With the curtains raised and arenas lit up, the country is entering the March Madness in full force. However, with multiple formidable teams that have repeatedly shown their potential, which one would make it to the top? Apart from the rest of the field of 68, the top seeds in every region are garnering more attention to themselves. These include North Carolina in the West, Houston in the South, UConn in the East, and Purdue in the Midwest.

While the Huskies are the only conference winners amongst the rest of the three top seeds, a smooth path for the defending champions is not a surety in the horoscopes. Let us look at the paths of these four robust teams that will ultimately define their standing in the NCAA Division I men’s basketball.

Purdue leading the marks for the Midwest in March Madness

Zach Edey’s Purdue finished its conference run with an upsetting semifinal. While they did not get an automatic bid, their 29-4 run certainly did the magic and brought the No. 1 seed. The Midwest table toppers will begin their shot at the March Madness on Friday in Indianapolis. They will match up against Montana St. or Grambling from the First Four. Upon getting the desired results, the offensive-forward team will go against either Utah or TCU.

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Once past them, the atmosphere will get warm as the Boilermakers play either Gonzaga (5) or Kansas (4.) If Matt Painter could guide his team accordingly and reach the Elite Eight, he will have to strategize an unbreakable game plan as Tennessee (2) or Creighton (3) will give them a scare. Both the teams have come a long way with similar records on their cards. Moving to the Final Four will mean that Purdue has reigned over its region. Without a doubt, a much-formed team of the Boilermakers plan to go beyond their last year’s unsuccessful run in the March Madness which ended in the very first round against Fairleigh Dickinson.

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However, moving to the Final Four, the Boilermakers will battle against the South region champion.

The Cougars will have a rocky road in the South

The South region might be one of the toughest of all regions with some top-tier teams fighting each other just to reach both the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight. Houston, the No. 1 KenPom efficiency ranker, will have an early battle-worthy fight with Longwood. Despite their 16th seed in the bracket, the Lancers are the Big South champs while the Cougars are not. The First Round will be in Memphis, Tennessee on Thursday.

On a successful game, the Cougars will advance to the Second Round against Nebraska (8) or Texas A&M (9). The road ahead of this will be surely a tough one for Houston, probably bidding them an adieu. Apparently, they are going to lock their horns with Duke (4) in Sweet Sixteen. While they may no longer have Coach K, they are still showing signs of a great team. If they reach the Elite Eight, the Cougars will be welcomed by either Kentucky (3) or Marquette (2.)

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All the aforementioned teams had an incredible run in the regular season and can be harmful to Houston’s goal. On the other side of the bracket stands North Carolina for the West region.

North Carolina becomes the No. 1 seed in the West

Edging past the two teams that most believed would get the No. 1 seed, North Carolina grabbed the ticket much quicker than Arizona and Baylor. According to the NCAA DI men’s basketball committee chair head Charles McClelland, “There was a lot of discussion, but overall, North Carolina had a magnificent season.” Undeniably, with the 27-7 win-loss record and boasting rights over Duke, North Carolina deserves a good seed. In fact, they even became the regular season champions this year.

The Tar Heels will begin their summit on Thursday in Spokane, Washington, Their first game will be against the winner of the First Four between Howard and Wagner. Past the win, they will go against Michigan State (9) or Mississippi (8) in the second round. Their Sweet Sixteen matchup will include either the underdogs St. Mary’s (5) or Alabama (4.) If they happen to advance, North Carolina will have a challenging game against either Arizona (2) or Baylor (3) in the Elite Eight.

While they will have to completely increase their competitiveness to enter the Final Four, if they do, they will face the defending champions and probable East region champions– the UConn Huskies.

What do the defending champs have in their cards this March Madness?

It is a possibility that the East region is not as tough as it could have been. The defending champions may get to the higher routes and win a consecutive National championship ring after 2007. They will begin their section of March Madness on Friday against Stetson in Barclays Center, Brooklyn. The Huskies will move to their second round against Florida Atlantic (8) or Northwestern (9.) Past them stands San Diego (5) or Auburn (4) which may give UConn a run for their money.

But if they do knock the Sweet Sixteen rivals out, they will enter the Elite Eight to face either Illinois 93) or Iowa State (2.) As the only conference champions in the list of No. 1 seeds, UConn has the potential and mentality to leave its competitors behind to reach the trophy once again.

But when it comes to the question of who will have the easiest route of all, it is fair to say that the East is the safest of all. With only Iowa St. or Illinois standing in the final window for UConn, seems like their sixth trophy may not be a tough-to-catch dream after all. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen what the future will hold for them all.

Which team are you rooting for this March Madness?

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