After months of arguing, predicting and hooping, Selection Sunday finally arrived to give college basketball fans the one thing they want all year: A bracket.
So naturally it’s time for more arguments and predictions as we await the greatest tournament in all of basketball. The 2024 men’s NCAA tournament will kick off on Tuesday with the First Four as 68 teams fight to reach the Final Four in Phoenix. To help you fill out your bracket, we’ve gone ahead and looked into the future to see which upsets are total locks for each region in the Round of 64.
Go ahead and make these picks with confidence and thank us later.
All odds via BetMGM
IT’S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s NCAA tournament bracket contest for a chance at $1 million prize.
East: No. 10 Drake over No. 7 Washington State
Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s Tucker DeVries Time. Drake (+1.5) upsetting Washington State shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone who watched the Bulldogs this year. The junior guard — and son of Drake head coach Darian DeVries — averages 21.8 points per game and has already helped his team take down the likes of fellow tournament teams Oakland, Nevada and Grambling — not to mention two wins against the egregiously snubbed Indiana State Sycamores. Watch out for the Bulldogs.
West: No. 11 New Mexico over No. 6 Clemson
(Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)
A nice and obvious KenPom upset here. Clemson ranks No. 34 in KenPom’s celebrated Adjusted Efficiency Margin while New Mexico (-1.5) is up at No. 23. The Lobos are also ranked significantly higher in adjusted defense (41) and adjusted tempo (8) than Clemson. The Tigers are destined for an early exit.
South: No. 14 Oakland over No. 3 Kentucky
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Get ready to hear the names Blake Lampman and Jack Gohlke a lot when Oakland (+12.5) takes on Kentucky in the first round this week. They are going to test the Kentucky defense unlike any other shooters this season. Per FTW’s Bryan Kalbrosky, the two are the best long-range shooters in the NCAA tournament with both averaging better than 35 percent from beyond the NBA 3-point line. Offense like that can really disrupt a Kentucky program that’s already picked up losses against strong shooting teams like Tennessee, Alabama and Florida.
SURVIVOR POOL: Free to enter. $2,500 to win. Can you survive the madness?
Midwest: No. 12 McNeese State over No. 5 Gonzaga
(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
This is not your typical Gonzaga team. In fact, the Zags hardly resemble the March disruptors you’ve come to know and love. Despite going 18-6 on the season, the Bulldogs have losses to Washington, San Diego State and Santa Clara. McNeese (+5.5), meanwhile, went 30-3 this year in large part thanks to guard Shahada Wells (17.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists) shoots 47.5 percent from the field. But Wells isn’t the only Cowboy to fear. Four of their five starters average double digit scoring. The Zags are in trouble.
