NCAA bracket predictions: Model reveals surprising March Madness 2024 tournament picks

After making the Sweet 16 in four straight NCAA tournaments, the Houston Cougars are once again a No. 1 seed in the 2024 March Madness bracket. The Big 12 regular-season champions were blown out by Iowa State in the Big 12 tournament title game, but still built up more than enough clout in the eyes of the 2024 NCAA Tournament selection committee to earn the No. 1 seed in the South. The Cougars will open March Madness 2024 against No. 16 seed Longwood and could match up with bluebloods like Duke and Kentucky in the 2024 NCAA bracket.

With millions feverishly filling out their 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket, Houston could be a popular pick to win it all. Can you trust the Cougars to make a deep run in the March Madness bracket 2024 and which teams should you pencil in as you complete your 2024 March Madness bracket picks? Before making any 2024 March Madness bracket predictions, be sure to check out the 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket picks from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

Their proven projection model has simulated every game in the tournament 10,000 times. It has absolutely crushed its March Madness picks recently, beating over 92 percent of all CBS Sports brackets 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. There’s simply no reason to rely on luck when there’s proven technology to help you dominate your 2024 March Madness picks. 

Now, with the 2024 NCAA bracket revealed, the model is simulating the matchups and its results are in. You can only see it over at SportsLine.

Three 2024 March Madness bracket games to watchOne of the most intriguing 2024 March Madness matchups to watch: No. 8 seed Florida Atlantic will take on No. 9 seed Northwestern in the East Region. Now in his sixth season at FAU, Dusty May is coming off a dream season that concluded with a shocking Final Four run and returned over 90% of his overall production this season. The Owls piled up 25 wins, including a marquee win over Arizona on a neutral floor. Meanwhile, Northwestern finished third in the Big Ten regular-season standings and is led by fifth-year senior Boo Buie. The guard averaged 19.2 points and 5.1 assists per game this season and has been pivotal in leading the Wildcats to a second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

Another 2024 March Madness matchup to keep an eye on: No. 5 seed San Diego State will match up with No. 12 seed UAB in the East. Head coach Brian Dutcher has helped turn San Diego State into one of the best programs in the country and the Aztecs took the next step as a program with their first Final Four appearance last season. San Diego State lost the national championship game to UConn and had to replace nearly 50% of its scoring. Meanwhile, UAB missed the NCAA tournament last year despite winning 25 games and then lost the NIT final to North Texas. Now it’s back in the NCAA tournament bracket after winning the 2024 AAC Conference Tournament in its first season after joining the conference.

Another 2024 March Madness matchup to watch out for: No. 4 seed Auburn will battle No. 13 seed Yale in the East Region. Bruce Pearl led the Tigers to the 2024 SEC Tournament championship and now Auburn will make its fifth appearance in the March Madness bracket in the last six seasons. Pearl led the Tigers to the Final Four in 2019, but his team hasn’t made it to the Sweet 16 since. Yale also won its conference tournament this season and has five players averaging in double-figures. Danny Wolf averaged 14.5 points and 9.7 rebounds per game this season and the 7-footer could be a matchup problem for a relatively small Auburn lineup. You can see the model’s 2024 NCAA bracket picks here.

How to make 2024 NCAA bracket predictionsWho 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 now to see which double-digit seeds you can back with confidence, all from the model that’s called 20 upsets by double-digit seeds.