With a dramatic conference realignment underway that will reduce the Pac-12 to just two schools, the 2024 NCAA Tournament is arguably the conference's best chance to end its championship drought. It's been 27 years since a Pac-12 team cut down the nets and became the last team depicted in a “shining moment.” This is the longest active period of any major conference without a national champion, and No. 2 Arizona appears to be the Pac-12's best chance to win a March Madness spot in 2024.
Only three schools in the conference were listed as contenders for the 2024 NCAA Tournament: No. 7 Washington State, No. 10 Colorado State and No. 11 Oregon State. With the Final Four taking place in Phoenix, Arizona hopes to use home court advantage to end its Pac-12 championship drought. How will the Wildcats fare in the 2024 March Madness West Region, which includes Bluebloods like North Carolina and Michigan State? Before making your 2024 NCAA Tournament predictions, check out our March Madness bracket picks from proven computer models at SportsLine.
The model simulates every game 10,000 times and has pulled off 20 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds since its introduction in 2016, including UConn's dramatic run to the Final Four as a No. 4 seed last year. I did. They posted an impressive 22-10 record in the first round, including an incredible 12-4 in the Midwest and West Regions.
Last year, SportsLine's computer simulations pulled off big upsets, with No. 13 Furman defeating No. 4 Virginia and No. 10 Penn State defeating No. 7 Texas A&M. The model has beaten over 92% of all players in the CBS Sports slot in three of the last five tournaments.
Now, SportsLine's advanced computer model has simulated the entire 2024 NCAA Tournament 10,000 times to come up with the perfect bracket for the 2024 NCAA Tournament and see which team will pull off the biggest upset. You shouldn't even think about choosing without seeing what their model says.
2024 March Madness Bracket Upset Top Picks
One surprise in the Midwest region that the model identified was No. 11 seed Oregon State defeating No. 6 seed South Carolina in the first round. Dana Altman usually peaks for Oregon in the second half of the season, and that was the case again this year after the Ducks moved up the standings in the Pac-12 Tournament. This rapid progress was highlighted by a 67-59 victory over Arizona in the semifinals.
South Carolina lost 19 games in the SEC Tournament against Auburn. The Siamcocks went just 4-3 in their final seven games of the regular season. South Carolina has been the biggest surprise in college basketball this year, and SportsLine's models are calling for them to capitalize on the situation and pull off an upset over Oregon State as a double-digit seed.
Another Midwest region surprise identified by the model: No. 3 Creighton defeated No. 2 seed Tennessee and No. 1 seed Purdue on its way to the Final Four. It's often said that you can't teach size in basketball, and Blue Jays 7-footer Ryan Kalkbrenner is a perfect example of that. He has been named Big East Defensive Player of the Year three times and averages 17.1 points against his opponents. He has elite shooters around him, as only five teams in the nation make more 3-pointers per game than Creighton.
Creighton will likely face No. 2 Tennessee in the Sweet Sixteen, and the Vols' past five losses in the NCAA Tournament have come to teams seeded worse than them. If Creighton advances, it could face No. 1 Purdue in the Elite Eight, but the Boilermakers aren't playing their best heading into the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Their average margin of victory has decreased each month of the season, and they allowed. In their four losses this year, they only made 9.5 3-point shots per game. Creighton is averaging 11.1 3-pointers in his past 10 games, and the model likes his chances of making his first Final Four. Check out other matchups eligible for March His Madness 2024 here.
How to predict the 2024 NCAA Tournament standings
Who will win every tournament-deciding matchup? And which team will surprise in the 2024 NCAA Tournament? This model has a track record of calling box-breaking upsets. , you'll want to see which phenomenal players they're calling up this year before locking in your 2024 NCAA slot selection.
So what is the best spot for the 2024 NCAA Tournament? And which NCAA Tournament Cinderella team will shock college basketball? Visit SportsLine to see which 12 seeds reach the Sweet 16 and which regions have 10, 11, and 13 seeds bringing Shockers in the first round and a 9 seed in the Elite 8 Please check all models.Beating his 92% of bracket players in 3 of the last 5 tournaments.
