The last three Big Ten Tournament winners did not make it out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament bracket, a fate No. 3 seed Illinois will try to avoid in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The Fighting Illini beat Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game, giving them a four-game winning streak entering March Madness 2024. Their only loss since the end of February came against Purdue, which earned a No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday. How far should you have Illinois and Purdue advancing in your 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket?
The Boilermakers lost to No. 16 seed FDU last year, so they will hope to make a statement when they face the winner of No. 16 seeds Montana State and Grambling State in the First Four. UConn earned the top overall seed in the bracket and the Huskies could be a popular selection to win the title in the 2024 March Madness bracket. 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. Duke is tied for fourth all-time with five national championships, with its latest coming in 2015. The Blue Devils made the Final Four two years ago, and they will be eyeing another deep run this year. Their first task will be getting past Vermont, which is in the field for the third straight season and is hoping for its first Round of 32 appearance since 2005.
Also in the South Region, Wisconsin vs. James Madison figures to be yet another pivotal 5 vs. 12 matchup. Wisconsin raced out to a 16-4 start this season, putting the Badgers in the conversation for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. However, they lost eight of their final 11 games of the regular season before recovering with an appearance in the Big Ten Tournament title game. James Madison has not lost since the end of January, claiming the Sun Belt Tournament title to earn its first NCAA Tournament bid since 2013.
The third matchup to watch in the South Region features No. 3 seed Kentucky vs. No. 14 seed Oakland. Kentucky closed the regular season on a five-game winning streak that included wins over Alabama and Tennessee, establishing itself as a contender to win the Big Dance. The Wildcats are coming off a loss to Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals, but they have five players averaging double digits. Oakland won the Horizon League Tournament after winning the regular-season title, and it played close games against Ohio State and Illinois at the beginning of the season. 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.
