SBD’s Expert March Madness Brackets and Picks for the 2024 NCAA Tournament

SBD’s experts have filled out their 2024 NCAA Tournament bracketsSee which upsets the experts are picking in the early roundsWho do they see winning the 2024 March Madness championship?

After the First Four on Tuesday, March 19, and Wednesday, March 20, the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament will officially commence on Thursday, March 21.

Fairweather college basketball fans the nation over have until noon ET on Thursday to fill out their brackets and enter the pool of their choice.

As we do every year,  SBD’s experts have compiled all of their brackets in one handy spot. Use the links below to jump directly to a bracket. The table under the links summarizes the main points of each expert’s bracket.

Jump to:   Sascha Paruk’s Bracket |  Zach Reger’s Bracket |   Ian Jones’ Bracket  | Matthew Eichhorn’s Bracket

SBD Expert March Madness Picks 2024

Sascha Paruk’s March Madness Bracket

I have loved the upside of this Creighton team since day one (actually since last year). The Bluejays aren’t deep but their starting five is as good as any in the country. They finished the regular season winning seven of eight, including double-digit wins over UConn (85-66) and Marquette (89-75) before a subpar showing against Providence in the Big East Tournament (78-73 loss).

I have no concerns about that setback snowballing. Greg McDermott returns the top-three scorers (Baylor Scheierman, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Trey Alexander) from a team that reached the Elite Eight last season as a #6 seed, beating #11 NC State (72-63) and #3 Baylor (85-76) before snuffing out #15 Princeton’s Cinderella run (86-75). They bowed out to eventual national runner-up San Diego State in a 57-56 heartbreaker.

My biggest first-round upset is one that’s not on many people’s radar: #13 Charleston over #4 Alabama. This is the Cougars’ second straight trip to the dance, and they gave San Diego State all they could handle in the first round last year, falling 57-53 in a game that was tied at 53 with three minutes to play. A lot of last year’s significant contributors are back, including guard Reyne Smith (12.8 PPG) and forward Ante Brzovic (12.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG).

Alabama is a fast-paced, three-point-happy team that launches 46.9% of its shots from beyond the arc (19th-most in DI). When their shots are falling, they can beat any team in the nation. When they’re not, you wind up with ugly losses. Five of Bama’s 11 setbacks this season came by at least 13 points. Charleston defends the three-point line fairly well (33.8%) and was 17th in the nation in that category last year (30.1%).

Zach Reger’s March Madness Bracket

Houston did not miss a step in their first season in the Big 12. They finished 30-4, won the regular season title, and lost in the Big 12 Championship game. They have everything a March Madness champion needs: tournament experience, a suffocating defense, and excellent guard play. This year’s Houston team differs from others due to their offense. Jamal Shead has taken a big step forward this season, and Baylor transfer LJ Cryer has given the Cougars a much-needed spark on offense while still being able to play strong defense.

At least one #13 seed has beaten a #4 seed in 27 of 38 tournaments, and there are two I like this year. The bigger upset is Vermont (+550 ML) over Duke in the South Region. Duke has been vulnerable, especially late in the season. They get a tough draw against a Vermont team that is making their third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. Vermont is hungry to force an upset, has a defense that could cause fits for Duke, and can shoot the ball well from behind the arc.

The other #13 seed is Samford (+260 ML) over Kansas in the Midwest. Samford can score fast and often, and they use a lot of different players to keep their legs fresh. Kansas has been without their top two stars (Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar) and, even though they should play in the tournament, they might not be at the level they’re used to. Samford’s ability to force turnovers could be just enough to give the Jayhawks a run for their money.

Matthew Eichhorn’s March Madness Bracket

I don’t see any way that this tournament doesn’t end up with the Huskies going back-to-back. Easily the best two-way team in college hoops this season, I simply can’t pick against them, regardless of the matchup.

It won’t all be chalk this March Madness, however.  I foresee a deep run in store for James Madison, a team that has tremendous skill, but also a style that will act as kryptonite to some of the top-seeds in this year’s tournament.

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Ian Jones’ March Madness Bracket