2015 NCAA Tournament Picks & Predictions: No. 1 Seed Most Likely to Lose First

2015 NCAA Tournament Picks & Predictions – No. 1 Seed Most Likely to Lose First: When filling out your NCAA tournament bracket, it is safe to say that you can ahead and push all four No. 1 seeds into the Round of 32. After all, there has never been a No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in the history NCAA tournament. That being said, even the top seeds cease to be a sure thing as soon as the Round of 64 is in the books. Keep in mind that all four top seeds have reached the Final Four only once, and three No. 1 seeds have reached the Final Four just three times. In other words, it is basically a guarantee that at least of one of the top seeds will be going down, and they will likely go down sooner rather than later.

2015 NCAA Tournament Picks and Predictions – No. 1 Seed Most Likely to Lose First

1. Villanova Wildcats (East Region)

On paper, it is tough to find a weakness with Villanova. They finished 32-2 and are an excellent passing and 3-point shooting team. They are solid on the defensive end, as well. However, there are legitimate questions as to just how stout the new Big East really is, and the Wildcats didn’t really have any statement wins out of conference. Meanwhile, Villanova is very thin up front after Daniel Ochefu, and the East Region is loaded with powerful big men, including Northern Iowa’s Seth Tuttle and Louisville’s Montrezl Harrell. By the way, Villanova could meet Northern Iowa or Louisville as early as the Sweet 16. Heck, even potential Round of 32 foe LSU has a pair of solid big men. The Wildcats could have issues in a region loaded with physical, defensive-minded teams.

2. Duke Blue Devils (South Region)

The Blue Devils bring an absolutely explosive offensive to the table, and they enter the NCAA tournament ranked fourth in the country in scoring and third in field goal percentage. Freshman Jhalil Okafor has been a dominant scorer in the post, but fellow freshmen Tyus Jones, who has been rock solid at the point, and Justise Winslow, who has elite length and athleticism on the wing, have further bolstered the team. Duke is 29-4 on the year, and two of those losses have come to a strong Notre Dame team. The main concern for Duke is the lack of intensity on the defensive end that showed up in losses to Miami and North Carolina State. The Blue Devils gave up and average of 88.5 points in those losses, and if they have a defensive lapse this time of year, they could be sent packing, especially in a South Region where six of the country’s 15-best scoring offenses reside.

3. Wisconsin Badgers (West Region)

You will be hard pressed to find a team that is more balanced and experienced than the 31-3 Badgers. Led by Wooden Award frontrunner Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin has six players that see significant minutes that were on last year’s Final Four team. Kaminsky is a versatile, polished scorer that can take a game over, but Wisconsin is also blessed with a pair of big, athletic wings in Sam Dekker and Nigel Hayes. Granted, a potential Elite Eight matchup with Arizona is brutal, but the Badgers did beat the Wildcats in a thriller to reach the Final Four last year. Meanwhile, it seems very unlikely that Wisconsin will be tripped up prior to the regional final.

4. Kentucky Wildcats (Midwest Region)

They roll into the NCAA tournament with a 34-0 record and a roster that boasts more overall size than all but one team in the NBA, and before you talk about the SEC being a weak conference, don’t forget that the Wildcats also beat four ranked teams in out-of-conference play, including three teams that are seeded fourth or higher in the NCAA tournament. More importantly, Kentucky is by far the most efficient team on the defensive end of the court, and even if the Wildcats struggle shooting the ball, they can still win against any opponent and can often win comfortably. Kentucky’s bench is better than the starting units for most teams, and when you throw in the fact that the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region is a Kansas team that the Wildcats smacked by 32 earlier in the year, it would be a major shock if they don’t at least reach Indianapolis.