The first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament begins Thursday at 12:15 p.m. ET. The first game will be in the West Region and should be a physical matchup between No. 8 Mississippi State and No. 9 Michigan State. March Madness 2024 Which team should we return to kickoff 2024? What are some of the 2024 March Madness first-round upset candidates to keep an eye on as you fill out your 2024 NCAA bracket? The No. 1 seeds are UW, Purdue, the University of North Carolina, and the University of Houston.
North Carolina is the No. 1 seed in the West and will play Wagner after defeating Howard in the First Four on Tuesday. The Tar Heels missed the NCAA Tournament altogether a year ago, but made it to the National Championship Game the year before. How should we deal with North Carolina State this year, and how can we earn a 2024 NCAA Tournament pick? Before we predict the 2024 March Madness bracket, let's look at SportsLine's proven computer model. Be sure to check out the 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket.
Their proven projection model simulated every match of the tournament 10,000 times. They recently completely destroyed the March Madness bracket, beating over 92 percent of all CBS Sports brackets in three of the past five tournaments. In the eventful 2023 NCAA Tournament, the models for UConn's shocking run to the Final Four as a No. 4 seed were everywhere. They had an incredible record of 23 wins and 9 losses in the first round, including an incredible 12 wins and 4 losses in the Midwest and West Regions.
I also know how to find upsets. The same model has produced a bracket that has clinched his 20 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds since its inception in 2016.
There's really no reason to rely on luck when there's proven technology that can help you conquer your March Madness pool in 2024. His 2024 NCAA spot has been revealed, the model has simulated the matchup, and the results have been announced. You can watch this only on SportsLine.
2024 March Madness Bracket Featured Games
One of the matchups to watch in March Madness in 2024: No. 4 seed Duke vs. No. 13 seed Vermont in the Southern Region. Six of his top seven players in Duke's rotation are underclassmen, but this talented roster is built for the tournament. Senior guard Jeremy Roach has Final Four experience, and sophomore center Kyle Filipowski is one of the most talented bigs in the country. Meanwhile, all but one of Vermont's 10-man rotation has at least three years of college basketball experience. This is the third consecutive year that Jon Becker's team has qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
Also in the South region, Wisconsin vs. James Madison will be a more important 5-on-12 matchup. The Badgers finished fifth in the Big Ten with a record of 22-13 overall and 11-9 in conference play. However, they slumped during the Big Ten tournament, losing to Illinois in the championship game. Meanwhile, James Madison finished 31-3 overall and 15-3 in the Sun Belt, finishing in second place and then winning the conference tournament to qualify. The Dukes are led by fourth-year guard Terrence Edwards, who averages 17.4 points per game.
The third game to watch in the South is No. 3 seed Kentucky vs. No. 14 seed Oakland. The Wildcats finished in a four-way tie for second place in the SEC and have only two seniors in the rotation, a talented group that can score at will. Kentucky ranked second nationally in scoring (89.4 points per game) and fifth in field goal percentage (49.7). Meanwhile, Oakland won the regular season and tournament titles in the Horizon League. Trey Townsend is in his fourth year with the program and averaged 16.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game this season. You can see how all of these teams are doing on SportsLine.
How to predict NCAA spots in 2024
How far will these major programs go? And which Cinderella team will make a surprising run to the 2024 NCAA Tournament? This model has a track record of calling frame-breaking upsets, so the NCAA Before locking in a spot, you'll want to see which phenom players they're calling up this year.
So what is the best spot for the 2024 NCAA Tournament? And which March Madness underdog will shock college basketball? Visit SportsLine now to see which team you can root for with confidence please confirm. This is all a model that has led to his 20 successful upsets by double-digit seeded players since its inception, and in his three of the last five tournaments he has defeated over 92% of players.
