Basketball Brunch: Forecasting three unexpected Final Four teams

THE FIRST WORD: Trying to predict which teams will make the Final Four in early February is never easy. Like most years, there are obvious contenders — Kentucky, Virginia, Wisconsin. But the last several Final Fours have featured an unexpected team (Connecticut last season, Wichita State in 2013).

Considering the unpredictability of March Madness, here's a look at some teams we know are good but that aren't yet considered Final Four good yet.

1. Gonzaga (24-1). The 'Zags are positioned to snag a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. All they have to do is not lose in West Coast Conference play until Selection Sunday. Piece of cake, right? Despite being the No. 2 team in the country, the Bulldogs won't get major Final Four hype because we've seen this story line before: Gifted Gonzaga team in the regular season that isn't equipped quite enough to break through in the postseason. After all, Gonzaga has reached 16 consecutive NCAA tournaments yet hasn't gone past the Elite Eight (in 1999).

• Why they'll get there: Depth. Mark Few wouldn't admit it at the beginning of the season, but this is one of his best teams. They have a veteran backcourt (a key ingredient to any deep NCAA run) in Kevin Pangos, Gary Bell Jr. and Byron Wesley. They have a multidimensional leading scorer in Kyle Wiltjer and two dominating big men in Przemek Karnowski and Domantas Sabonis.

2. Northern Iowa (22-2). Of all the mid-majors with Final Four potential, the Panthers jump out. They beat Wichita State by 16 points on Jan. 31 and have the weaponry to stage a Shockers-esque run in the NCAA tournament. Skeptics will point to the level of competition in the Missouri Valley to downgrade this team's strength, but that's ignoring how good the Panthers really are.

• Why they'll get there: This is an extremely experienced team. Almost all the mid-majors who put on the glass slipper have that ingredient. They can reach the Final Four because they'll play smart basketball and have a chip on their shoulders. The depth and balance (eight players average at least five points a game) also is big. And big man Seth Tuttle (15.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg) will be a March star.

3. Utah (18-4). The Utes are similar to Virginia last season: Strong team that's stepped out of mediocrity but has an unsure ceiling. Given the right matchups, Utah could go all the way to the Final Four. Back-to-back road demolitions of Pac-12 foes (28-point rout of Southern California Feb. 1 and 28-point rout of Colorado on Saturday) show what the Utes can do. A rematch with league leader Arizona (at home this time) will be a great barometer.

• Why they'll get there: Delon Wright is an NBA guard playing an NCAA game and his takeover abilities will further come to life during March. That, and this team plays exceptionally well together on both sides of the floor, shooting the ball at 50% and while limiting opponents to 56 points a game.

BRACKETOLOGY: Paste BN Sports bracketologist Shelby Mast provides daily updates on the projected field of 68. Here's a look at the shakeups after a jam-packed Saturday.

TWEET THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES: Virginia escaped with a pivotal 52-47 victory against Louisville on Saturday, but was hit with a tough loss in the process. No. 2 scorer Justin Anderson will miss 4-6 weeks with a broken finger on his left hand, which could be a costly loss for a team with one loss and well positioned to claim a No. 1 seed.

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THE HIGHLIGHT REEL: Willie Cauley-Stein has been earning player of the year consideration despite modest statistics, perhaps because he affects the game in a multitude of ways that don't show up in the score sheet. This posterization dunk in Kentucky's 68-61 victory at Florida speaks louder than any stat.

MR. BIG SHOT: St. Bonaventure's Marcus Posley made his second consecutive game-winning basket in leading the Bonnies to an upset 73-71 win against VCU. He had a game-winning lay-up to lead St. Bonaventure past Davidson, 62-61, last week.

STAR WATCH: Justise Winslow (19 points, 11 rebounds) and Jahlil Okafor (20 points, 10 rebounds) powered Duke to an impressive 90-60 revenge victory against Notre Dame.

— BYU's Kyle Collinsworth had 23 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in the Cougars' 87-68 victory against Loyola Marymount to record his fifth triple-double of the season. he's one shy of tying the all-time NCAA mark.

— Fred VanVleet also notched a triple double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in Wichita State's blowout 78-35 victory against Missouri State.

CONFERENCE RACE SPOTLIGHT: Conference USA. Louisiana Tech (9-2 in C-USA) beat Middle Tennessee 73-62 on Saturday to set up a three-way tie atop the league standings with Western Kentucky (9-2), who fell to to bottom-feeder Rice 72-68, and. UAB (9-2). UTEP (8-3) is right in the mix. Expect a fiesty battle in the regular season and conference tournament considering the automatic bid looks to be the only path to the NCAA tournament.

WINNERS, LOSERS: Saturday's victories that bolstered résumés and losses that stained them.

Winners

• Wisconsin: Defeated Northwestern 65-50 to gain a firmer grip on the Big Ten leaderboard.
• Illinois: Defeated Michigan State 59-54 to improve to 6-5 in the Big Ten and breathe life into the Illini's postseason hopes.
• Villanova: Defeated Georgetown 69-53 to take control of the Big East standings.
• Baylor: Defeated West Virginia 87-69 to improve to 6-4 in the heated Big 12 race and bulk up the résumé with a win against a ranked opponent
• Texas: Defeated Kansas State 61-57, a victory the Longhorns desperately needed.
• Harvard: Defeated Yale 52-50 on the road to jump into a tie for first in the Ivy League. There will be a rematch March 6, but on the Crimson's home court. The Ivy has no league tournament, so conference standings are all the more important.

Losers

• Arizona: Lost to Arizona State 81-78, a loss that could damage the Wildcats' aspirations for a No. 1 seed.
• Kansas: Lost to Oklahoma State 67-62, an upset loss that led to court-storming and weakens the Jayhawks' grip on the Big 12.
• VCU: Lost to St. Bonaventure 73-71 at the buzzer off a winning layup by Marcus Posley. Not a good look for the injury-depleted Rams in trying to fend off chasers in the Atlantic 10.
• Tulsa: Lost to SMU 68-57, the Golden Hurricanes' first AAC loss, which opens up the conference race.
• UCLA: Lost to California 64-62 on a late three-pointer. The loss snapped the Bruins' Bubble-lifting three-game winning streak.
• Seton Hall: Lost 57-54 to Marquette, a loss that drastically hurts the Pirates' NCAA tourney credentials and sets them back below .500 in the Big East standings.

ON DECK: The best matchups to watch Sunday. All times Eastern.

— Michigan at Indiana (1 p.m., CBS)

— Maryland at Iowa (3:15 p.m., Big Ten Network)

— Ohio State at Rutgers (5:30 p.m., Big Ten Network)

— San Diego State at Boise State (6 p.m., CBS Sports Network)