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

The 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket has been revealed and first-round play begins on Thursday at 12:15 p.m. ET with a No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchup as Mississippi State takes on Michigan State. North Carolina, Arizona, Baylor and Alabama are the top four seeds in that region, but who can you bank on to cut down the nets in the 2024 March Madness bracket? Acing your 2024 March Madness bracket picks is all about striking the right balance to identify potential 2024 March Madness bracket busters and nail down the teams with true Final Four potential.

With millions of people filling out their 2024 NCAA bracket between now and the start of play on Thursday, finding a few differentiating points is also always a challenge. How can you give yourself an edge over friends, family and co-workers as you enter 2024 NCAA Tournament 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. 5 San Diego State versus No. 12 UAB. Another Final Four team from last year, San Diego State lost to UConn in the national championship, but had to replace over half of its production. Bench player Jaedon Ledee stepped up, averaging 21.1 points and 8.4 rebounds in his first year as a starter. Meanwhile, UAB topped the 20-win mark for the fourth time in four seasons since Andy Kennedy took over and will make their second 2024 NCAA Tournament appearance in three years. The Blazers made it to the NIT final after being left out of last year’s NCAA Tournament field despite winning 25 games.

Another 2024 March Madness matchup to keep an eye on is No. 8 Florida Atlantic vs. No. 9 Northwestern in the East Region. Florida Atlantic welcomed back 90% of its production from a team that made the Final Four this year and played a tougher schedule in 2023-24 after making the jump to the AAC. However, Northwestern will be the more battle-tested team after tying for third in the Big Ten. Boo Buie led the Wildcats to their second straight nCAA Tournament appearance after averaging 19.2 points and 5.1 assists, while Johnell Davis averaged 18.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists for the Owls.

Another 2024 March Madness matchup to watch out for: No. 4 seed Auburn will battle No. 13 seed Yale in the East Region. There have been three 13-4 upsets since 2021, including Furman taking down Virginia last year. Auburn will hope to avoid that trend this year, as the Tigers roll into the NCAA Tournament 2024 off an SEC Tournament crown. Yale, however, has a recent track record of being a tough out in March Madness. The Bulldogs lost by just five points to No. 3 seed LSU in 2019 and knocked off No. 5 seed Baylor in 2016. 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.