Who are the favorites heading into the NCAA Tournament?

Unlike previous seasons, there just aren't a ton of upper-echelon college basketball teams set to be major favorites heading into the NCAA Tournament.

As wide open of a field that we can remember, there are about a dozen teams with an opportunity to take home the hardware.

Fresh off a postseason tournament title in the Big 12, the Kansas Jayhawks enter as the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Joining them as top seeds are two ACC schools in North Carolina and Virginia. Meanwhile, the Oregon Ducks earned a surprise top seed out west.

These are among the top-10 favorites heading into the NCAA Tournament.

1. Kansas

The Jayhawks head into the tournament winners of 13 consecutive games after disposing of Baylor in the Big 12 title bout. They boast a darn good 10-3 record against top-25 teams, including road wins against Oklahoma, Texas and the aforementioned Bears. In a season that's been defined by major upsets within the top-10, Kansas has continued to hold its ground against the best the nation has to offer.

Clear favorites to earn the program's fourth national title, the primary reason for this, senior forward Perry Ellis, has been among the most consistently good front-line players in the nation. Not only is Ellis averaging 16.6 points while shooting 53 percent from the field, he's stepped it up recently. The likely first-round pick is averaging over 20 points in the four games since putting up a single-digit outing against Texas Tech late last month.

If Ellis can consistently provide somewhere near 20 points in the tourney, the Jayhawks are going to be incredibly hard to beat. It really is that simple.

The only major issue here is just how stacked the south region is. It includes two teams in Villanova and Miami that were in the running for top-two seeds until the final week of the regular season. In addition to this, a potential Sweet 16 outing against California could test Kansas big time.

2. North Carolina

The Tar Heels cemented their status a top title contender with a pretty awesome run to the ACC postseason title. Saturday's win against Virginia was North Carolina's second against a top-10 club this season, proving it can hang with the big boys.

With Brice Johnson's rebounding ability inside and Marcus Paige running the offense, North Carolina has two truly top-end players to rely on heading into the tourney.

The biggest key, especially in a east region that includes Xavier, West Virginia, Kentucky and Indiana, will be for the top-seeded Tar Heels to extend their scoring ability out to the perimeter. This has been an issue for the team as of late, and opponents are going to make sure they force North Carolina to hit from the outside.

3. Michigan State

With just seven games against top-25 competition this season, Michigan State's 29-5 record is somewhat soft. Heck, prior to the win against Maryland on Saturday, the Spartans had not defeated a top-25 team since handing the Terps a loss back on January 23rd.

Sunday's narrow win over Purdue to take home the Big 10 postseason tournament title was about as big as it gets. Unfortunately for Sparty, the selection committee robbed it of a top seed. Instead, Michigan State finds itself as the No. 2 seed in the midwest region.

This still gives the team a clear path to the Final 4 that could potentially include wins over Virginia, Utah and Iowa State. In reality, it's one of the easiest paths for any of the top-eight seeds in the tourney.

Not considered an elite-level team when the season started, Michigan State has ridden the outstanding all-around play of senior guard Denzel Valentine. A likely first-round pick come June, Valentine is averaging 19.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game this season.

What makes this Michigan State squad so dangerous is the players it boasts behind Valentine on the pecking order. After all, the guard averaged just 17.3 points in the Big 10 Tournament. That tells us a story of a squad that can lift him up when he's not putting up 25-plus points. This weekend's performance proved that to a T.

4. Xavier 

Here's another team that has performed extremely well against elite competition. Road wins against Michigan and Providence were nice. Though, it was that home victory against a then No. 1 ranked Villanova squad that put Xavier on the national map.

It came a couple weeks after a bad 14-point loss to Creighton. It also put the Musketeers in the conversation for a top seed. That game saw six different players go for double-figure points, including two off the bench.

While sophomore guard Trevon Bluiett leads the team in scoring at 15.5 per game, it's been this balanced offensive attack that's helped Xavier hang with the big boys. Six difference players are averaging over nine points per game.

Meanwhile, a 6-1 record against top-25 competition tells us a story of a team that's ready to compete at the highest level.

Look for this squad to go deep into the tourney, potentially earning a surprise trip to the Final 4. That's just how good Xavier is from top to bottom.

As the two seed in the east region, Xavier has a favorable early-tournament schedule that could include inferior Wisconsin and West Virginia squads in Round 3 and 4 respectively.

5. Virginia

Even after dropping to North Carolina in the conference final, Virginia heads into the tourney as a No. 1 seed. It boasts a 6-2 record against top-25 competition, including wins over Villanova, West Virginia, Miami (twice) and North Carolina.

Senior guard Malcolm Brogdon struggled a great deal in the aforementioned loss to the Tar Heels, shooting just 6-of-22 from the field. That came on the heels of him averaging 25 points in the tourney's first two games.

In short, the Cavaliers are going to need Brogdon to average 20-plus if they are going to go deep in the NCAA Tournament. If that happens, Virginia is going to be in a good position to earn a Final 4 spot.

The path obviously isn't going to be too easy as Virginia has to worry about Michigan State in the same region. But there is talent here for the Cavaliers to finish off a surprising season with a trip to Houston.

6. Oklahoma 

Buddy Hield's potential game winning shot in the Big 12 semifinals was called off as it came after the buzzer. This eliminated any hope for the Sooners to earn a top seed. Instead, they have to settle for a No. 2 seed out west.

But make no mistake about it, Oklahoma is one of the favorites to take home the hardware next month. With a ridiculous 13 games against top-25 competition this season, the Sooners are battle tested. Add in eight wins against said competition, and they have proven they can hang with the best.

It really is going to rest on the shooting prowess of Hield. The nation's best shooter, the senior guard is averaging 25.0 points while shooting a ridiculous 46 percent from three-point range. With that said, Hield scored just six points in Friday's loss to West Virginia. That's going to have to change if Oklahoma expects to live up to the hype this week.

Oklahoma boasts an 8-2 record when Hield goes for 30-plus points this season. This tells us a story of a team that relies a great deal on its All-American guard. If he performs at a high level, there are very few teams in the tourney that can hang with the Sooners.

7. Villanova

A loss to Seton Hall in the Big East tournament title game hurts Villanova's championship aspirations. They now boast a 3-4 record against top-25 teams with double-digit losses to Oklahoma and Virginia. That's not necessarily a good sign for the Wildcats.

The biggest key here will be the play of senior guard Ryan Arcidiacono behind the team's top two scorers, Josh Hart and Kris Jenkins. He scored just five points while shooting 2-of-10 from the field Saturday night against Seton Hall. Nova boasts a 9-1 record when Arcidiacono puts up 15-plus points on the season. That's not a coincidence.

In a stacked region that includes Kansas, Miami and California, it's not going to be easy for Nova to earn that trip to Houston. That's where both Hart and Jenkins come into play.

8. Indiana 

After winning the Big 10 regular season title, Indiana fell to a mediocre Michigan squad in the conference's postseason tourney. This has been an issue for Indiana all season, as five of its seven losses have come against unranked opponents.

This also makes the Hoosiers a prime candidate to be upset early in the NCAA Tournament. If that doesn't happen, and once Indiana starts playing top-end competition, anything is possible here.

With six players averaging eight-plus points, it's been a balanced attack by the Hoosiers. Though, there's little doubt senior guard Yogi Ferrell is the biggest key. The team's leading scorer has put up 15-plus points and five-plus assists 19 times this season. It's not a coincidence the Hoosiers boast an 18-1 record in those games. 

9. Oregon

A dominating 31-point win over a good Utah team in the conference tournament Saturday night was absolutely huge for Oregon. This earned them the No. 1 seed in the west region. It also gives the Ducks a clear path to the Final Four.

The recent success of freshman guard Tyler Dorsey has been the biggest key here. He averaged 19.7 points while shooting 50 percent from the field in the conference tournament. With three 20-plus point performances in his past eight games, Dorsey's game has picked up big time.

Add in the consistent scoring of Dillon Brooks in the front-line, and Oregon has the ability to get up and down the court with any team in the nation.

10. Duke 

As long as the defending champs are still alive, other teams have to take note. And while Duke had a mediocre regular season with nine losses, it did put up big wins against North Carolina, Indiana and Louisville.

More so than Brandon Ingram's swan song, the storyline heading into the tourney for the defending champs will be sophomore guard Grayson Allen. He made his name known around the nation in last year's run to the title and has taken that to a whole new level this season, averaging 21.6 points while shooting 42 percent from the field.

The fourth seed in the west region, Duke definitely has a path to the Sweet 16. And if it's able to hit lightning in a bottle like we saw last year, anything is possible here. That's magnified by the fact that this region boasts the worst No. 1 seed in the tournament in the form of the Oregon Ducks.