Tennessee was in the running for a No. 1 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket, but the Vols settled for the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region. They are riding a two-game losing streak after clinching the regular-season title in the SEC and head coach Rick Barnes could have a matchup against his former school, Texas, in the second round of the 2024 March Madness bracket. The Vols are led by SEC Player of the Year Dalton Knecht, who is averaging 21.1 points per game. They could meet with No. 1 seed Purdue in the Elite Eight, but should you have that matchup coming to fruition when you lock in your 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket picks?
Purdue is led by the consensus top player in college basketball, Zach Edey, who is averaging 24.4 points and 11.7 rebounds per game. Can the Boilermakers avoid a first-round upset in the March Madness bracket 2024 for the second consecutive year? 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. Vermont is in the NCAA Tournament for the 10th time in school history and is looking for its second Round of 32 appearance (2005). The Catamounts are on a 10-game winning streak, but they will have to get past one of the college basketball Blue Bloods on Friday. Duke is entering the Big Dance on a losing streak for just the fifth time in program history after falling to North Carolina in its regular-season finale and to eventual ACC Tournament champion NC State.
Also in the South Region, Wisconsin vs. James Madison figures to be yet another pivotal 5 vs. 12 matchup. Wisconsin is back in the NCAA bracket after missing the field last season, using a hot start and a strong finish to overcome a rough stretch in conference play. The Badgers opened the season unranked before rising as high as No. 6 in the polls after a 16-4 start. James Madison has only lost three games all season and earned its first NCAA Tournament bid since 2013 when it blew out Arkansas State in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament title game.
The third matchup to watch in the South Region features No. 3 seed Kentucky vs. No. 14 seed Oakland. The Wildcats are known for their offensive prowess, but their defense has been shaky at times this season. Oakland is a solid offensive team, averaging 76.4 points per game, but the Golden Grizzlies have shown an ability to explode on that end, hitting triple-digits twice this season. They faced Ohio State, Michigan State and Illinois during the 2023-24 campaign, so Oakland has an idea what it will take to pull off the first-round stunner. 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.
