March Madness is officially here, and the 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket is finally set. Defending champion UConn is the No. 1 overall seed, with Houston, Purdue and UNC joining the Huskies on the 1-line. Even though the top seeds are usually the ones playing for the national title, there have been instances of lower seeds breaking through and going to the Final Four. There have been five instances of an 11-seed making the Final Four, with UCLA being the most recent one to make it in 2021. No team below the 11-line has made it out of the regional.
While we won’t predict that to happen in the 2024 tournament, we do expect some upsets to take place in the first weekend. Here’s a look at the potential Cinderella teams in this year’s bracket who could take down some giants and send predictions into chaos.
2024 March Madness: Cinderella Teams
No. 11 NC State
The Wolfpack are coming off a great run in the ACC conference tournament, taking out Duke, Virginia and UNC to win the title. NC State has great offensive balance with four players averaging double figures, led by guard DJ Horne. Usually, a team that comes into the tournament hot and doesn’t have to deal with a First Four game is a good bet to cause chaos.
No. 11 Oregon
Just like the Wolfpack, the Ducks are going into the bracket after winning the Pac-12 conference tournament. Oregon has done well historically in the tournament, never bowing out in the first round under Dana Altman. There’s a possibility the Ducks can match up with Altman’s former program Creighton in the second game. I think Oregon is worth keeping an eye on as a potential bracket buster.
No. 12 James Madison
You want to know who went 31-3 last year? Florida Atlantic. The Owls were overlooked due to a low strength of schedule, then proceeded to make the Final Four. James Madison comes into this year’s bracket with the same record and an experienced two-man combination of Terrence Edwards Jr. and T.J. Bickerstaff that can do damage against any team. The Dukes are also drawing a Wisconsin side that had a massive slippage in play late in the season. There’s always a 12-seed that makes noise, and I like James Madison to be that team this year.
No. 13 Charleston
When you have two players in your rotation who shoot better than 44% from deep and a third who is just shy of 40% from deep, you’ve got a chance to get hot from the perimeter and make a run. The Cougars match up first against an Alabama team that is 112th in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency. The Crimson Tide have struggled of late, and knocking them off would be a big boost for Charleston that could propel this team on a deep tournament run.
No. 15 Saint Peter’s
Yes, this is the same school that took out Kentucky, Murray State and Purdue to make it to the Elite Eight back in 2022. The cast of characters is different this time, with second-year head coach Bashir Mason leading the squad. The Peacocks struggle offensively but they can defend opponents well. They’re matched up with a SEC team on the No. 2 seed line, and that worked out well last time. Why can’t lightning strike twice?