:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63265040/usa_today_12343177.0.jpg)
Now that the bracket has been released, college basketball pundits from the national media have begun predicting their champions and Final Four participants.
Of 30 brackets chosen, four experts predict the Virginia Cavaliers to win it all. Duke received the most picks with 19, with Gonzaga, UNC, Kentucky, and Michigan picking up votes as well. As for the Final Four representative from the South Regional, only 13 of the 30 experts chose No. 1 seed UVA, compared to 15 for No. 2 seed Tennessee and two for No. 6 seed and defending champion Villanova. As to be expected, the other #1 seeds were chosen to make the Final Four by more of the experts.
While ESPN announced their top line picks over the air, other sites, like Sports Illustrated, CBS, and USA Today released full brackets. Below is a chart of the expert picks:
Final Four Expert Picks
| Expert | Site | Champion | Runner-Up | South Winner | West Winner | East Winner | Midwest Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expert | Site | Champion | Runner-Up | South Winner | West Winner | East Winner | Midwest Winner |
| Kyle Boone | CBS | Duke | Kentucky | Tennessee | Gonzaga | Duke | Kentucky |
| Dennis Dodd | CBS | Gonzaga | Kentucky | Virginia | Gonzaga | Michigan St | Kentucky |
| Josh Nagel | CBS | Virginia | Gonzaga | Virginia | Gonzaga | Michigan St | Kentucky |
| Matt Norlander | CBS | Virginia | Gonzaga | Virginia | Gonzaga | Michigan St | North Carolina |
| Jerry Palm | CBS | Duke | Tennessee | Tennessee | Gonzaga | Duke | Kentucky |
| Gary Parrish | CBS | Duke | North Carolina | Tennessee | Gonzaga | Duke | North Carolina |
| Chip Patterson | CBS | Duke | Kentucky | Villanova | Texas Tech | Duke | Kentucky |
| Jay Bilas | ESPN | North Carolina | Duke | Virginia | Michigan | Duke | North Carolina |
| Rece Davis | ESPN | Duke | North Carolina | Tennessee | Gonzaga | Duke | North Carolina |
| Seth Greenberg | ESPN | Duke | Kentucky | Virginia | Texas Tech | Duke | Kentucky |
| Dick Vitale | ESPN | Duke | Tennessee | Tennessee | Gonzaga | Duke | Kentucky |
| Jay Williams | ESPN | Kentucky | Duke | Tennessee | Gonzaga | Duke | Kentucky |
| Rob Dauster | NBC | Duke | North Carolina | Virginia | Texas Tech | Duke | North Carolina |
| Travis Hines | NBC | Duke | Virginia | Virginia | Gonzaga | Duke | Kentucky |
| Raphielle Johnson | NBC | Duke | Tennessee | Tennessee | Michigan | Duke | North Carolina |
| Scott Phillips | NBC | Duke | Kentucky | Virginia | Gonzaga | Duke | Kentucky |
| Andy Katz | NCAA | Gonzaga | Tennessee | Tennessee | Gonzaga | Michigan St | North Carolina |
| Ricky O'Donnell | SB Nation | Duke | Kentucky | Virginia | Gonzaga | Duke | Kentucky |
| Michael Beller | Sports Illustrated | North Carolina | Duke | Tennessee | Michigan | Duke | North Carolina |
| Emily Caron | Sports Illustrated | Virginia | Michigan | Virginia | Michigan | Duke | Kentucky |
| Molly Geary | Sports Illustrated | Gonzaga | North Carolina | Tennessee | Gonzaga | Duke | North Carolina |
| Dan Greene | Sports Illustrated | Duke | North Carolina | Tennessee | Michigan | Duke | North Carolina |
| Max Meyer | Sports Illustrated | Duke | Kentucky | Virginia | Gonzaga | Duke | Kentucky |
| Michael Shapiro | Sports Illustrated | Duke | North Carolina | Tennessee | Texas Tech | Duke | North Carolina |
| Eric Single | Sports Illustrated | Virginia | Texas Tech | Virginia | Texas Tech | Duke | Houston |
| Josiah Turner | Sports Illustrated | Duke | North Carolina | Villanova | FSU | Duke | North Carolina |
| Jeremy Woo | Sports Illustrated | Michigan | North Carolina | Tennessee | Michigan | Duke | North Carolina |
| Bill Bender | Sporting News | Duke | North Carolina | Tennessee | Michigan | Duke | North Carolina |
| Scott Gleeson | USA Today | Duke | Kentucky | Virginia | Texas Tech | Duke | Kentucky |
| Shelby Mast | USA Today | Duke | North Carolina | Tennessee | Gonzaga | Duke | North Carolina |
Virginia will first have to get past 16-seed Gardner-Webb, which will tip off Friday around 3:15 pm. The game will be aired on truTV.