Defending champion Kansas was discarded by some experts when it went through a rough patch early in conference play this season, but the Jayhawks won the Big 12 regular-season title with a strong finish. The Jayhawks’ hopes of being the top overall seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket were dashed when they lost to Texas in the Big 12 Tournament title game, though. They will open the 2023 March Madness bracket with a game against No. 16 seed Howard on Thursday. Kansas is a 21-point favorite in the latest 2023 NCAA Tournament odds at Caesars Sportsbook.
The Jayhawks could be a popular pick to go deep in the 2023 NCAA bracket based on their history and recent success at this event. Should they be the No. 1 seed that you target in your 2023 NCAA Tournament predictions? Before making any 2023 March Madness bracket predictions, be sure to check out the 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket picks from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulated the entire 2023 NCAA Tournament 10,000 times. It has absolutely crushed its March Madness picks, beating over 92% of all CBS Sports brackets two of the last four tournaments. The model also nailed three teams in the West and South Region Sweet 16 last year, including No. 5 seed Houston.
It knows how to spot an upset as well. The same model has produced brackets that have nailed 18 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds. It also nailed some massive upsets two years ago, including predicting the championship game between Gonzaga and Baylor and hitting Houston’s Midwest Region win even though the Cougars weren’t the No. 1 seed.
There’s simply no reason to rely on luck when there’s proven technology to help you dominate your 2023 March Madness pools. Now, with the 2023 NCAA bracket being revealed, the model is simulating the matchups and its results are in. You can only see it over at SportsLine.
2023 March Madness bracket games to watch
One of the most intriguing 12-5 matchups in the 2023 March Madness bracket is No. 5 Miami (FL) vs. No. 12 Drake in the Midwest Region. Drake returned to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years when it blew past Bradley in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title game earlier this month. The Bulldogs are led by MVC Player of the Year Tucker DeVries, who averages 19.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. He will need to have a big game against Miami, which features four players averaging more than 13 points per game. The Hurricanes won a share of the ACC regular-season title before losing to red-hot Duke in the conference tournament.
Another pivotal matchup in the Midwest is No. 8 Iowa vs. No. 9 Auburn. The Hawkeyes are elite on the offensive end, averaging 80.2 points per game during the regular season. On the other side, Auburn is one of the most athletic and best defensive teams in the March Madness field, allowing only 67.1 points per game while playing in arguably the top conference in college basketball. The winner of this matchup will likely face No. 1 seed Houston in the second round.
The third matchup to watch is also in the Midwest Regional, No. 7 seed Texas A&M against No. 10 seed Penn State. The Aggies came up just short of an NCAA Tournament berth last year, despite being one of the hottest teams in the country down the stretch. They were able to reverse their fortunes this year, losing just four games since the start of 2023. This will not be an easy first-round matchup, as Penn State made the Big Dance for the first time since 2011 after winning eight of nine down the stretch. The Nittany Lions have four seniors in their starting lineup, led by guard Jalen Pickett’s 17.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game. You can see how far all these teams go over at SportsLine.
How to make 2023 NCAA bracket predictions
How far will those major programs go? And which Cinderella teams will make surprising runs through the 2023 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 2023? 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 18 upsets by double-digit seeds since its inception and beat over 92 percent of players two of the last four tournaments.
