No team has ever won the NCAA Tournament after losing their first conference tournament game. That could eliminate teams like Tennessee, Kentucky, Creighton, Duke, Alabama and Kansas from winning the NCAA Basketball Tournament 2024. Should your 2024 March Madness bracket strategy include backing one of those teams to debunk that trend, or should you target a conference champion like UConn, Iowa State or Auburn to make a deep run in the 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket?
With 32 NCAA Tournament games set to unfold in the first round, knowing which 2024 March Madness upset picks to target could go a long way in determining if you win or lose your 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket pools. Before making any predictions for games in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, see the March Madness bracket picks from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
SportsLine’s projection model has simulated every game in the tournament 10,000 times. It has absolutely crushed its March Madness picks recently, beating over 92% of all CBS Sports brackets in 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.
Now, SportsLine’s advanced computer model has simulated the entire 2024 NCAA Tournament 10,000 times to come up with the perfect 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket and find out which teams will pull off the biggest upsets. You shouldn’t even think about making a pick without seeing what their model has to say.
Top 2024 NCAA Basketball Tournament bracket upset picks
One Midwest Region surprise the model has identified: No. 5 Gonzaga gets past No. 12 seed McNeese State and then beats No. 4 Kansas in the Round of 32. The Jayhawks will be without leading scorer Kevin McCullar Jr. for the 2024 NCAA Tournament due to a knee injury. Bill Self’s squad also enters March Madness 2024 having lost four of their last five games, which includes getting beaten by 20 points in each of their last two contests.
Meanwhile, Gonzaga features one of the most explosive offenses in the country. The Zags score 84.9 points per game on average, which ranks seventh in college basketball. Mark Few’s team is among the most effective shooting teams in the nation as well, knocking down 57.2% of its field goals. Kansas’ recent poor form and Gonzaga’s efficient offense are big reasons why the model loves the Bulldogs to get past the Jayhawks in the second round.
Another surprise from the Midwest Region: No. 3 Creighton runs the table in the region, getting past No. 2 Tennessee and No. 1 Purdue as the Bluejays punch their ticket to the Final Four in Phoenix. The Bluejays averaged more than 80 points per game (80.5) for the first time since 2017-18. They defend at a high level as well, giving up just 69.7 points per game. Senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner is a three-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year, giving the Bluejays a 7-footer who can help neutralize other talented bigs they might run into in the region like Zach Edey, Jonas Aidoo or Hunter Dickinson. See which other 2024 March Madness upsets to target here.
How to make 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket predictions
SportsLine’s model is also predicting a stunning 4-seed that will reach the Final Four and has one region where the 1- and 3-seeds go down hard before the Elite Eight. With the model’s track record of calling bracket-busting upsets, you’ll want to see which stunners it’s calling this year before locking in any 2024 NCAA bracket picks.
So what’s the optimal NCAA Tournament 2024 bracket, and which NCAA Tournament Cinderella teams will shock college basketball? Visit SportsLine now to see which region the 1- and 3-seeds go down in flames before the Elite Eight, and which region features a 4-seed in the Final Four, all from the model that has beaten 92% of bracket players three of the last five tournaments.
