1. Kansas.The Jayhawks could have the easiest path to the Final Four, which doesn't seem to usually help them.

2. Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish will try to overcome a shaky recent history in the tournament.

3. Purdue. The No. 9 team in the country, the Boilermakers dropped their last two games of the season.

4. Louisville. The Cardinals, going for their ninth Final Four, are one of the best passing teams in the tournament.

5. Vanderbilt. Big, experienced and tough on defense, the Commodores have the makings of a team that can go deep.

6. Georgetown. The Hoyas are a weak rebounding team and have lost four in a row. Other than that, things look great.

7. Texas A&M. The Aggies finished poorly, but have won their first-round game five years in a row.

8. UNLV. Coach Lon Kruger will face his former employer in the first round.

9. Illinois. The Illini got in off the bubble after going 19-13 and collapsing in the Big Ten tournament.

10. Florida State. The Seminoles, the third-place finisher in the ACC, hope Dunwoody High's Chris Singleton can lead them.

11. USC. The Trojans, who'll play a First Four game, had a 10-8 conference record in a down year for the Pac-10.

11. VCU. Keep an eye on guard Bradford Burgess, who knocks down 40.1 percent of his 3-point tries.

12. Richmond. The Spiders, who have the makings of a bracket buster, got a rough draw in Vanderbilt.

13. Morehead State. Bracket makers must have enjoyed putting the Eagles against in-state Louisville.

14. St. Peter's. The Peacocks are the MAAC champion and the school is located in New Jersey. But you knew that already.

15. Akron. The Zips got in by winning the MAC tourney, needing two overtime games to do so.

16. Boston University. The America East champions have won 11 in a row but don't have a quality win to their credit.

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Houston County High School football players take the field for a region game against Coffee High School on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. This season, Houston County has outscored its opponents by an average of 26.9 points per game. (Courtesy of hocofootball.com)

Credit: HOCOFootball.com

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(Photo Illustration: Philip Robibero | Sources: Hyosub Shin for AJC, Unsplash)

Credit: Philip Robibero / AJC