Few teams were as dominant as the Houston Cougars during the college basketball regular season. The Cougars entered the season as one of the top contenders to win this year’s national championship, and Kelvin Sampson’s squad did not disappoint. Houston was awarded with a No. 1 seed in the South Region of the 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket, where they will take on No. 16 Longwood during the Friday slate of the 2024 March Madness bracket. The Cougars were the best defensive team in the country during the regular season and are listed at 11-2 to win the national championship in the latest 2024 NCAA Tournament odds.
Should you back the Cougars when filling out your 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket picks in March Madness pools? Or should you fade Houston and back another top contender like UConn, Purdue, or North Carolina when making your 2024 NCAA Tournament picks? Before you make your 2024 NCAA Tournament predictions, see the March Madness bracket picks from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, has nailed 20 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds since its inception in 2016 and nailed UConn’s dramatic Final Four run as a 4-seed last year. It went an amazing 22-10 in the first round, including an astounding 12-4 in the Midwest and West regions.
Last year, SportsLine’s computer simulation nailed massive upsets, including huge wins by No. 13 Furman over No. 4 Virginia and No. 10 Penn State over No. 7 Texas A&M. The model has beaten over 92% of all CBS Sports bracket players in three of the past five tournaments.
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 March Madness bracket upset picks
One Midwest Region surprise the model has identified: No. 11 seed Oregon knocks off No. 6 seed South Carolina in a 4 p.m. ET matchup on Thursday. South Carolina is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017, and Lamont Paris is getting set for just the second NCAA Tournament game of his career. The Gamecocks were picked to finish dead last in the preseason SEC poll, but they used 23 comeback wins to exceed all expectations.
Oregon has significantly more NCAA Tournament experience in recent years, making the Sweet 16 four times in the last seven tournaments. The Ducks have won six straight first-round games under head coach Dana Altman, and they are coming off a Pac-12 Tournament title. South Carolina is coming off a blowout loss to Auburn in the SEC Tournament, so these teams are trending in opposite directions heading into this matchup.
Another Midwest Region surprise the model has identified: No. 5 seed Gonzaga upsets No. 4 seed Kansas to advance to the Sweet 16. The Jayhawks entered the season as one of the top contenders to cut down the nets in Arizona, but have battled injuries and inconsistent play all season. Bill Self is a Hall of Fame coach, but he could be without his top two players. Kevin McCullar (knee) is out, while Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson (shoulder) is questionable.
Gonzaga uncharacteristically found themselves on the NCAA Tournament bubble in February, but were able to put together a strong run to close out the season. The Bulldogs won nine straight games to close out the regular season before losing to St. Mary’s in the West Coast Conference title game. The Zags are one of the top offensive teams in the country, averaging 84.9 points per game with forward Graham Ike leading the way with per game averages of 16.5 points and 7.2 rebounds. See which other 2024 March Madness matchups to target here.
How to make 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket predictions
Who wins every tournament-defining matchup? And which teams will make surprising runs through the 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket? 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 to see which 12-seed reaches the Sweet 16, and which region features a 10-seed, 11-seed, and 13-seed delivering first-round shockers and has a 9-seed in the Elite Eight, all from the model that has beaten 92% of bracket players three of the last five tournaments.
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