But they also play in the WCC, where they have the best defensive turnover rate at 120th. But that's exactly what Kansas has done, notching a record 17 Quad 1 wins, another Big 12 regular season crown and earning the third No. The Owls are a solid team, but the Tigers have elite athleticism and are playing like a top-10 team down the stretch. The 11.5-point spread feels right, but the over/under is a bit low. March Madness predictions 2023: Ryan Fagan's expert NCAA Tournament bracket picks, Download a blank March Madness bracket here, Vegas betting odds, favorites, sleepers to win the NCAA Tournament, Bracket Busters: Florida Atlantic, Oral Roberts, Charleston worth watching, The Best & Funniest March Madness Bracket Names. The proof is in. First No. If simple picks aren't your cup of tea, Mike DeCourcy has gone ahead and broken down all four of the bracket's regions for some in-depth analysis of the best storylines, most likely upsets and more. 4 UConn over 13 Iona Because it's early in the draft process, we'll allow anyone in the CBS Sports top 60 prospects -- projected to be drafted this year at all -- to qualify as a future pro. The Blue Devils limit opposing teams to a 30.6% mark from three-point range. MORE EXPERT PICKS: DeCourcy (Alabama)| Bender (Kansas)| Pohnl (Kansas), 1 Alabama over 16 Southeast Missouri State Xavier Wins If: The offense shows up. West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins led the Mountaineers to the 2010 Final Four along with four additional Sweet 16 appearances, so he will hope for another magical run this month. One-Sentence Synopsis: An early reminder that seeding doesn't follow predictive metrics, it'll be KenPom's No. With the First Four of the 2023 men's NCAA tournament complete, it's officially time to dive into the first-round matchups. 5 San Diego State vs. No. VCU Wins If: Its defense is disruptive enough. Kansas State Wins If: It keeps the turnovers under control. 12 Charleston over 5 San Diego State Really, though, this game is a stay away. If they were, it wouldn't be called March Madness. If I Had to Bet on Something: Under 135.5. "A lot of teams that didn't make the tourney are more than capable of winning a couple games.". PRINTABLE: Download a blank March Madness bracket here, 1 Purdue over 16 Texas Southern 12 Charleston over 4 Virginia The 2023 NCAA Tournament is finally upon us. Here is Katz's full seed list in order, from one through 68: Alberto Camargo is the lead reporter for NCAA men's and women's soccer. Alabamas too damn tough, though, to have them going any deeper. One-Sentence Synopsis: A chivalrous affair pitting an upset-minded bunch of Paladins against the stingy defense of the Cavaliers. 1 seeds to the end with your 2023 NCAA bracket picks? Research recommends making this year's Final Four so you have a chance to win it next time you're there. Kendric Davis is terrific and should be the difference-maker. The 10-7 games arent really upsets but I like Boise over Northwestern. Against this pack-line defense that was built in a lab to limit penetration and points in the paint, they will likely settle for more threes than usual. Princeton lost by two in its last two trips (2011 and 2017). The Boilermakers have non-conference wins over both Gonzaga and Duke to go along with a Big Ten win over Ohio State. The Spartans enter the Big Dance having allowed the opposition's starting shooting guard to score at least 20 in four straight games. That exciting discussion is right around the . 3 seed is imminent, but the Owls did win 16 of their final 18 games. UNC-Asheville has one star whom we'll get to momentarily. Purdue usually plays at a slow pace, but it should be a lot of quick possessions for the Boilermakers. 6-keys: media/spln/collegebasketball/reg/free/stories, at But Creighton has a Virginia-like ability to contest shots without fouling, own the defense glass and limit opponents to around 46 percent shooting inside the arc. And while FAU's offense statistically does well to avoid those momentum-shifting plays, it also has not faced a team this good. 8 Memphis over 9 Florida Atlantic The South games played in Denver are uninspiring. Opponents tally an assist on 61.0 percent of made field goals. Vermont can shoot, and it doesn't commit many turnovers. Before making any 2023 March Madness bracket predictions, be sure to check out the 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket picks from the proven computer model at SportsLine. 13 Furman in the South. The Tigers began the season on an eight-game winning streak,. Best prop bets: For those who are tired trying to pick the perfect bracket, prop bets can be a more efficient way to win money off March Madness. ET (truTV), Sacramento. Matchup: No. Our favorite first-round game? 2 Marquette vs. No. 5 Miami over 12 Drake The Musketeers are 0-7 when they score 72 points or fewer, though, and they've been held below 70 in five of their last 13 games. 8 Maryland over 9 West Virginia 8 Maryland vs. No. Utah State Wins If: KenPom is all it's cracked up to be. Matchup: No. One-Sentence Synopsis: A 31-win Cinderella team is out to prove that largely feasting on cupcakes can be a good way to prepare for a deep run in March. Shaka Smarts Marquette team is playing at an unreal level. And while Maryland has shot it well at home, it has averaged 60.8 points in its last 13 games away from home. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. The Gaels showed their true colors in their last game, getting blown out by Gonzaga. 2 Arizona over 15 Princeton, 1 Alabama over 8 Maryland Didn't do any of these types of prop bets for the Thursday slate, but this feels like an overtime game. Oral Roberts Wins If: Abmas shines and Connor Vanover owns the defensive paint. 2 UCLA over UNC-Asheville, 1 Kansas over 9 Illinois I mean, losing a guy like Jaylen Clark and possibly big man Adem Bona, too? If you're flipping channels during the regular season, you will stumble across Drake or Oral Roberts, so the public is more familiar with these lower-profile schools," Salmons said. Pittsburgh Wins If: It limits turnovers. The Zags lead the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency while Grand Canyon barely ranks in the top 200 in adjusted defensive efficiency. Still, the Aztecs rank ninth in three-point percentage allowed (29.3%). 6 TCU over 11 Arizona State Who am I to argue with an 88.9% success rate over the last 18 tournaments? VCU isn't a small team by any means, but the Rams just barely have a positive rebounding margin for the season. The Jayhawks will have a chance to avenge those two losses to Texas in one Final Four semifinal. He has worked at the USF Oracle and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. Eliminated:Purdue, Memphis, VCU, Virginia. Which it should. TSN's MARCH MADNESS HQLive NCAA bracket | TV schedule | Predictor tool. So, our next group of eliminations will be everyone left in the field who's never been part of the mythical quartet at the end. All Rights Reserved. 2 Arizona over 15 Princeton, 1 Alabama over 9 West Virginia But the Tigers have lost nine of their last 13 games, repeatedly struggling to gut out close ones. 9 Illinois over 8 Arkansas 3 Baylor over 14 UC Santa Barbara Connecticut is undeniably bigger, better and deeper. The Terps need to get Jahmir Young going early and often. One-Sentence Synopsis: Should be one of the best games of the entire opening weekend when this pair of mutually under-seeded teams squares off late Friday night. LSU crushes Florida in Game 3 of MCWS finals. 4 Tennessee, No. 11 Providence over 6 Kentucky section: | slug: ncaa-bracket-predictions-proven-college-basketball-model-has-surprising-march-madness-2023-tournament-picks | sport: collegebasketball | route: article_single.us | Which it does. They should be able to score on Kennesaw State, but then again, the Owls just shut down a potent Liberty offense in the A-Sun championship. With just 11 days until Selection Sunday for the 2023 NCAA men's basketball tournament, NCAA Digital's Andy Katz is breaking down his new March Madness bracket predictions. Kent State Wins If: The defense sinks its teeth into the Hoosiers backcourt. I will do it this weekend for about the tenth time. Might want to watch this game on mute because of all the whistles. It's hard to believe that the 68-team field for the 2023 NCAA Tournament was unveiled over two weeks ago, yet here we are, ready to bring March Madness to a close. The Cougars rank second in three-point attempts per game (30.2) and 10th in three-pointers made(10.1). Lastly, our college basketball experts will each offer up their prediction on which team gets the win. Betting Tips for Women's Tourney And consistently played well against quality foes. ET (truTV), Greensboro. 15 seed, Princeton is surprisingly solid across the board. 9 Auburn over 8 Iowa March Madness Cinderella players we'll never forget:Stephen Curry is among the greatest Cinderella players in March Madness history, but he's not No. Shannon has been held to single digits only once in his last 16 games. If Pember and Taijon Jones are on fire from distance, this one isn't happening. Doug Kezirian, ESPN Sports Betting Insider, NCAA tournament picks: Friday cheat sheet, What are league rules around gambling on sports? You remember that nice, neat clean sheet with 68 team names on 68 lines on the March Madness bracket. That means it's once again time to break out the ol' Flagrantly Unscientific Natty Kalculator (FUNK) and determine with absolute certainty the only teams that can actually win the national championship in three weeks. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. And if that results in some combination of Johnson, Nowell and Nae'Qwan Tomlin being limited by foul trouble, Montana State can pull off the upset. ET (TNT), Denver. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Wins If: It mucks the game up beyond recognition. And, yeah, he has way too many junk wax baseball cards. See full the Open Championship 2023 picks, best bets, and predictions here. (The last champion that didn't was 1977 Marquette, nearly 50 years ago.) The Tigers do occasionally hit a groove, though, scoring at least 73 points in each of their past three games against Alabama, Tennessee and Arkansas. ET (CBS), Greensboro. ET (TNT), Denver. With the First Four of the 2023 men's NCAA tournament complete, it's officially time to dive into the first-round matchups. They have the pedigree, talent, size, strength and toughness to do this. Question is whether Grand Canyon will be able to get into the 70s. We've also got stats and sleepers that could decide each region. Read the rest of The Sporting News' sleeper picks here. 2023 NCAA | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Men's bracket predictions 50 days from Selection Sunday, by Andy Katz, 2023 March Madness schedule, dates, times, A wild Saturday in men's hoops as TCU wins at Kansas for the first time, Arizona tops UCLA, Antoine Davis is making history at Detroit Mercy, and it's a family affair, College basketball dictionary: 51 terms defined, Coaches announced for NCAA College Basketball Academies, How three HBCU men's basketball programs seeded 15th pulled off March Madness upsets, Men's tournament projections after the NBA draft early entrant deadline, Katz's Power 36: Previewing the 2023-24 season post NBA draft early entry withdrawal deadline, 10 lessons learned in this year's men's hoops attendance numbers, Every HBCU player ever selected in the NBA Draft, Remembering Denny Crum, from the Wizards apprentice to the hall of fame, Denny Crum, hall of fame coach and 2-time NCAA champion, dies at 86, 2024 Selection Sunday: Date, schedule, TV times, 2024 March Madness: Men's NCAA tournament schedule, dates, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Vingegaard is the slight +110 favorite (risk $100 to win $110) to win the yellow jersey in the latest 2023 Tour de France odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while Pogacar is . ET (TBS), Albany. But Duke has been darn good on defense, particularly as of late, allowing just 62.9 points during its nine-game winning streak. Brandon Schlager is an assistant managing editor at The Sporting News. One-Sentence Synopsis: Classic "we went to a rock fight and a basketball game broke out" type of game where either team stringing together three consecutive scoring possessions might be a pipe dream. Eliminated:Colgate, Charleston, Fairleigh Dickinson, FAU, Furman, Grand Canyon, Howard, Kennesaw State, Louisiana, Montana State, Nevada, NC State, Northern Kentucky, Princeton, Providence, Southeast Missouri State, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas Southern, UC Santa Barbara, UNC Asheville. One-Sentence Synopsis: Opposites attract, and we should get a very attractive game when those polar opposites of offensive game plan take the floor. The bottom half of the bracket is a confounding puzzle made more difficult with taking Missouri to the Sweet 16. 1 seeds remain. They were able to avenge that loss with a win over the Mocs last week, punching the school's first ticket to the Big Dance since 1980. No. I'm going Houston to do what hasn't been done since 1972: a team winning the national championship in its home city (UCLA did it in '68 and '72). If I Had to Bet on Something: Over 145. And in the two games the Huskies played against No. 4 Indiana over 5 Miami Download Sporting News' printable NCAA Tournament bracket (PDF) by clicking here. 2 Marquette over 7 Michigan State, 1 Purdue over 12 Oral Roberts Sporting News' 2022-23 college basketball All-Americans: SN's Mike DeCourcy names the 15 best players fromthe 2022-23 college basketball season. For the uninitiated, the FUNK is a tried-and-true method which has (almost) never failed to correctly identify the national champion using a series of historical trends. Mar 12, 2023 With Selection Sunday for the 2023 NCAA Tournament over and done with, now the real March Madness begins. But if those three do their usual thing, combining for about 45 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, the Gauchos probably won't be able to keep up. ET (TNT), Columbus. Too many good teams in that bracket to pick them getting out. Didnt even think about it until after I went through the brackets and thought, huh, well thats fun.. Mercy. If you don't wear blue, the FUNK has no time for you. Memphis is tough, and that 1v8 game with Purdue should be fun, but unless Zach Edey gets hurt or in foul trouble, Purdues moving on. We know TJD is going to fill up the box score. Now the question becomes how best to keep your bracket from taking a one-way flight into the trash can after watching your national champion lose to a No. Williamson on January 18, 2023 Featured Sports Betting Odds, NCAA Basketball Betting News The NCAA Men's College Basketball Tournament doesn't tip off until March 14. Visit SportsLine now to see which teams will make and break your bracket and who will cut down the nets, all from the model that nailed 18 upsets by double-digit seeds. Texas A&M is one of the best in the nation at manufacturing points via offensive rebounds and trips to the free-throw line. And in its lone game against UVA this season, NC State scored 50 points. 4 Indiana over 13 Kent State 2 Texas over 3 Xavier. And while the Cyclones aren't a particularly good shooting team, they do have a pair of big men in Osun Osunniyi and Robert Jones who could make hay in the paint. The 2024 NCAA Men's Tournament will begin on March 19, 2024 and conclude on April 8, 2024. 1 Purdue and No. 5 San Diego State vs. No. The fourth-year shooting guard had previously put up 28 in a game only once in his career, and then he became an unstoppable wrecking ball. (Conversely, if it's RaeQuan Battle getting into early foul trouble, Kansas State wins easily.). This is a good Drake team that could win even if Omier plays. Edey has the capability to carry a team like Boilermakers legend Glenn Robinson did in 1994, but ultimately Purdue will meet the same fate in an earlier round. 15 vs. No. Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/KS/LA (select parishes)/MD/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY/CA-ONT only. Midwest Region:Texas looks to be a class above in a region where the best team is dealing with a major injury, the third-best team struggles on defense, the fourth-best team is inconsistent and the fifth-best team will have a tough time escaping the first round. Matchup: No. OK, let's dive into the good stuff: The brackets. Only once since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985 has a team gone all the way in its first Final Four appearance: UConn back in 1999 (and they've won three more titles since). CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: collegebasketball | pageType: stories | 2 upset to put everyone's bracket in shambles before the first Saturday of the tournament, but this one shouldn't be all that close. 15 Colgate (Midwest Regional), Details: Thursday at 7:25 p.m. If I Had to Bet on Something: Oral Roberts +5.5. What's old is new again. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. 14 UC Santa Barbara (South Regional), Details: Friday at 1:30 p.m. Connecticut Wins If: It dominates the offensive glass. Duke Wins If: The defense holds Max Abmas in check. The SportsLine Projection Model simulated the entire 2023 NCAA Tournament 10,000 times. This is coach Paul Mills' best team, but Duke is a tough first-round matchup. The Bluejays won't force many turnovers. Texas A&M Wins If: Size and brute strength reign supreme. The Crimson Tide are still undefeated in conference play with marquee conference wins over Houston and Michigan State. Alcaraz is next at +350 . Thirty-two games over the course of about 36 hours. If I Had to Bet on Something: Under 131.5. (59.2 if you take out the game against Minnesota.) Montana State Wins If: It gets KSU into foul trouble. The Crimson Tide are ruthless. 7 Missouri over 10 Utah State All but four champs since 1995 had a player selected in the first round of that year's NBA Draft, and the ones who didn't (1997 Arizona, 2006 Florida, 2010 Duke and 2016 Villanova) all had multiple future pros return to school after their title runs. If I Had to Bet on Something: Over 140. Colgate does a few things very well, but also has some major weaknesses. 6 TCU over 11 Arizona State Let's take a closer look at Katz's predictions: There are two changes to Katz's No. But the Nittany Lions have played in eight consecutive games decided by four points or fewer and will likely find a way to make this a game that isn't over until it's over. 2023 March Madness bracket games to watch One 2023 March Madness matchup to keep an eye on: Iowa vs. Auburn in the Midwest region. 1 overall seed Alabama has been college basketball's most dominant team. Matchup: No. One-Sentence Synopsis: An Iowa team which hasn't made the Sweet 16 since 1999 is looking to avenge last year's first-round upset as a No. Our college hoops squad has spent all season long preparing for the madness of March by watching games, gathering intel, crunching the numbers and doing what we think is best to deliver you what you need to fill your bracket out. That sets up the other game that makes or breaks your bracket. Indiana has yet to lose to a team outside the KenPom top 50, but it had better not take Kent State lightly. The health of star guard and leading scorer Marcus Sasser may cause doubt to creep into your mind about the Cougars' chances, but should he return at full strength, Houston should be regarded as the frontrunner until further notice. 1 seeds Kansas and Purdue turned in their uniforms sooner than they expected. (The offense can be awful as well if it isn't getting easy fast-break buckets after steals.) The first round of March Madness matchups will begin Thursday, which means you have just hours to submit a bracket to that person in the office who . If I Had to Bet on Something: Marquette -10.5. 12 Charleston Cougars. Even though there is one less team from the SECincluded in this projection than last time around (Mississippi State dropped), the conference is bolstered by having two of the four potential No. Furman Wins If: Threes are falling. In theory, the Cougars figure to be throwing up a bunch of bricks. Matchup: No. But it's going to take a perfect storm to pull off a UMBC-level shocker. However, there are always at least a few underseeded teams every year that pull off an upset or two in the first weekend and go on a Cinderella run. Not saying the Golden Eagles will score on every possession, but it might feel like it. Though, I suppose playing a late-night game in frigid Albany could slow down one or both of these offenses. Iowa Wins If: Auburn fails to take advantage of this defense. Indiana has not been to the Sweet 16 since 2016, so prepare for the bandwagon to fill up when Trayce Jackson-Davis leads a break-through run to the second weekend. (But I'm the only one of the three of us who feels that way), Matchup: No. If you have Arizona reaching the Final Four, don't expect a comfortable opener. All rights reserved. There are more teams that can compete on a nightly basis," Ed Salmons from the Westgate SuperBook told ESPN, speaking to the growing usage of the 3-pointer. It's not quite a guaranteed win, but it's a guaranteed loss if the Ragin' Cajuns don't get there. With just 50 days before Selection Sunday, Andy Katz shares his bracket predictions for the 2023 NCAA men's basketball tournament. 1 seeds, will also be 2023 NCAA Tournament favorites. All Rights Reserved. But that's still gonna mean curtains for No. The Jayhawks had a national championship team that was knocked off by VCU. A national champion must enter the tournament with at least one road/neutral win over a fellow tournament team. ET (TNT), Birmingham. Look at the matchups. However, the tourney creates foreign matchups and environments, lending itself to more unpredictable outcomes. In fact, the Gaels are seventh in the nation in steal rate on offense. No. Which was the best? Matchup: No. Houston, Purdue, Alabama and Tennessee are his four No. The metrics. Had Tennessee drawn Kent State or Iona, everyone would be picking the 13-over-4 upset. 2:36. LSU beats Florida 18-4, wins the 2023 DI baseball championship. Bottom line: champions win championships. The Catamounts are not as talented as recent teams but they have enough shooting to keep this inside the number. We've made it through March Madness but not every team can say the same. If I Had to Bet on Something: Kansas State -8.5. 2 UCLA over 15 Asheville, 1 Kansas over 8 Arkansas If you count the Arkansas game in which the star point guard tore his ACL early in the first half, Tennessee's defense has allowed 57, 79, 55 and 79 points. If I Had to Bet on Something: +900 to go to OT. Upset alerts: These sleepers and Cinderella candidates are most likely to bust your bracket in Round 1, according to The Sporting News' model. 2 Texas over 15 Colgate, 1 Houston over 9 Iowa 12 Charleston to the NCAA tournament in his second season, and senior guard Dalton Bolton and Ante Brzovic a 6-foot-10 sophomore from Croatia are a tough inside-outside combination. Exactly how many blocks and steals it would take for Iona to pull off the upset, who's to say? 6 Iowa State vs. No. Kansas should be able to recalibrate and burn through the first weekend, and in the Sweet 16 they will have a chance to meet an old demon. "College basketball is just so much more balanced now. 12 VCU over 5 Saint Marys That's a style that can make anybody uncomfortable, especially in the second half. But sharing a bracket with Kansas and UCLA means the West will be a gauntlet. KSU played three games against tournament teams: a close contest at VCU playing without Ace Baldwin, a 34-point loss at San Diego State and a 14-point loss at Indiana on a night where Trayce Jackson-Davis didn't play for the Hoosiers. 8 Memphis over 9 Florida Atlantic Hood-Schifino isn't exactly turnover-prone, but he is a freshman point guard who spent the past few months playing in a conference that (aside from Northwestern and Rutgers) doesn't force many turnovers. The Blue Devilshave a challenging road of No. 1 seed under Bill Self, Kansas has basically split here, winning five of those first-round games by at least 23. In this case, the No. 13 Iona, led by Rick Pitino, trying to knock off an old rival in No. Shaka Smart leads the Golden Eagles team to an Elite Eight run that includes victories against Michigan State and Kentucky before the Blue Devils close the door. Pick: The Panthers play great offense, while the Bulldogs play great defense. 3 Kansas State vs. No. Can Kansas repeat as national champion? Matchup: No. One-Sentence Synopsis: After all the preseason hype as a Final Four contender, will Creighton at least survive the first step to Houston? Just dont see that happening, though I would love to be wrong. TCU Wins If: A strong defense neutralizes a mediocre Arizona State offense. 3 Baylor over 6 Creighton HISTORY OF UPSETS BY SEED:15 vs. 2 | 14 vs. 3 | 13 vs. 4 | 12 vs. 5, 1 Houston over 16 Northern Kentucky Both teams play at an above-average tempo and have respectable offenses averaging at least 75 points per game. Schools are coming off conference tournaments, which involve familiar opponents and playing on consecutive days. NC State Wins If: DJ Burns Jr. outplays Ryan Kalkbrenner in the paint. Once they get to the Final Four, I expect Brandon Miller to take over and lead Bama to its first national title. If Charleston can beat San Diego State which won't be easy they could offer a true test for Virginia in the second round.