Remember when Gonzaga was college basketball's Cinderella story? Heading into conference tournament play and March Madness, Mark Few's program boasts the top record in the nation behind balanced play from Nigel Williams-Goss, Przemek Karnowski and company. Will your 2017 NCAA Tournament bracket pencil the Bulldogs in all the way through to Phoenix and the Final Four?
While the rest of the 2017 FOX Sports / Sports Illustrated Bracket Challenge top-ranked squads look familiar with Kansas, defending-champs Villanova, North Carolina, and Kentucky all in the top 10, you must admit it's weird to see Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans owners of double-digit losses and outside the Top 25 in the polls and RPI/BPI rankings.
Per the new normal, it will be a challenge - but not impossible - for the top seeded squads to advance in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Five of Bill Self's Kansas Jayhawks regularly average 30-or-more minutes per game and are led by senior Frank Mason Jr.'s 20.5 points per game. UCLA's Lonzo Ball has helped lead the Bruins to their best title shot since Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook were in school. Two of Villanova's three losses have come to the Butler Bulldogs in 2017 as the Wildcats look to cut down the nets for the second year in a row.
As always, the WhatIfSports college basketball simulation engine will project game-by-game winners to help you fill out your 2017 brackets. You should also check out the most popular picks among Bracket Challenge entrants and follow the round-by-round action via BracketTrax.
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We've also put together a helpful Bracket Challenge cheat sheet for those in need of some office pool tips:
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