NCAA March Madness 2024 bracket: Looking at the projected top 5 ranked teams as per experts, surprise picks, and more

Modified Feb 14, 2024 13:26 GMT

USC v Arizona State - the NCAA championship trophy

NCAA March Madness 2024 is just around the corner, and things are getting heated for teams looking to catch the last few tickets to the tournament. People are also starting to name the teams they're picking to make the tournament and who's going to be left out of the excitement for another year.

In this article, we explore what these folks, specifically the most respected college hoops analysts, think would be the teams that would make it. So without further ado, let's begin.

Joe Lunardi's (ESPN) top five teams for 2024 March madness bracket

ESPN's Bracketology is back for its 30th year, and a handful of familiar teams from last year are once more topping the field.

Here's what analyst Joe Lunardi believes are the top five teams heading into this year's college basketball postseason:

#1 Purdue

Lunardi picks the Boilermakers as the top overall seed despite strong opposition from teams like Arizona and UConn. Star center Zach Edey will once more look to lead his team as they rebound from the sting of last year's defeat to Fairleigh Dickinson.

#2 Arizona

The Wildcats will lead the western bracket in LA after having a stellar run all year, even if they have had relatively modest success in Quad 1 and Quad 2 wins.

#3 Connecticut

The Huskies share a similar overall record with the Boilermakers (22-2) and top this list's eastern bracket in Boston. They've won nine of their last 10 and are climbing numerous Power Rankings rapidly as well.

#4 Houston

The Cougars have the highest Net ranking (via BBall.net) owing to their strong Quad 4 performances.

#5 UNC

All year, the Tar Heels have dominated behind strong play from stars RJ Davis and Armando Bacot.

However, things have noticeably slowed down for UNC close to the end of the regular season, falling out of contention for the top overall seed with a few big losses, the most recent one being to Syracuse.

Andy Katz (NCAA.com) top five teams for 2024 March Madness

For Andy Katz' version of Bracketology, things will look a little familiar as well. His automatic qualifiers list are mostly similar, with Purdue, Houston, UConn, Arizona and UNC topping the bids. As such, here are the next few teams in line:

Tennessee

Dalton Knecht's extremely impressive play has led the Vols all year to at least get a chance at a bid for the postseason.

The Vols themselves didn't have much success in terms of Net ranking with a few losses to top teams as expected. But they will sneak in as long as they finish their regular season strong as well.

Kansas

With star center Hunter Dickinson, the Jayhawks could at least secure either a 2 or 3 seed when the regular season is over. The only reason they're a bit further down is their most recent 70-59 loss to Texas Tech that did a number on their Net ranking.

Marquette

Quad 1 has been quite kind to Marquette, with them landing good wins over Illinois, Creighton and Villanova. They also had an excellent run in Quad 4, further bumping their Net ranking up and into the top 10.

Alabama

When it comes to Net ranking, the Crimson Tide has had a poor performance in Quad 1, with their most stinging defeat being a 71-91 loss to Tennessee. But that wouldn't deter them from going into March Madness at all if things fall in place.

Auburn

For the Tigers, they've had more Net ranking success with their Quad 4 performance against any other quadrants.

AP Poll Top 25 Week No. 15

Now that the picks for the best teams heading into March Madness 2024 are laid out, here's the most updated AP Poll Top 25 through week 15 of college basketball action, in descending order: