An exercise in bracketology

March Madness is right around the corner and the coveted No. 1 seeds are still up for grabs. Right now there are several teams that could end up a No. 1. If the season ended today, here are the sports editors’ picks for their No. 1 seeds.

Jerome’s Picks

No. 1 seeds listed in overall ranking:

1. Connecticut – East Regional (Boston)
2. North Carolina – South Regional (Memphis, Tenn.)
3. Pittsburgh – Midwest Regional (Indianapolis, Ind.)
4. Oklahoma – West Regional (Glendale, Ariz.)

Explanation of rank:

1. Connecticut – The reason Connecticut is the top overall seed is simple. The Huskies are the best team in the toughest conference. Pittsburgh would argue that point but the Panthers’ loss to Providence eliminates them. The Huskies still need to prove they are the best in the Big East by defeating Pitt in the season finale. If they can avenge their loss to the Panthers, they will be a lock for a No. 1 seed.

2. North Carolina – The Tar Heels are the best team in the second-best conference. North Carolina’s best wins included blowout victories against Michigan State and Duke, two top-10 teams. If the Tar Heels can defeat Duke again in their season finale and win the ACC tournament, they could end up being the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

3. Pittsburgh – After beating down Connecticut last week, the Panthers looked like the best team in the nation. Then they inexplicably lost to Providence. Despite that, the Panthers still could win the Big East regular-season title. The trio of DeJuan Blair, Levance Fields and Sam Young needs to defeat Connecticut again in the season finale to regain their claim as the best team in the nation.

4. Oklahoma – The Sooners lost to Kansas this past Monday, but I am going to let that slide a bit since they played without Blake Griffin. Oklahoma needs to win its last three regular-season games and win the Big 12 tournament to keep this seed. The Sooners’ loss to Kansas opened the door for teams like Memphis, Michigan State, Louisville and Duke to get the last No. 1 seed.

Taylor’s Picks

No. 1 seeds listed in overall ranking:

1. North Carolina – South Regional (Memphis, Tenn.)
2. Pittsburgh – Midwest Regional (Indianapolis, Ind.)
3. Memphis – West Regional (Glendale, Ariz.)
4. Connecticut – East Regional (Boston)

Explanation of rank:

1. North Carolina – The Tar Heels are the nation’s best basketball team. They go eight or nine deep off the bench and have Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson, which means they are not missing much of anything. Not to mention Wayne Ellington and Danny Green can flat out shoot it from the perimeter. They will get a one-seed in Memphis and won’t have to play outside of the state of North Carolina until the Sweet 16.

2. Pittsburgh – The Panthers are tough inside with Sam Young and DeJuan Blair. Levance Fields provides nice balance with incredible point guard play. Jaime Dixon is a young coach, but he has proven he can win in March. Plus, Pitt as been dragged through the Big East, so you know they are tough.

3. Memphis – I have to admit, the Tigers really surprised me. After an exceptional run to the national championship, Memphis will make it back to March Madness as a one-seed. Tyreke Evans is quite possibly the top freshman in all the land and Robert Dozier bulldozes people inside. John Calipari has done an unbelievable job yet again.

4. Connecticut – Hasheem Thabeet inside is a beast. Jim Calhoun is an absolute winner. So UConn, despite the loss of Jerome Dyson, will get through the Big East tourney and even though they won’t win it, they will earn a one-seed. And if they are playing in Boston, the Huskies will pretty much have home-court advantage.