2024 March Madness: Final Four predictions for NCAA tournament ahead of Sweet 16

The Sweet 16 stage of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament is now set, featuring expected teams like the UConn Huskies and the Purdue Boilermakers as well as a few underdogs such as NC State Wolfpack and the Clemson Tigers.

Purdue Boilermakers forward Sam King (24) celebrates with the Purdue Boilermakers bench after scoring during NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament game against the Utah State Aggies, Sunday, March 24, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Purdue Boilermakers won 106-67.

If we learned anything from the first two rounds of March Madness, seeding means nothing, and upsets are handed out like candy on Halloween night.

As the Elite Eight battle approaches, we take a glimpse at the potential future and explore the buzz surrounding the Final Four teams who could continue their campaign for the championship title on April 6.

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Men’s NCAA Tournament Final Four Predictions

BetMGM: UConn, Houston, Arizona, Purdue

According to BetMGM as of Tuesday, March 25, the odds are favoriting the UConn Huskies (+250), Houston Cougars (-105), Arizona (+120) and Purdue (+135) to be the Final Four teams battling it out for the championship title.

Fox Sports: Purdue, Tennessee, Creighton, Gonzaga

Michael Cohen writes: “Had Purdue head coach Matt Painter been informed prior to Sunday’s game against No. 8 Utah State that his best player, center Zach Edey, would score 21 points, grab 11 rebounds, dish out three assists, block two shots and notch one steal, he would likely have been quite happy with the stat line. The Boilermakers won’t often lose when Edey produces those kinds of numbers. Had Painter been told that Edey would accomplish all those things in the first half, he would certainly be able to surmise the end result.”

ESPN: Huskies, Cougars, Vols, Tar Heels

Sachin Chandan asked 73 experts which teams they thought would be the last four standing. The votes are in, and Chandan writes the Huskies were picked by an overwhelming 83% of the votes to win the East Region.

In the East Region, Chandan writes: “No. 1 seed Houston looks to reach the Final Four for the first time since 2021 — and 28 of our experts believe in the Cougars.”

In the Midwest, Chandan’s results were: “Almost half of our 73 panelists, including Hall of Fame analyst Dick Vitale, are going with Rick Barnes’ 2-seed Tennessee, while 24 believe in the Boilermakers.”

Lastly, in the West, Chandan writes: “The fourth 1-seed, North Carolina, was selected by our experts to emerge from a West Region that included a few surprises. Even a pair of former-Duke-teammates-turned-analysts, Carlos Boozer and Jay Williams, chose Hubert Davis’ squad.”

Action Network: UConn, North Carolina, Houston, Purdue

Sean Koerner makes his picks for who will come out on top of each region.

For the East Region, Koerner writes: “UConn has a 40% chance of making it to Phoenix for the Final Four, although my bracket indicates that might not be the pick to make. UConn got a bit of a rough draw by getting Iowa State as the No. 2 seed since many thought the Cyclones would be a No. 1 seed.”

In the West Region, Koerner writes: “This region is the only one where the No. 1 seed (North Carolina) isn’t the team I project with the best chance of making it to the Final Four.”

Koerner is straight forward on who he thinks will come out on top of the South Region: “Houston is the clear favorite to make the Final Four, with almost a 50% chance.”

Lastly, for the Midwest Region, Koerner writes: “Purdue has the best chance of making it out of the Midwest Region, but only by 2% over Tennessee. Purdue had a bit of a tougher draw with the top No. 2 seed (Tennessee) and top No. 5 seed (Gonzaga) landing in its region.”

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2024 March Madness: Final Four predictions for NCAA tournament ahead of Sweet 16