There's a change on the No. 1 seed line in March Madness correspondent Andy Katz's latest NCAA tournament bracket predictions. In addition to Gonzaga and Baylor, there are still two Big Ten teams that are projected No. 1 seeds, except Illinois replaced Ohio State. The Wolverines also leap-frogged the Bears, becoming the second No. 1 seed, after Gonzaga, with Baylor and Illinois as the third and fourth No. 1 seeds, respectively.
Katz's latest predictions reflect the games played through Sunday, Feb. 28 (before Rutgers and St. Bonaventure lost Monday). Katz will make bracket projections next Monday and on Selection Sunday, which is March 14. He got 67 of the 68 teams correct in his final prediction before Selection Sunday in 2019.
FILL IT OUT: Get a printable 2021 NCAA bracket here
Here is where Katz projects this year's tournament field based on games through Feb. 28 (Tap or click here to open the bracket in a new window.)
The 2021 March Madness bracket, predicted by Andy Katz on Feb. 28.
And here's that same bracket in table form.
| 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gonzaga | Illinois | Michigan | Baylor |
| 16 | Prairie View/North Carolina A&T | Texas State/Bryant | James Madison | Cleveland State |
| 2 | Iowa | Alabama | West Virginia | Ohio State |
| 15 | South Dakota State | Siena | Grand Canyon | UMBC |
| 3 | Florida State | Kansas | Houston | Villanova |
| 14 | Eastern Washington | Liberty | Navy | Abilene Christian |
| 4 | Oklahoma | Texas Tech | Arkansas | Purdue |
| 13 | Belmont | UNC Greensboro | UC Santa Barbara | Winthrop |
| 5 | USC | Creighton | Texas | Oklahoma State |
| 12 | Seton Hall/Drake | Wichita State | Toledo | Western Kentucky |
| 6 | Colorado | Maryland | Wisconsin | Clemson |
| 11 | Michigan State/Boise State | Georgia Tech | St. Bonaventure | VCU |
| 7 | UCLA | Virginia Tech | Virginia | Missouri |
| 10 | Louisville | UConn | LSU | North Carolina |
| 8 | Tennessee | BYU | Florida | Rutgers |
| 9 | San Diego State | Loyola Chicago | Oregon | Xavier |
Let's take a closer look at Katz's bracket.
Gonzaga, Michigan, Baylor and Illinois are the No. 1 seeds
Compared to Katz's previous bracket predictions, three of the four No. 1 seeds are different in terms of which school is in which position, in relation to the 68-team, overall seed list. The only constant was Gonzaga remaining as the No. 1 overall seed. Michigan passed Baylor to become the second No. 1 seed, with the Bears at No. 3 overall on the 68-team list. Then, Illinois replaced Big Ten foe Ohio State as the fourth No. 1 seed.
The changes coincide with Michigan passing Baylor in the AP poll to reach the No. 2 overall ranking, with the Bears at No. 3, and Illinois climbing to No. 4.
Gonzaga, Michigan and Baylor are also the top three teams in the NET rankings, as of March 1.
If those predicted seeds are to hold, then the Big Ten could join an exclusive club of conferences that had multiple No. 1 seeds in the same NCAA tournament. Meanwhile, Gonzaga is attempting to take an undefeated record into Selection Sunday.
Recent national champions in an unusual position
Duke and North Carolina combined to win three national championships last decade and the Tar Heels were the national runners-up in 2016, so the two Tobacco Road rivals combined to appear in 40 percent of the championship games from 2010 through 2019.
In Katz's latest predicted bracket for 2021, North Carolina is projected to make the field as a No. 10 seed. Duke is not in the projected field.
Kentucky, which won the 2012 national championship and lost in the 2014 national championship, isn't in the tournament picture for Katz. Michigan State, which has made every NCAA tournament since 1998 and which is the last Big Ten team to win the national championship, is a No. 11 seed in Katz's latest projected tournament field.
Here's Katz's full field of 68:
| RANK | SEED | TEAM | CONFERENCE |
|---|
| 1. 1 -- Gonzaga | WCC (AQ) |
| 2. 1 -- Michigan | Big Ten (AQ) |
| 3. 1 -- Baylor | Big 12 (AQ) |
| 4. 1 -- Illinois | Big Ten |
| 5. 2 -- Ohio State | Big Ten |
| 6. 2 -- Alabama | SEC (AQ) |
| 7. 2 -- Iowa | Big Ten |
| 8. 2 -- West Virginia | Big 12 |
| 9. 3 -- Florida State | ACC (AQ) |
| 10. 3 -- Kansas | Big 12 |
| 11. 3 -- Houston | American (AQ) |
| 12. 3 -- Villanova | Big East (AQ) |
| 13. 4 -- Arkansas | SEC |
| 14. 4 -- Oklahoma | Big 12 |
| 15. 4 -- Texas Tech | Big 12 |
| 16. 4 -- Purdue | Big Ten |
| 17. 5 -- Texas | Big 12 |
| 18. 5 -- USC | Pac-12 (AQ) |
| 19. 5 -- Creighton | Big East |
| 20. 5 -- Oklahoma State | Big 12 |
| 21. 6 -- Clemson | ACC |
| 22. 6 -- Colorado | Pac-12 |
| 23. 6 -- Maryland | Big Ten |
| 24. 6 -- Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| 25. 7 -- Virginia | ACC |
| 26. 7 -- UCLA | Pac-12 |
| 27. 7 -- Virginia Tech | ACC |
| 28. 7 -- Missouri | SEC |
| 29. 8 -- Rutgers | Big Ten |
| 30. 8 -- Tennessee | SEC |
| 31. 8 -- BYU | WCC |
| 32. 8 -- Florida | SEC |
| 33. 9 -- San Diego State | Mountain West |
| 34. 9 -- Oregon | Pac-12 |
| 35. 9 -- Xavier | Big East | SEC |
| 36. 9 -- Loyola Chicago | Missouri Valley (AQ) |
| 37. 10 -- LSU |SEC |
| 38. 10 -- UConn | Big East |
| 39. 10 -- North Carolina | ACC |
| 40. 10 -- Louisville | ACC |
| 41. 11 -- St. Bonaventure | Atlantic 10 (AQ) |
| 42. 11 -- Georgia Tech | ACC |
| 43. 11 -- VCU | Atlantic 10 |
| 44. 11 -- Michigan State | Big Ten |
| 45. 11 -- Boise State | Mountain West |
| 46. 11 -- Seton Hall | Big East |
| 47. 12 -- Drake | Missouri Valley |
| 48. 12 -- Wichita State | American (AQ) |
| 49. 12 -- Western Kentucky | C-USA (AQ) |
| 50. 12 -- Toledo | MAC (AQ) |
| 51. 13 -- Belmont | OVC (AQ) |
| 52. 13 -- UC Santa Barbara | Big West (AQ) |
| 53. 13 -- Winthrop | Big South (AQ) |
| 54. 13 -- UNC Greensboro | Southern (AQ) |
| 55. 14 -- Liberty | ASUN (AQ) |
| 56. 14 -- Abilene Christian | Southland (AQ) |
| 57. 14 -- Navy | Patriot (AQ) |
| 58. 14 -- Eastern Washington | Big Sky (AQ) |
| 59. 15 -- South Dakota State | Summit (AQ) |
| 60. 15 -- Grand Canyon | WAC (AQ) |
| 61. 15 -- UMBC | America East (AQ) |
| 62. 15 -- Siena | MAAC (AQ) |
| 63. 16 -- Cleveland State | Horizon (AQ) |
| 64. 16 -- James Madison | CAA (AQ) |
| 65. 16 -- Texas State | Sun Belt (AQ) |
| 66. 16 -- Bryant | NEC (AQ) |
| 67. 16 -- Prairie View A&M | SWAC (AQ) |
| 68. 16 -- North Carolina A&T | MEAC (AQ) |
Here's the schedule for this season's tournament:
Brackets: Andy Katz's latest March Madness bracket predictions
