Everything to know about the No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament, in 5 minutes

Duke, Gonzaga, North Carolina and Virginia all earned top-seeds.

The top seeds for the 2019 NCAA tournament are set, and the field look very different to last year. The ACC secured three No. 1 seeds with Duke, Virginia and North Carolina all getting top bids, along with Gonzaga who steamrolled through the WCC en route to a No. 1 ranking to end the regular season.

Whether you’re looking to fill out a bracket or just learn a little more about these teams, we’ve got you covered.

Duke

At this point you probably know that this team orbits around Zion Williamson. It’s unfair to distill any team to one player, but here we are. With Zion they’re championship caliber, without him ... we saw what happened.

Zion is back after his infamous shoe blowout, which takes pressure of Duke’s two other astounding stars, T.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish. This could be the most talented trio in Duke history, with all three possible Top 5 picks in the NBA Draft this Summer.

Now the Blue Devils will bring their ferocious man-to-man defense to the NCAA tournament, and with Zion back in the lineup they’ll be a can’t-miss team.

Gonzaga

The Zags entering the tournament a relative-unknown has become par-for-the-course over the years, but 2019 could mark their return to the Final Four for the second time in team history.

The Bulldogs have multiple stars led by Rui Hachimura and Brandon Clarke, and proved this season they mean business. The WCC proved to be no problem for Gonzaga this season, up until the conference final, when they were shocked by St. Mary’s.

It’s easy to write of Gonzaga as receiving the benefit of playing a softer schedule, but remember this: They were the only team to beat Duke at full strength this season when they won in the Maui Invitational.

North Carolina

Arguably the most fun to watch of the top seeds this season. Of the four UNC plays the most up-tempo style of basketball, led by seniors Cam Johnson and Luke Maye, with a solid rotation of veteran and younger players that gives the team balance.

Johnson and Maye will lead the charge, but it’s freshman point guard Coby White who could turn the most heads during the NCAA Tournament. His playstyle evokes a young Gilbert Arenas, with a knack for scoring — even though he can be somewhat of a streaky shooter.

Virginia

If you’ve seen Virginia play the last few seasons you know what you’re going to get. They will play slow, deliberately and grind out wins with their elite defense.

This year is a little different though. The 2018-19 version of the team might have the best offense Virginia has seen under head coach Tony Bennett. Ty Jerome, Kyle Guy, and projected lotto pick De’Andre Hunter form an excellent perimeter trio, while Virginia maintained its identity in the paint with Mamadi Diakite swatting away anything in his zip code by averaging 1.5 blocks a game this season.

They might not be the most traditionally “fun” team in the tournament, but if you’re a basketball purist who loves watching defense then you’re in for a treat.

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