March Madness bracket 2024: 4 most intriguing Final Fours still on the table

The Sweet 16 is set for the 2024 NCAA Tournament and we are just under a week away from learning the identity of the Final Four. There are numerous possibilities for which four teams will take the floor in Phoenix on April 6th for a shot at the national championship two days later, but not all potential Final Fours are created equal.

Which combinations of regional champions would produce the most electifying Final Four? Check out four of the best potential Final Fours that are still possible after two rounds of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

4 most intriguing Final Four combinations still on the table

The Blue Bloods - UConn, Duke, UNC And Gonzaga

No one would be happier with this Final Four than TBS, which was hoping to avoid a repeat of the low-rated 2023 Final Four CBS had with UConn, Miami, San Diego State and Florida Atlantic. Getting both Duke and North Carolina in the Final Four would lead to instant drama as we'd have the potential of seeing the sport's most bitter rivalry contested for the national championship with the Blue Devils and Tar Heels on opposite sides of the bracket.

The defending national champions are a new school blue blood and have certainly earned their place at the table with a perfect 5-0 record in national championship games. The last spot in the blue blood Final Four goes to Gonzaga, which has become one of America's signature college basketball programs over the past 25 years and would be looking for a national championship to officially join the club.

Ken Pom's Best - UConn, Houston, Purdue And Arizona

One way to ensure we get some excellent basketball is by getting as many teams from the top end of the KenPom rankings as possible. We are actually set up well here as 13 of the top 14 teams in KenPom are still alive in the Sweet 16, but the creme of the crop would be a Final Four featuring UCONN, Houston, Purdue and Arizona.

Those four teams all reside inside the Top 5 of the KenPom rankings, with the only exception being No. 4 Auburn, which was eliminated in the Round of 64 by Yale. Fortunately for basketball fans, each of the other four schools was placed in a different region, which could set us up for a heavyweight Final Four featuring four of the best teams this season.

The Offensive Showcase - Illinois, Purdue, Alabama And Duke

While defense wins championships, nothing gets fans more excited than seeing the ball go in the basket at prestigious rates. Using KenPom as a reference again, the four most efficient offenses we could see in the Final Four include Illinois (narrowly edging out UCONN in the East Region), Purdue, Alabama and Duke.

These teams all have the ability to dominate on the offensive end, whether it is from three-point shooting prowess (Alabama), paint presence (Purdue) or a mix of both (Illinois and Duke). Getting games in the 70s is more entertaining than games played in the 50s so fans of offense would be very satisfied with this Final Four, even if we subbed out UConn for Illinois.

The Big East Invitational - UConn, Marquette, Creighton And North Carolina

One of the biggest storylines entering the NCAA Tournament was how the Big East was snubbed by the Selection Committee, which handed a conference that was rated by most metrics as the second-best in the country with just three tournament bids. In this scenario, all three of them reach the Final Four in Phoenix as UConn, Marquette and Creighton essentially give a giant middle finger to the committee by getting to the season's final weekend.

To keep with the East theme the last spot in this Final Four will go to North Carolina, which plays on the East Coast, but the headline here would be seeing three stacked Big East teams trying to duke it out for a national championship. If UConn beats the Tar Heels on Saturday night we would be guaranteed an all-Big East final, which would add to claims of East Coast bias while also showcasing how great the best pure basketball conference is at its craft.