The arrival of March Madness 2023 means millions of people will be watching college basketball for the first time all year. Most viewers who fill out an NCAA Tournament bracket don't know much about the teams involved, but you can still win your March Madness pool with a basic understanding of the bracket and the top contenders.

There are different places to find a printable bracket for your March Madness 2023 pool (click here for your printable document), but each NCAA Tournament bracket has the same layout. March Madness starts with 68 college basketball teams. The field is cut to 64 schools for the first round, and half of the teams are eliminated each round.

The No. 1 seeds are considered to be the best teams in each region. They are supposed to have the easiest paths to the Final Four, based on their potential opponents throughout the bracket.

Alabama, Houston, Kansas and Purdue are seeded atop the four regions. They are the safest choices to reach the Final Four when filling out your March Madness bracket. Correctly picking the NCAA Tournament champion is an important part of trying to win your pool as maximum points are awarded in the final game.

The NCAA's Selection Committee awarded Alabama the top overall seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The Crimson Tide is 29-5 overall and the SEC champions. Brandon Miller is projected to be the first college basketball player picked in this year's NBA Draft.

Miller and the Alabama program have been at the center of controversy during their rise to the top of the sport. The freshman was accused of bringing a gun to former teammate Darius Miles on the night the weapon to allegedly kill a woman. The gun belonged to Miles, who allegedly texted Miller with a request to bring him the weapon.

Houston is 31-4 after coming up short in the AAC Championship Game. Cougars leading scorer Marcus Sasser didn't play in the loss because of a groin injury. Sasser's status for March Madness is not yet known.

Many college basketball experts believe that Kansas is the best team in the country. The Jayhawks are the defending national champions and the only No. 1 seed that reached last year's Final Four. Kansas is 27-7 with more marquee wins than any other NCAA Tournament team. Senior guard Kevin McCullar didn't play when the Jayhawks were defeated in the Big 12 Championship Game because of a back injury.

Kansas coach Bill Self was hospitalized with blocked arteries during the conference tournament. Self was discharged from the hospital Sunday and is expected to rejoin the team this week. Kansas is trying to become the first team in 16 years to win back-to-back national championships.

Purdue won the Big Ten Championship with a 30-5 record. Purdue center Zach Edey stands at 7-foot-4 and is one of the most dominant players in the country. However, the Boilermakers are playing with a pair of freshman guards.

No. 2 seeded Arizona, No. 2 Texas and No. 5 Duke all won major conference championships ahead of March Madness. They are among the teams on a hot streak at the right time, one of the main factors to consider when filling out your bracket.

Following a pair of play-in games on Tuesday and Wednesday, the first full round of March Madness will be played Thursday and Friday. By Sunday evening, only 16 teams will be alive in the NCAA Tournament bracket.

The Final Four will be played on April 1 in Houston, with the national championship game scheduled for April 3.

NCAA Tournament Bracket
A general view of a giant NCAA Championship bracket adorning the facade of the JW Marriott hotel on Feb. 27, 2021, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Jamie Squire/Getty Images)