Glendale, Ariz., will host the 2024 Final Four, marking the first time the Phoenix metro will host since the 2017 Final Four. North Carolina defeated Gonzaga in that year’s title game, and UNC can’t wait to tip off the 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket to put last year’s disappointment behind it. After making the 2022 national championship game, the Tar Heels missed out entirely on last year’s NCAA Tournament bracket, despite starting the year ranked No. 1. North Carolina reached a ranking of No. 3 this season and enters the 2024 March Madness bracket as a 1-seed for the 18th time in program history.
The Heels are 32-2 all-time in the Round of 64 as they await a 2024 First Four winner on Thursday. Later 2024 NCAA Tournament matchups against Michigan State or Arizona possibly await UNC. Will North Carolina get a return trip to Phoenix for the Final Four, or will it be one of the many inevitable high seeds that suffer an early March Madness 2024 exit? Before making any 2024 March Madness bracket predictions, be sure to check out the 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket picks from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
Their proven projection model has simulated every game in the tournament 10,000 times. It has absolutely crushed its March Madness picks recently, beating over 92 percent of all CBS Sports brackets three of the past five tournaments. In an upset-laden 2023 NCAA Tournament, the model was all over UConn’s shocking Final Four run as a 4-seed. It went an amazing 23-9 in the first round, including an astounding 12-4 in the Midwest and West regions.
It knows how to spot an upset as well. The same model has produced brackets that have nailed 20 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds since its inception in 2016.
There’s simply no reason to rely on luck when there’s proven technology to help you dominate your 2024 March Madness pools. Now, with the 2024 NCAA bracket being revealed, the model is simulating the matchups and its results are in. You can only see it over at SportsLine.
2024 March Madness bracket games to watch
One of the 2024 March Madness matchups to keep an eye on: No. 4 seed Duke vs. No. 13 seed Vermont in the South Region. The Blue Devils enter the tournament off back-to-back losses, but their recent success in NCAA Tournament openers can’t be overlooked as they’ve won seven straight Round of 64 games. Meanwhile, Vermont is participating in its third straight NCAA Tournament, and few have been better since the calendar flipped to 2024. The Catamounts are 19-1 (.933) since Jan. 1, which is tied for the second-best Division I record in that span.
Also in the South Region, Wisconsin vs. James Madison figures to be yet another pivotal 5 vs. 12 matchup. Wisconsin navigated the second-hardest schedule in the nation to a 22-13 record, including victories over then-No. 3 seeds in Purdue and Marquette. However, the team struggled away from Wisconsin, as it went 8-10 in road and neutral-site games. As for James Madison, no team collected more victories than its 31 this season. Only one of those wins came against a team from a major conference, a season-opening win over a fellow Big Ten team in Michigan State.
The third matchup to watch in the South Region features No. 3 seed Kentucky vs. No. 14 seed Oakland. UK is playing its best ball, going 7-2 over its last nine games, and the offense has powered the team all season. Kentucky’s 89.4 points per game this season are the school’s most since the 1995-96 season, and that year ended with a national championship. Oakland is coming off Horizon League regular season and tournament championships, and they have the conference Player of the Year in Trey Townsend. The fourth-year junior leads the team in points (16.9), rebounds (7.8), assists (3.1) and steals (1.3). You can see how far all these teams go over at SportsLine.
How to make 2024 NCAA bracket predictions
How far will those major programs go? And which Cinderella teams will make surprising runs through the 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket? With the model’s track record of calling bracket-busting upsets, you’ll want to see which stunners it is calling this year before locking in any NCAA bracket picks.
So what’s the optimal NCAA Tournament bracket 2024? And which March Madness underdogs will shock college basketball? Visit SportsLine now to see which teams you can back with confidence, all from the model that’s nailed 20 upsets by double-digit seeds since its inception and beat over 92 percent of players three of the last five tournaments.
