The 2024 March Madness bracket has been revealed, and the No. 1 seeds came in fairly as expected. UConn was the only No. 1 seed to win their conference tournament, while Houston and North Carolina both lost in the conference championship game and Purdue fell in overtime in the semifinal. UConn, the reigning NCAA champion, is the No. 1 overall seed heading into the tournament and is the favorite to win at DraftKings Sportsbook at +400.
Below is a look at each of the No. 1 seeds heading into March Madness.
2024 March Madness: No. 1 seeds
Purdue
Purdue made history last season, becoming just the second No. 1 seed ever to lose in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. They return to the top spot with an offense that revolves around big man Zach Edey. The Boilermakers were bounced from Big Ten contention by Wisconsin in conference semifinals. They rank fourth in adjusted offensive efficiency at KenPom and score 83.4 points per game (10th in the nation).
North Carolina
The North Carolina Tar Heels earned two regular season wins over Duke this year, but did not meet the Blue Devils in the conference championship as expected. Instead, the Tar Heels were taken down by NC State on a historic ACC run. North Carolina ranks sixth in adjusted defensive efficiency at KenPom and grabbed 41.2 rebounds per game (5th in the nation).
UConn
The UConn Huskies return as a No. 1 seed after winning it all last year as a No. 4. The Huskies dominated in the Big East this season and have plenty of scoring depth. Led by the backcourt duo of Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer, they rank first in adjusted offensive efficiency at KenPom and shoot 49.6% from the field (5th in the nation).
Houston
The Houston Cougars sat in the top spot in the AP rankings for a lot of weeks this season. Their defense was their specialty, ranking second in adjusted efficiency rankings at KenPom. Houston held opponents to a national low of 57 points per game, but fell to Iowa State in an 18-point loss in the Big XII championship.