The 2024 March Madness is upon us, as we are getting into the peak period of college basketball this season. The NCAA playoffs are starting this Tuesday with the First Four, with the final game to be played on April 8. The UConn Huskies are the defending champions after beating the San Diego State Aztecs in the 2023 National Championship Game.
| ℹ️ Tournament: | 2024 NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament (2024 March Madness) |
| 🏟️ Venues: | Venues across the United States |
| 🗓️ Dates: | 19 March – 8 April 2024 |
The 2024 NCAA playoffs bracket is set and ready for another exciting year of the men’s college basketball season. The March Madness tournament will kick off on March 19 with the First Four, as the Final Four will be played on April 6, while the championship game will be held on April 8 at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, United States.
The Connecticut Huskies won their fifth championship last year by defeating the San Diego State Aztecs. They are also the favorites to win back-to-back titles, which hasn’t happened to any team since 2007. The NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament this season will be an exciting one, with a lot of surprises, as usual in March Madness.
The NCAA playoffs consist of 68 teams every year. The 32 winners of each conference in the regular season qualify directly for March Madness, while the NCAA Selection Committee determines the remaining 36 teams. All the teams in the NCAA playoff bracket are seeded from 1 to 68 before the start of the tournament, and the format of the competition is single-elimination games until one team wins the championship.
The UCLA Bruins have won the most NCAA championships by any college basketball team (11). The Kentucky Wildcats have won eight titles, while the North Carolina Tar Heels come in third with six championships.
The UConn Huskies had a great 31-3 regular-season record to win their first Big East title since 2011. The Houston Cougars won their first-ever Big 12 regular-season title, as they joined the conference for the first time this season and won it on their first try.
Here’s a look at the latest 2024 NCAA playoffs odds and top-five favorites to win the championship this season, according to the best college basketball bookies:
The UConn Huskies will have realistic winning chances, given how good they have been this season. The Huskies had a great regular season record of 31-3 in the Big East Conference, which made them the No. 1 ranked team this season. The UConn are drawn into a tough quarter in the East Region, as they could get into potential clashes with teams like the Iowa State Cyclones, the Illinois Fighting Illini, and the Auburn Tigers.
The Houston Cougars finished their first-ever Big 12 regular season with a pretty good 30-4 record. They have reached the NCAA Final Four six times before but are yet to win their first championship. The Cougars will play in the South Region this season, and they will face the Longwood Lancers in the first round. The 2024 NCAA playoffs betting odds have them as second favorites to win the title, as they have been great all season.
The Purdue Boilermakers haven’t reached the NCAA Final Four in 43 years, and they are also yet to win their first national championship. The Boilermakers finished at the top of the Top Ten Conference with a 29-4 record this season. They have won 15 of their last 17 games, and they are in great form to do some damage in the playoffs this time. Purdue got upset in the first round last year by losing to the No. 16 seed, Fairleigh Dickinson Knight, so they will try to do better this time.
The Arizona Wildcats finished on top of the Pac-12 Conference with a 25-8 regular-season record. The Wildcats are the No. 2 seed in the West Region, and they have some pretty good players this season. In his first year with the team, Caleb Love won the Pac-12 Player of the Year Award, and he led the Wildcats to a lot of wins so far this season. Arizona has reached the NCAA Final Four four times, and they have won the championship only once, which was in 1997.
The North Carolina Tar Heels are also in the West Region with the Arizona Wildcats. They are the No. 1 seed in this quarter of the draw after winning the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season. The Tar Heels had a pretty good regular-season record of 27-7, and they were on an eight-game winning streak before losing to NC State in their last match. They have won the third-most championships of any college team (6).
Let’s start with predicting the winner of the whole NCAA season:
Purdue Boilermakers to Win Outright @ 8.50 (15/2)
2 (100%)
0
The Purdue Boilermakers look different this year, as they have been playing some great basketball throughout the season. The National Player of the Year, Zach Edey, is having another great year in his career, and he will be one of the best players in this tournament. The Boilermakers also have some experienced guards like Fletcher Loyer, Lance Jones, and Braden Smith.
The latest NCAA betting odds have the Purdue Boilermakers as the third favorites to win the title. They will have great winning chances if they improve more defensively, but having Zach Edey on their side will be a huge advantage for them.
Auburn Tigers to Win East Region @ 6.0 (5/1)
2 (100%)
0
The Auburn Tigers are the No. 4 seed in the East Region. They have been pretty consistent this year, as they finished on top of the Southeastern Conference with a 27-7 record. They are currently on a six-game winning streak, and it doesn’t look like they will be stopped soon.
The Tigers are big favorites to beat the Yale Bulldogs in the first round, and they are expected to have a big clash with the UConn Huskies in the Sweet 16. The bookies love the Huskies in this region, but it will be tough for them to win it in back-to-back seasons, especially against a balanced team like the Tigers.
Houston Cougars to Win South Region @ 2.40 (7/5)
2 (100%)
0
The Houston Cougars are arguably the most consistent team this season. They dominated the hardest conference by finishing on top of the Big 12 with 30 wins and only four losses. The Cougars have won 11 of their last 12 games, and they have won most of those games with ease. Marquette will be the toughest team that can face Houston in the South Region, but the Cougars are much better in most aspects of this matchup. It will be a big upset if the Cougars don’t make it to the Final Four.
NC State (+5) Points Handicap vs Texas Tech @ 1.95 (Evs)
2 (100%)
0
The sportsbook live betting odds have the NC State Wolfpack as underdogs in this matchup. The Texas Tech Red Raiders will be playing at home, but it won’t be an easy game for them, as the Wolfpack are in great form right now. The NC State Wolfpack are on a five-game winning streak, and they have won four straight games as underdogs, beating teams like the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Duke Blue Devils. The Red Raiders lost three of their last seven games, so NC State can definitely make it a close matchup.
The best three weeks of college basketball action of the year are finally here, and we will go with the Purdue Boilermakers to win the championship. Make sure you use our 2023-24 NCAA playoff betting tips and bet them at the best US sportsbooks and sports betting apps to have more fun watching the event.
