulldogs 64-63. Gonzaga basically got to cruise through the West Coast Conference for the past two months, but there will be nothing easy about the Bulldogs’ path to the Final Four. Can they win multiple games that will likely played at the opponents tempo?

3.      Louisville Cardinals (Midwest Region)

The odds aren’t really on their side as just five of the nine No. 1 overall seeds have reached the Final Four and only two have won the national title, but despite a loaded region, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Cardinals reach Atlanta. Louisville has an excellent defense, and while occasional offensive slumps can cause issues, the Cardinals can grind out games as well as any team around. Two of the regions other top seeds Michigan State and St. Louis play a similar defensive-minded style so Louisville doesn’t really need to worry about bringing its best offensive game in order to win. Meanwhile, the Cardinals nearly beat the No. 2 seed Duke in the regular season despite missing their best post defender in Gorgui Dieng. A healthy Louisville team can navigate this region.

4.      Indiana Hoosiers (East Region)

Although there were some bumps in the road, the Hoosiers opened the year as the No. 1 team and spent a lot of time at the top during the year. They aren’t the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, but it’s tough to argue that there is any team in the country with more talent than the Hoosiers, especially on the offensive end. Indiana reminds me a lot of Tyler Hansbrough’s North Carolina team and Emeka Okafor’s Connecticut team that both underwhelmed a bit during the regular season but ended up doing what everyone expected at the start of the year and won the national title. Looking at their region, the Hoosiers could get all they can handle from a very talented but underachieving North Carolina State team in their second game. However, it should be smooth sailing from there in a region loaded with teams that don’t have the physicality to slow down the high-powered Indiana offense.

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