NCAA Basketball Tournament 2024: Surprising bracket upset picks, games, advice, strategy, predictions
The West Region of the 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket is loaded with title-winning programs like North Carolina, Michigan State, Baylor and Arizona, but Saint Mary’s has something none of them have. The school is undefeated over its last eight games away from home, as the Gaels are 8-0 both straight-up and against the spread in road and neutral site games during that stretch. A trend like that could certainly come in handy if you’re using Saint Mary’s in any 2024 March Madness upset picks for the NCAA Basketball Tournament 2024. The Gaels’ No. 5 seed is tied for the highest of any mid-major in the 2024 March Madness bracket, but they’re still being overlooked.
The team boasts the No. 2 scoring defense in the sport and has won 18 of its last 19 games. The 2024 NCAA Tournament consists of nothing but games away from home, so how long will this streak last for Saint Mary’s? Before making any predictions for games in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, see the March Madness bracket picks from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
SportsLine’s projection model has simulated every game in the tournament 10,000 times. It has absolutely crushed its March Madness picks recently, beating over 92% of all CBS Sports brackets in three of the past five tournaments. In an upset-laden 2023 NCAA Tournament, the model was all over UConn’s shocking Final Four run as a 4-seed. It went an amazing 23-9 in the first round, including an astounding 12-4 in the Midwest and West regions.
It knows how to spot an upset as well. The same model has produced brackets that have nailed 20 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds since its inception in 2016.
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 NCAA Basketball Tournament bracket upset picks
One Midwest Region surprise the model has identified: No. 5 Gonzaga gets past No. 12 seed McNeese State and then beats No. 4 Kansas in the Round of 32. Gonzaga endured a tough middle part of the season to win 14 of its last 16 games. It’s your typical uber-efficient offensive unit for the Zags, who rank second in the country in field goal percentage (51.6) and also have a pair of players shooting over 40% from beyond the arc, Anton Watson and Nolan Hickman.
The one who truly makes the offense go is point guard Ryan Nembhard, who ranks in the top 10 among players in the 2024 NCAA Tournament in assist-to-turnover ratio. He has a 33:5 ratio over his last three games, logging double-doubles in each. Potentially facing a Kansas team that just lost its leading scorer due to injury, Gonzaga will try to make this game a track meet with Nembhard controlling the game’s flow. The Jayhawks simply won’t be able to match Gonzaga’s firepower, as Kansas is both undermanned and ill-equipped to win a shootout after it finished last in the Big 12 in made 3-pointers.
Another surprise from the Midwest Region: No. 3 Creighton runs the table in the region, getting past No. 2 Tennessee and No. 1 Purdue as the Bluejays punch their ticket to the Final Four in Phoenix. Senior guard Baylor Scheierman is at the center of nearly everything the Bluejays do, leading the team in scoring (18.4), rebounds (9.0), and blocks (3.0) while adding four assists per game. The 6-foot-7 shooter averages more than three made 3-pointers per game this season and made 18 triples over his final four games of the season. Going on a run in the NCAA Tournament bracket 2024 can happen by a shooter getting hot at the right time, and Scheierman has that capability.
Tennessee ranked 168th in the country in shooting percentage. Despite making seven straight NCAA Tournaments as a No. 4 seed or better, Purdue has never reached the Final Four. This leaves the model favoring Creighton to reach the Final Four. See which other 2024 March Madness upsets to target here.
How to make 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket predictions
SportsLine’s model is also predicting a stunning 4-seed that will reach the Final Four and has one region where the 1- and 3-seeds go down hard before the Elite Eight. 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 now to see which region the 1- and 3-seeds go down in flames before the Elite Eight, and which region features a 4-seed in the Final Four, all from the model that has beaten 92% of bracket players three of the last five tournaments.
