2024 NCAA Tournament Bracket Watch: North Carolina will be the fourth No. 1 seed

(Editor’s note: This is part of the Bracket Central Series, an inside look at the run-up to the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments, along with analysis and picks during the tournaments.)

It only took until the day before Selection Sunday, but finally we can say for sure who the top eight seeds will be in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

With Tennessee and Arizona losing on Saturday and North Carolina advancing to the ACC tournament, the Tar Heels will join Purdue, Houston and UConn on the top line. The only minor intrigue left there is whether Houston passes Purdue for the No. 1 overall seed.

Tennessee and Arizona will be on the No. 2 line, along with Marquette and Iowa State. The Cyclones beat Baylor to reach the Big 12 title game and have more than made up for a lackluster nonconference slate, while Marquette got to the Big East final without All-America point guard Tyler Kolek. Given the Golden Eagles’ impressive resume and insistence that Kolek will be back next week, a No. 2 seed is in order.

Clarity comes at the top, and the bubble continues to come into focus as well. Mississippi State and Texas A&M locked up spots by beating Tennessee and Kentucky, respectively. New Mexico beat Colorado State in the Mountain West semis and should be safely in. Colorado finally gets over the hump on our bracket by beating Washington State in the Pac-12 semifinals — the Buffaloes’ first win over a team in the field away from home — and are now their league’s projected auto bid winner. They can end all doubt by beating Oregon in the Pac-12 title game on Saturday. If the Ducks win, though, they’ll steal a bid. Maybe … Colorado’s bid. Madness!

Somebody had to exit the field to make room for the Buffs, and we think it’s Seton Hall. With others moving up after big wins, that puts the Pirates’ shaky resume in stark relief. We don’t think Virginia should feel 100 percent confident either, and even St. John’s, at 3-10 in Quad 1, has some reason to be nervous — and to cheer against Oregon and NC State in Saturday’s title games.

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(Photo of Marquette’s Kam Jones: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)