Heels make big push

North Carolina, leading the country’s deepest conference ( 13 of 15 Atlantic Coast Conference teams considered for NCAA tournament bids), has vaulted to one of the top four seeds in USA TODAY Sports’ bracketology.

Credit the Tar Heels’ leap to an impressive 24- point shellacking of once- ACC contender Virginia, which plummeted to a No. 5 seed from that loss.

Also credit it to Baylor’s downward spiral in February.

The Bears needed to buckle quite a bit to fall out of the No. 1seed realm, considering their eyepopping undefeated non- conference slate that features wins against Oregon and Louisville.

That said, they’ve lost four of six, including a really close loss to now likely Big 12 winner Kansas.

The Tar Heels have a top- five Ratings Percentage Index and top- 20 strength of schedule, and the only team hotter in the ACC might be Duke, which doesn’t have the same numbers, thanks to a January skid. — Shelby Mast

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE uLocks: Cincinnati. uProbable: Southern Methodist.

uBubble: N/ A.

ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE

uLocks: North Carolina, Duke, Florida State, Louisville, Virginia. uProbable: Notre Dame. uBubble: In for now — Virginia Tech, Miami ( Fla.), Syracuse, Clemson. Out for now — Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh.

ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE uLocks: N/ A. uProbable: N/ A. uBubble: Virginia Commonwealth, Dayton.

BIG EAST CONFERENCE

uLocks: Villanova, Creighton, Butler. uProbable: Xavier. uBubble: In for now — Marquette, Seton Hall. Out for now — Georgetown, Providence.

BIG TEN CONFERENCE

uLocks: Wisconsin, Purdue, Maryland.

uProbable: Northwestern, Minnesota.

uBubble: In for now — Michigan, Michigan State. Out for now — Indiana, Illinois, Penn State.

BIG 12 CONFERENCE

uLocks: Kansas, Baylor, West Virginia.

uProbable: Iowa State, Oklahoma State.

uBubble: In for now — TCU. Out for now — Kansas State, Texas Tech.

PAC- 12 CONFERENCE

uLocks: Arizona, Oregon, UCLA. uProbable: None. uBubble: In for now — Southern California, California.

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE uLocks: Florida, Kentucky. uProbable: South Carolina. uBubble: In for now — Arkansas, Tennessee. Out for now — Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Vanderbilt.

OTHERS * Assuming teams don’t win their smaller conference tournaments and secure the automatic bid. uLocks: N/ A. uProbable: N/ A. uBubble: In for now — Saint Mary’s. Out for now — Middle Tennessee State, Illinois State, Wichita State.

NO. 1 SEEDS Villanova; Kansas; Gonzaga; North Carolina

LAST FOUR IN Syracuse; Tennessee; Texas Christian; Clemson

FIRST FOUR OUT Kansas State; Georgia Tech; Wichita State; Georgetown