Last year's No. 1 seed race was quite boring, but that isn't the case this year.
Last year's No. 1 seed race was quite boring, with four essential locks for top seeds squared away before the NCAA committee revealed the bracket to the country on Selection Sunday.
This year is much different, with a close battle between North Carolina, Tennessee and Gonzaga for the final two No. 1 seeds. Duke and Virginia are locks for top No. 1 seeds, with the Blue Devils' two wins over the Cavaliers the deciding factor in being the NCAA tournament's top overall seed. 1a) Duke: The Blue Devils were in jeopardy of falling to the No. 2 line for a brief period when Zion Williamson was recovering from a minor knee injury.
3a) North Carolina: The Tar Heels have the most losses and worst NET score of the No. 1 seeds but their 10 Quadrant 1 wins included two victories over Duke when Zion Williamson was hurt and a one-point loss in the ACC tourney semifinal with Williamson in the lineup. UNC's resume is helped by a Dec. 15 win over Gonzaga coupled with the third-best strength of schedule.
4a) Tennessee: A close call for the committee, the Volunteers get the nod over Gonzaga based more Quad 1 wins that included Saturday's SEC tournament semifinal victory over a great Kentucky team. If the Vols don't beat Auburn in the SEC final Sunday, there's room to fall to the No. 2 line.
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