Xavier earned its first No. 1 seed in school history, but the challenges will come early for the Musketeers, who could face a challenge as early as their second game from Missouri and potential NBA No. 1 pick Michael Porter Jr. Down the road the Musketeers face possible matchups with North Caroiina, Michigan or Gonzaga.

NCAA bracket: West region

No. 1 seed Xavier's earliest threat

No. 8 Missouri: Assuming the Tigers get past Florida State in their first game, they could give Xavier a real headache in the Round of 32, with talented 6-10 freshman Michael Porter Jr. an all-around threat.

The most eye-popping stat

14: Number of Quadrant One victories by the North Carolina Tar Heels this season, more than any team in the tournament.

The most overrated seed

No. 5 Ohio State: The Buckeyes were a lackluster 3-5 against Q1 teams, and 8-6 on the road this season. They finished the season on a down note, losing three of their last five. Most inexplicably, they lost three times to Penn State this season, a team that will be watching the NCAA Tournament at home. You can argue this is where the Buckeyes belong based on their metrics, but they don't feel like a team ready to make a big run.

The most dangerous sleeper

No. 8 Missouri: Freshman Michael Porter Jr. was rusty in his first game back from a back injury that cost him all but two minutes of the regular season, scoring only eight points (5-of-17 shooting) in a loss to Georgia in the SEC Tournament. But the 6-10 forward is heralded as a potential No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, and can cause nightmare mismatches for opponents. Without Porter, the Tigers were up and down, bracketing a five-game winning streak that ended in mid-February with three-game losing streaks. If the Tigers can get through their first tournament game against No. 9 seed Florida State to give Porter some more court time, watch out. It's not out of the question they could make the Elite Eight.

The first-round upset alert

No. 10 Providence: Critics scoff at Providence’s lackluster 5-8 mark against Q1 teams, but three of those five wins came against No. 1 seeds in the tournament; two against Xavier, including in the Big East Tournament, and one against Villanova. And then the Friars took Villanova to overtime in the Big East championship game before losing. That shows what the Friars are capable of when they’re playing well.

The Final Four pick

No. 2 North Carolina: Roy Williams and the Tar Heels excel at tournament time. Their top five scorers are all veterans of the national championship team from last year and the runner-up team from the year before, so they know what to expect. While leading scorer Luke Maye (17.2 ppg) and Joel Berry II (17.1 ppg) get most of the attention, the man who can make the Tar Heels in the tournament is vastly underrated senior forward Theo Pinson (10.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 4.8 apg). Whether he's knocking down a key 3-pointer, or diving on the floor for a loose ball to start a fast break, Pinson seems to be everywhere at times.