The 2024 NCAA men’s basketball tournament bracket was unveiled on Mar. 17, as millions of fans gathered on ‘Selection Sunday’ to see where their team was heading. After two weeks of conference tournaments that set up as an appetizer for the upcoming weeks, we are down to 68 teams left competing for the national championship.
In the East regional, defending champion Connecticut earned the #1 overall seed. Yet, the metrics and stats show they may have the hardest path to the title out of the four #1 seeds. That is because the next three highest seeds (Iowa State, Auburn and Illinois) won their conference tournaments in the past week. This bracket also has three of the four teams that reached last year’s Final Four, as Connecticut is joined by Florida Atlantic and San Diego State.
Moving to the South regional, where Houston got the second #1 seed despite losing to Iowa State by 28 in the Big 12 tournament on Mar. 16. Despite that, the selection committee could not ignore their overall body of work, which includes a 30-4 record to go along with a top three defense in the country. Their biggest challengers to the Final Four will be #3 Kentucky and #4 Duke, although potential upset teams in #11 North Carolina State and #12 James Madison loom large.
The Midwest regional is headlined by #1 Purdue. Last year, they lost to Fairleigh Dickinson, becoming the second ever #1 seed to lose to #16 in the process. This is the region where many upsets will be picked, as #12 McNeese State and #13 Samford are two mid-major teams with great offenses that can score on anyone. On the flip side, two favorites include Creighton and #2 Tennessee, who is led by player of the year candidate Dalton Knecht.
On paper, the West regional may be the weakest, which could lead to chaos. North Carolina is the #1 seed here, but their defense may stop them from going far. #2 Arizona was on the wrong end of an upset last year, when they lost to #15 Princeton. #3 Baylor is an underrated pick, as this squad is great defensively, and their offense doesn’t rely on one player to carry them, allowing anyone to go off on any given night.
Who will cut down the nets in Phoenix come Apr. 8? The next three weeks promise to deliver thrills and heartbreaks; now it’s time to sit back and see who gets their ‘One Shining Moment.’