The 2024 NCAA Tournament has already gotten underway with the First Four, but the true action begins on Thursday with the First Round, and Hall of Fame broadcaster Ernie Johnson already has an idea which teams will be in his Final Four.
I spoke to Johnson on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the upcoming men’s and women’s tournaments, as well as his partnership with Buffalo Wild Wings and the Beat The Buffalo Challenge.
There is a ton of parity – especially on the men’s side of things – in the upcoming tournaments, and Johsnon is excited to see how things turn out.
“Every year it's the same way, just when you think it can’t get any better, it does,” Johnson said. “Just when you think it can’t get any more unpredictable, it does.”
The Inside the NBA host has not filled out his bracket just yet – he usually waits until more injury reports are finalized ahead of Thursday’s games, but he revealed three of the four teams that he has going to the Final Four.
“I think ultimately UConn will be my champion,” Johnson said. “I don’t fill mine (his bracket) out until late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning seeing, in large part, what are the injuries and guys' availability. But I think they’ll be joined there by Kentucky. I think Kentucky will get by Houston. I think Tennessee will get there. Tennessee will get past Purdue.
“My hangup is really in the other region. I just don’t know if North Carolina is gonna win that region. There’s some dangerous teams out there.”
The Huskies – if Johnson’s prediction is correct – would become the first repeat champions since the Florida Gators back in 2007. It’s extremely hard to repeat in March Madness, but UConn is loaded with talent, including First Team All-American Tristen Newton and potential NBA lottery picks Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan.
Kentucky, a team with an elite offense but struggling defense (110th in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom) that could make some noise out of the South Region. That region could be one of the easier ones to navigate if Houston falls flat like it did in the Big 12 title game against the Iowa State Cyclones, another team that Johnson has his eye on this March.
“Not in the dark horse realm, but I really like Iowa State too,” Johnson said. “Unfortunately for the Cyclones, they are in the same region as UConn. Look, if UConn is healthy, if they’re trotting the same guys out there every night, I don’t see them losing.”
The Huskies are the No. 1 overall seed and the No. 1 team in KenPom for a reason, but they won’t have an easy path with No. 4 Auburn (the SEC Tournament winner), No. 3 Illinois (the Big Ten Tournament winner) and the No. 2 Cyclones (the Big 12 Tournament winner) all in the East Region.
Johnson’s partnership with Buffalo Wild Wings is raising awareness for fans to participate in the Beat The Buffalo challenge, where you could win tickets to the Final Four next year!
“I would encourage you to get on BeatTheBuffalo.com, see if you can beat their buffalo, Jack, who made his picks and has a bracket out there,” Johnson said. “If you beat him, then you’re in the running.”
As the tournaments go on, 10% of the challengers with a better bracket than the buffalo will have a chance to win bragging rights and some amazing prizes – a year’s worth of free wings and tickets to next year’s Final Four.
Jack has picked McNeese to win his men’s bracket and of course, the Colorado Lady Buffaloes to win the women’s bracket, but Johnson isn’t sure that a No. 12 seed like McNeese is going to go all the way.
“I don’t know if they’re as unpredictable enough for McNeese to win the whole thing – that’s who Jack the buffalo thinks is going to win it,” Johnson said. “And then on the women’s side he thinks Colorado.”
When it comes to Cinderella and upset picks, there is a team in the South Region that caught Johnson’s eye during the conference tournaments.
“Keep your eye on Samford – the Samford Bulldogs,” Johnson said. “Bucky McMillan is their coach, it’s a high-energy team, a team that likes to press. A team that’s going to make you work. They got Kansas in their opener. Let’s see how Kansas is health wise.”
The Jayhawks won’t have Kevin McCullar in the NCAA Tournament, which he revealed on social media yesterday, and the team was knocked out of the Big 12 Tournament in its first game, losing badly to the Cincinnati Bearcats.
Samford, who won the Southern Conference (SoCon), is a No. 13 seed that could take advantage.
“It’s rare when a team jumps out at me in the week leading up and I’m watching the champ week,” Johnson said. “I’m kinda like, ‘That team might do something.’ So I’m going to go with Samford, also, keep an eye on James Madison.”
James Madison takes on Wisconsin in the first round, a team that made the Big Ten title game, but the Dukes are an impressive mid-major, ranking No. 58 in KenPom this season.
One of the team’s that Johnson has in his Final Four – the Tennessee Volunteers – could also be a team to watch in his eyes because of their star player Dalton Knecht. The SEC Player of the Year is one of the best scorers in college basketball and is a likely first-round pick in the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft.
“I think if you haven’t watched Tennessee play and you haven’t watched Dalton Knecht, you’re in for a treat,” Johnson said. “You know what, he reminds me a little bit of Rex Chapman. Wears the No. 3, can shoot the 3-ball – also has some bunnies.”
This season, Knecht is averaging 21.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 39.7 percent from beyond the arc. He could single handedly carry the Volunteers’ offense in some games in this tournament.
Johnson is also keeping his eye on the No. 1-seeded Purdue Boilermakers and Zach Edey, who lost in the first round as a No. 1 seed last season.
“Let’s see Zach Edey,” Johnson said. “Every time I see Zach Edey play, I feel like I’m watching Gulliver’s Travels when the little guys are all throwing the ropes over the big giant and trying to keep him down. That’s what it’s like when you watch Zach play. Very interested to see what they do. Very interested to see the effect of losing to FDU (Fairleigh Dickinson) last year in their opener, a [No.] 16 and a [No.] 1. Really want to see if they’ve got that Virginia in them.”
Obviously, Virginia rebounded nicely after being the first No. 1 seed in history to lose to a No. 16. The team took the loss against UMBC and went on to win the national championship the following season.
Could Purdue see a similar path this March?
Ernie Johnson and the Inside the NBA Crew
Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal highlight one of the best shows on televisions – Inside the NBA on TNT.
The group also spends time covering March Madness, especially Barkley and Smith. There is one pick that Jack the Buffalo has that Johnson is hoping comes through – mainly for the comedic relief that it would bring.
“I appreciate this about Jack [the buffalo], he had Yale beating Auburn,” Johnson said. “If that happens, and we’re on the air in New York, that will carry the day. That will be a theme that goes on the entire day and Chuck has to live down Auburn getting beat by the ‘smart guys.’ Wouldn’t that be something to see?”
I also asked Johnson about his favorite Inside the NBA memory (there are so many great ones to choose from), and a couple stood out.
“One of them obviously is when Kenny tried to replicate Kobe [Bryant] jumping over the Aston Martin and we rigged it so he was actually hit by the car – it was actually a blow up doll that got hit by the car, but it looked like it was Kenny,” Johnson said. “Another was locking Chuck out of the studio at halftime one time because we called it the ‘Champions Club’ and you had to have a ring to get in. Those are two of my favorites, but there are way too many to mention.”
If you want to watch the full conversation with Hall of Fame broadcaster Ernie Johnson, make sure to check out the Youtube link above and head to BeatTheBuffalo.com to see if you can beat Jack the Buffalo this March!