March Madness is college basketball’s premier end of season tournament. Every year 68 of the best college basketball teams get selected to be a part of the tournament. Selection for this year’s men’s and women’s tournaments happened on Sunday March 17th. Here is your preview on what teams are in, what teams are out, and who you should pick to cut down the nets in April.
Let’s start with the men’s bracket. The University of Connecticut(UConn) is going into the tournament as the top overall seed and are the team with the highest odds to win it. UConn sits at +500 odds to win the tournament with Houston coming in behind them at +600, and then Purdue at +700. The other top teams likely to win the tournament are Arizona, North Carolina, Tennessee, Creighton, Auburn, and Marquette.
Now, what teams just missed out on making the tournament. Indiana State, Providence, Seton Hall, and St. John’s just missed out on making the tournament. The last eight teams who will have to play their way into the tournament on the 19th and the 20th are Howard, Wagner, Colorado State, Virginia, Grambling, Montana State, Colorado, and Boise State.
Only one Virginia school secured their spot in the tournament. James Madison won the Sun Belt Championship and punched their ticket into March Madness. The University of Virginia and D.C school Howard will both play in the first four tournament to hopefully gain a spot as one of the 64 teams competing in March Madness this year.
The men’s tournament this year should be very entertaining. Big upsets shouldn’t be unexpected in this year’s tournament and any of the 68 teams participating in the tournament have a shot at winning. With teams like UConn trying to go back to back, or teams like Purdue, keen on showing that their surprise first round exit last year was a one time thing, this year’s tournament should be one for the ages.
In the women’s bracket the top overall seed is South Carolina, who made the final four last year. South Carolina also has the best odds to win at -135. Behind them is Iowa at +700 and then defending champions LSU at +750. Other top teams are Stanford, Texas, Ohio State, Connecticut, UCLA, USC, and NC State.
The last eight teams who will have to play in the first four tournament are Sacred Heart, Presbyterian, Holy Cross, UT Martin, Auburn, Arizona, Vanderbilt, and Columbia. Teams who just missed out on the tournament were Villanova, Penn State, Washington State, and Mississippi State.
The Virginia teams that made the women’s tournament are Richmond, Virginia Tech, and Norfolk State. No other Virginia or D.C schools made it, however, the University of Maryland made the bracket and could potentially play Norfolk State in the second round.
The women’s tournament should be very interesting this year. Most eyes will be on the Iowa Hawkeyes and Caitlin Clark to see if one of the greatest players in NCAA women’s history can get her ring before she leaves for the WNBA. There are so many competitive teams in the women’s bracket who have a great shot at winning the tournament that it is hard to confidently predict a winner.
Both the men’s and women’s tournaments are bound to be entertaining and have some very dramatic moments. The 2024 editions of the tournaments are going to be as competitive as ever. If you want to be a part of the tournament, make sure to fill out your bracket for the WP Wire’s Bracket Challenge. You can do so by visiting the All Students Schoology page and Mrs. Babic’s announcement in the updates section. For more information about the Wp Wire’s Bracket Challenge make sure to go read this story at https://thewpwire.org/8561/sports/march-madness-bracket-challenge-begins/
