Breaking Down This Year's No. 1 Seeds...In Anything But Basketball

On Sunday, the 68-team NCAA tournament field was announced. Villanova, Kansas, North Carolina and Gonzaga received this year’s No. 1 seeds.

These schools all have a shot to win it all...but how do they compare using criteria other than basketball?

Villanova Wildcats vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs

Villanova

Location: Outside of Philadelphia, Penn. — a city rich in American history with a number of nearby colleges and universities.

Estimated tuition & fees (without aid): $49,280
Application fee: $80
Rankings: Overall, Villanova ranked 11th in the state of Pennsylvania. Its dining experience comes in at 38th in the nation.
Notable alumnus: Film actor Bradley Cooper.
Fun fact: Villanova is home to the Liberty Bell’s twin, the "Sister Bell."

Gonzaga 

Location: Spokane, Wash. Gonzaga is located right along the Spokane River. The city is home to parks, golf courses, festivals and lakes.

Estimated tuition & fees (without aid): $39,730
Application fee: $50
Rankings: Gonzaga ranked fourth among Regional Universities - West and third in the state of Washington.
Notable alumnus: Singer Bing Crosby.
Fun fact: The Spokane Falls is one of the largest urban waterfalls in the U.S.

The Pick: Ultimately, the pick is Gonzaga for its natural environment — and Bing Crosby, too.

North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Kansas Jayhawks

North Carolina

Location: Chapel Hill, N.C. This town is a beautiful slice of North Carolina (and a great college town). The campus is regarded as one of the nicest in the nation.

Estimated tuition & fees (without aid): $34,588
Application fee: $80
Rankings: UNC ranks 30th among national universities (second in the state behind Duke), 16th in student life, 27th in campus beauty and ninth in student happiness.
Notable alumna: Two-time Olympic gold medalist and FIFA Women’s World Cup winner Mia Hamm.
Fun fact: UNC was America's first public university.

Kansas Jayhawks

Location: Lawrence, Kans. Located in the middle of the state, Lawrence is near the historic Mount Oread and is also considered one of the nicest campuses in the nation.

Estimated tuition & fees (without aid): $25,932
Application fee: $30
Rankings: Kansas ranks first in the state. It's also the No. 30 party school and cracked the top 50 in best college locations.
Notable alumnus: President of Colombia and 2016 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Juan Manuel Santos.
Fun fact: Helium was extracted from gas for the first time in a laboratory at KU.

The Pick: This one is close. Both are rich in tradition, but KU boasts a recent Nobel Peace Prize winner as an alumnus...so the Jayhawks advance to meet Gonzaga in the "championship."

Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Kansas Jayhawks

The Kansas campus stretches 1,000 acres while Gonzaga’s is only 152 acres. Gonzaga's Bing Crosby gave America "White Christmas," but Juan Manuel Santos tried to end a decades-long civil war. And the helium discovery is a game changer. Kansas is champion of this (silly) debate.