Men's Bracketology: 2024 NCAA Tournament

By Joe Lunardi Updated: 3/16/2024 at 10:30 a.m. ET

Bracketology is in its 30th season on ESPN. From now until Selection Sunday on March 17, we'll keep you up to date on the postseason chances and projection of your favorite teams. We will culminate with daily updates throughout Champion Week, all with an eye toward the 2024 NCAA men's basketball tournament.

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Bracket Watch

The No. 1 seeds for the NCAA tournament are set. North Carolina clinched its spot on the top line Friday, outlasting Pitt in the ACC semifinals after Tennessee laid an egg against Mississippi State in its SEC tournament opener and Arizona did the same against Oregon in the Pac-12. The Tar Heels will head to the West, via Charlotte, when the main bracket gets underway on Thursday. Still to be determined is the order of the other top seeds: Purdue, Houston and UConn. It says here that Houston will claim the No. 1 overall seed Saturday night if it wins the Big 12 tournament, having already captured the regular-season title outright and claimed the nation's No. 1 ranking. This scenario also takes the selection committee off the hook from having to wait out a potential late Sunday afternoon game involving Purdue. UConn coach Dan Hurley will probably act disrespected at not being first overall, but the defending champions also get what they want: a friendly East Region path of Brooklyn and Boston.

On the Bubble

Last Four Byes

Last Four In

First Four Out

Next Four Out

68-Team Bracket

MIDWEST (DETROIT)

Indianapolis

Spokane

Memphis

Omaha

WEST (LOS ANGELES)

Charlotte

Salt Lake

Omaha

Salt Lake

SOUTH (DALLAS)

Memphis

Pittsburgh

Indianapolis

EAST (BOSTON)

Brooklyn

Spokane

Brooklyn

Charlotte

Conference Breakdown

Conference

Team

Photo illo by ESPN Illustration, additional photos courtesy of Getty Images, Associated Press, Imagn, USA TODAY Sports, Icon Sportswire, EPA/Shutterstock

RULES

ESPN's Bracketology efforts are focused on projecting the NCAA tournament field just as we expect the NCAA Division I basketball committee to select the field in March. ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi uses the same data points favored by the committee, including strength of schedule and other season-long indicators, including the NET and team-sheet data similar to what is available to the NCAA, in his projections of the field. Visit the NCAA's website for a fuller understanding of NCAA selection criteria.

68-Team Bracket

The 68-team bracket is the standard version of the NCAA tournament field that has been in place since 2011. If the 2021 field is comprised of 68 teams, there will be some key differences to past years, however.

The primary adjustment from a normal year is, of course, the playing of the entire NCAA tournament at a single site. This eliminates the need for geographical considerations in seeding. Additionally, there will be at least one fewer automatic qualifier this season, as the Ivy League's decision to forgo the 2020-21 season reduces the number of AQ entries to 31 for this season.

48-Team Bracket

In this projection, a condensed selection process would reduce the field by 10 at-large teams and 10 automatic qualifiers (the latter of which still receive a revenue unit). The top four seeds in each region would receive a bye into the second round, with four first-round games per region - 5 vs. 12, 6 vs. 11, 7 vs. 10 and 8 vs. 9 - being played without fans on the higher seed's home court.

To minimize travel, first-round pairings will be guided by geography to the greatest extent possible. And the reduced field results in only 32 teams competing at the central site. All participants must post a minimum .500 conference record - the "Lunardi Rule" - for at-large consideration.

16-Team Bracket

In this projection, the committee selects and seeds the 16 best available teams. There are no automatic qualifiers, although all non-competing conference champions receive the designated revenue unit.

To maintain some sense of national balance, conference participation is capped at four teams. And no region shall have more than one team from the same conference.

ESPN

Bracket Watch

Top Overall Seed

First Team Out

Last Team In

On the Bubble

Last Four Byes

Last Four In

First Four Out

Next Four Out

68-Team Bracket

MIDWEST (DETROIT)

Indianapolis

Spokane

Memphis

Omaha

WEST (LOS ANGELES)

Charlotte

Salt Lake

Omaha

Salt Lake

SOUTH (DALLAS)

Memphis

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh

Indianapolis

EAST (BOSTON)

Brooklyn

Spokane

Brooklyn

Charlotte

Conference Breakdown

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