Men's NCAA Tournament 2024: 10 bold predictions for March Madness
All No. 1 seeds going to the Final Four? No Cinderella runs?
What's the fun in that?
The NCAA men's tournament is all about chaos and unpredictability. There are sure to be upsets And if there was one lesson to learn from last season's edition, it's that nothing is guaranteed and anything can happen. We saw at the second No. 16 seed win over No. 1 seed in tournament history and no No. 1 seeds made it to the Elite Eight. These predictions may sound crazy − and it's very unlikely they all are correct − but with the unexpected nature of the tournament, who's to say they can't happen?
Here are bold predictions that you can − or don't have to − use to help fill our your bracket:
1. Purdue falters again, Matt Painter is out of a job
Matt Painter has had great success in his 19 season at Purdue, but the one thing he hasn't been able to achieve is getting to the Final Four. After last year's embarrassing loss to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson, the Boilermakers need to make it to State Farm Stadium for any redemption. But even with another loaded roster, Purdue once again falls short of making its first Final Four since 1980, and the disappointment mixed with the departure of Zach Edey leads to the school deciding to look for another coach to finally get them over the hump.
2. Kansas gets bounced in the first round
It's been nearly 20 years since Bill Self and Kansas didn't win at least one tournament game, but the Jayhawks will be one-and-done this time around.
The preseason No. 1 team limped to the end of the regular season as they dealt with injuries, losing four of their last five including a 20-point loss to Cincinnati in the Big 12 tournament. If Kansas wants any success this tournament, it needs Kevin McCullar Jr. and Hunter Dickinson back and healthy. But whether they do or don't play, the funk the Jayhawks are in continues. Samford is one of the best scoring teams in the country, and it gets its first tournament win in program history by bouncing the Jayhawks.
BREAKDOWNS: East Region | Midwest Region | South Region | West Region
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3. Multiple double-digit seeded teams make Sweet 16
Last season, No. 15 seed Princeton was the only double-digit seed to make the Sweet 16, but this year there will be more than that make it to the second weekend There are several great candidates that are primed to make some upsets happen, including New Mexico, James Madison, McNeese State and Oregon, all teams that had to win their conference tournaments just to make the field. Don't expect it to be all chalk in the Sweet 16, and with some squads pulling off two upsets in the first weekend.
4. All six Mountain West teams make the second round
The Mountain West barely got six teams into the NCAA Tournament, with two of them having to play in the First Four. Still, it feels like the conference isn't getting enough respect nationally even with San Diego State's national championship game appearance last season. After the Aztecs were the only team to get out of the first round last season, all six Mountain West teams make it to the round of 32, flexing its muscle at every conference.
5. Record for most points scored in NCAA Tournament game gets broken
When Loyola Marymount beat Michigan 149-115 in 1990 for a combined 264 total points, few probably thought that number could be broken. But there is a real good chance that record gets broken if Alabama and Arizona meet in the Elite Eight of the West region. Alabama leads Division I with 90.8 points per game and Arizona is third with 87.9. Even better, the Crimson Tide have the sixth worst scoring defense with 81.1 points given up per game, and the Wildcats aren't that great either with their 72.2 points given up per game ranking 190th. If these two get on the court together, it'll look like the NBA All-Star Game with points coming left and right to break the record for most combined points in an NCAA Tournament game.
6. We get a first-time Final Four team
Three teams made their first Final Four last season, and while there won't be as many this time around, at least one team will get to experience the Final Four for the first time in Arizona. There are several great candidates to do so, most notably ranging from Alabama, Tennessee , Brigham Young, Saint Mary's and Creighton. Don't be all surprised if we get two first time Final Four squads either.
7. Even with eight teams, SEC gets shutout of Final Four
Forget what was just said about Alabama and Tennessee. After tying with the Big 12 for the most teams in the tournament with eight, the SEC once again fails to get anyone in the Final Four, with it not getting a team in since 2019. It should get a good amount of teams that get close, but high seeds like the Crimson Tide, Volunteers and Kentucky fall just short of making it to State Farm Stadium.
8. Final Four team picks up player in transfer portal during tournament
Before any tournament games kicked off, the transfer portal opened with hundreds of playing deciding to take their talents elsewhere for the 2024-25 season. With how chaotic the process has gotten and players shopping around of where they want to play, a team that makes the Final Four becomes a popular choice. Whoever that team is, they get at least one big time transfer that makes them an immediate title favorite for next season the moment "One Shining Moment" caps off this year's tournament.
9. The Pac-12 gets one last Final Four team
This is the last year of the Pac-12, and just like how it was able to do in football, it gets one team in the Final Four as its last hoorah. The "Conference of Champions" has good candidates deliver its sendoff, most notably with an Arizona team capable of beating down any team and Washington State, who has proven it can beat highly talent teams. Colorado can go from First Four to Final Four like UCLA in 2021, and Dana Altman has his Oregon team playing high level basketball on its run to the NCAA tournament. So when it comes time for the Final Four, the Pac-12 can get celebrated one last time before it ceases to exist as we know it.
10. Connecticut wins every game in double-digits en route to back-to-back national championships
It sounds boring and obvious to pick Connecticut to repeat as national champions, but they have the looks of the 2006-07 Florida team that was destined to win back-to-back titles. Since then, no previous champion has been able to do what the Gators did, but the Huskies have all the looks of a team that can dominate its way to another championship. No matter who it faces, Connecticut rolls by every team it plays as it hoists the national championship trophy for the second-straight season, and put itself in consideration for one of the best NCAA Tournament teams ever.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness 2024: Bold predictions for NCAA Tournament
