March Madness 2018: Seed Predictions For Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, More

North Carolina Duke basketball — North Carolina and Duke can improve their seeding in the NCAA Tournament by winning the ACC Championship. Pictured: Gary Trent Jr. #2 of the Duke Blue Devils goes after a loose ball against Luke Maye #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 3, 2018 in Durham, North Carolina. Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Plenty of teams are using championship week to build up their resume and find a way into the 2018 Tournament. The nation’s top college basketball programs that already know they’ll be a part of March Madness hope a successful conference tournament run can improve their seeding in the Big Dance.

Teams like Duke and Kansas, for instance, aren’t just locks to be in the field of 68. They are in the conversation to be among the No.1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, and winning their respective conference championships could solidify their spots atop one of the four regions.

Heading into Friday’s conference tournament games, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi listed Virginia, Villanova, Xavier and Kansas as the projected No.1 seeds. The Cavaliers rank atop both the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches polls, and they are essentially guaranteed to be the No.1 overall seed.

The Jayhawks have seven losses on the season and might need to win their conference tournament in order to sit atop any of the four regions. Otherwise, Duke could take their spot as one of the top seeds. The Blue Devils could add marquee victories over both Virginia and North Carolina on their way toward an ACC Championship.

The Tar Heels likely won’t be a No.1 seed after winning last year’s national title, though they’ve got a chance to impress the selection committee with potential wins over Duke and Virginia. Lunardi has North Carolina as a No.2 seed entering the semifinals of the ACC Tournament.

There are also questions regarding the seeding of teams like Kentucky and Michigan. Below are betting odds for where the top college basketball programs might be seeded in the NCAA Tournament, via BetDSI.

Kentucky Wildcats seed for 2018 NCAA Tournament

Over 4.5 (-130)

Under 4.5 (+100)

Kansas Jayhawks seed for 2018 NCAA Tournament

Over 1.5 (+650)

Under 1.5 (-1000)

Tennessee Volunteers seed for 2018 NCAA Tournament

Over 2.5 (-300)

Under 2.5 (+240)

North Carolina Tar Heels seed for 2018 NCAA Tournament

Over 2.5 (-200)

Under 2.5 (+160)