March Madness bracket predictions 2024: Repicking Final Four, champion with Sweet 16 set
March Madness Picks from Sweet 16 to National Championship
The first weekend of the NCAA Tournament is in the books and it was far more chalky than anyone could have anticipated. The Round of 32 featured very minimal damage to high seeds, leaving 10 of the Top 12 seeds still dancing, including 13 of the Top 14 teams in the country according to the KenPom rankings.
The lack of Cinderella in the Sweet 16 should set up some quality basketball for the remainder of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Let's go region by region to predict how the rest of March Madness will fall, starting in the East.
March Madness East Region Predictions
Sweet 16 - No. 1 UConn Vs. No. 5 San Diego State
We have a national championship rematch in Boston as UConn draws San Diego State, which dispatched Yale rather easily for a shot at revenge against the Huskies. The Aztecs play at a slow tempo and will try to limit possessions against UConn's explosive offense, which gives them a chance to keep things close, but it's hard to see how San Diego State has enough firepower to topple the Huskies.
Prediction: UCONN Wins 72-58
Sweet 16 - No. 2 Iowa State Vs. No. 3 Illinois
These two teams rode the momentum of their conference tournament titles right through the first weekend as neither Iowa State or Illinois was really pushed hard by their respective opponents. This matchup is intriguing since it features KenPom's No. 1 offense (Illinois) against the No. 1 defense (Iowa State), and it should be a tight affair throughout.
Prediction: Iowa State Wins 66-61
Elite Eight - No. 1 UConn Vs. No. 2 Iowa State
The regional final will see another tremendous offense/defense matchup as UConn's high-flying offense will try to break through against the Cyclones' rugged defense. The bigger mismatch comes on the other end of the floor, where the Huskies' defense is elite while Iowa State's offense is merely above average, which will win the day for the reigning champs.
Prediction: UConn Wins 78-74
March Madness South Region Predictions
Sweet 16 - No. 1 Houston Vs. No. 4 Duke
This will be a virtual home game for the Cougars in Dallas and they will have their hands full against a Duke team that is playing its best basketball right now. This contest will be extremely physical as both teams play excellent defense but the Blue Devils' guard play is clicking at a higher level right now.
Prediction: Duke Wins 84-76
Sweet 16 - No. 2 Marquette Vs. No. 11 NC State
The Wolfpack deserve a ton of credit for their miraculous March run that has seen them win seven games in 12 days to go from a first-round matchup against Louisville in the ACC Tournament to the Sweet 16. That run comes to an end here as Tyler Kolek should be even closer to his peak form for Marquette with another week to recover from his oblique injury and the Golden Eagles are a far superior opponent than either of NC State's first two March Madness matchups.
Prediction: Marquette Wins 85-70
Elite Eight - No. 2 Marquette Vs. No. 4 Duke
This game has a chance to be fantastic as both teams can put the ball in the bucket with ease. The end result is a classic that sees Duke return to the Final Four on the backs of a buzzer-beating three from Tyrese Proctor.
Prediction: Duke Wins 77-76
March Madness Midwest Region Predictions
Sweet 16 - No. 1 Purdue Vs. No. 5 Gonzaga
These teams met in Maui in November and Purdue won by double digits. Although Gonzaga is playing much better basketball now, the Bulldogs don't have a good answer for how to slow down Zach Edey, who has been dominating down low in March.
Prediction: Purdue Wins 89-73
Sweet 16 - No. 2 Tennessee Vs. No. 3 Creighton
These two teams have both been snake bit in March in the past, making this matchup an important one for head coaches Rick Barnes and Gregg McDermott. Tennessee has looked faulty down the stretch, losing early in the SEC Tournament and getting pushed hard by Texas in the Round of 32, and Creighton has more playmakers than the Volunteers.
Prediction: Creighton Wins 92-86
Elite Eight - No. 1 Purdue Vs. No. 3 Creighton
A Final Four spot would be meaningful for both teams as Purdue is trying to follow Virginia's path of losing to a 16-seed and winning a title the following year while a controversial call robbed the Bluejays of a Final Four appearance last year. The Bluejays have enough size to slow down Edey and their experience with Oregon provides them with the guts necessary to outlast Purdue and reach their first Final Four in program history.
Prediction: Creighton Wins 85-81
March Madness West Region Predictions
Sweet 16 - No. 1 North Carolina Vs. No. 4 Alabama
This matchup looks fantastic on paper as both teams feature explosive offenses that are capable of putting up 90 points in the blink of an eye. Alabama's defense is quite leaky, however, and playing a top seed exposes their deficiencies on that side of the ball in a big way.
Prediction: North Carolina Wins 94-71
Sweet 16 - No. 2 Arizona Vs. No. 6 Clemson
The Tigers are back in non-conference form as they played crisp basketball in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament to advance. Arizona will be playing in front of plenty of their fans in Los Angeles, however, and that home-court advantage will carry them past Clemson to the Elite Eight.
Prediction: Arizona Wins 79-63
Elite Eight - No. 1 North Carolina Vs. No. 2 Arizona
This matchup will be heavily hyped as the Caleb Love revenge game after the former Tar Heels' star transferred to Arizona last spring. Love is more motivated than anyone else in this matchup to win and he carries the Wildcats on his shoulders to the Final Four in front of a sea of red at Crypto.com Arena.
Prediction: Arizona Wins 82-77
Final Four Predictions
No. 1 UConn Vs. No. 2 Arizona
This might be the most difficult test of the tournament for UConn, which will go from essentially four home games in the Northeast to what amounts to a true road game against Arizona in Phoenix. Dan Hurley did a good job preparing his team for this moment, playing road games against teams like Kansas and Gonzaga in the non-conference portion of the season, and that experience allows the Huskies to escape with a victory.
Prediction: UConn Wins 95-93
No. 3 Creighton Vs. No. 4 Duke
The other half of the Final Four should feature some more high-level playmaking as Creighton and Duke light up the night with plenty of three-pointers falling. The depth that the Blue Devils have is superior to Creighton's and that sends Jon Scheyer to his first national championship game as Duke's head coach.
Prediction: Duke Wins 88-80
National Championship Prediction
No. 1 UConn Vs. No. 4 Duke
TBS would be thrilled to get this matchup as UConn would be playing for history against one of the biggest brands in the history of college basketball. The Huskies are playing not only for history but for the honor of the Big East, which was disrespected by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee with just three bids, and that extra fuel helps them become the first repeat national champ since the 2007 Florida Gators.
Prediction: UCONN Wins 90-78
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