2024 NCAA Tournament bracket picks for Final Four: Predicting a national champion

The NCAA Tournament kicked off in grand fashion with plenty of upsets across the board. The Sweet 16 had its fair share of upset stories too as Alabama and Clemson advanced in the West and NC State continued the Cinderella run.

Early favorites UConn and Purdue left no doubt why they have been a popular pick to win it all, dominating their region on the way to the Final Four. Both matchups feature a chance for the underdog to upset the balance of things in college basketball.

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After correctly picking 31/52 winners (60%) in the first weekend, and 5/12 (42%) in the second weekend, here are my best projections for the Final Four before crowning a national champion.

Final Four

East vs. West

1 UConn vs. 4 Alabama

UConn continue to show why they are the No. 1 overall seed and the overwhelming favorite to win the national championship this season. The defensive presence of Donovan Clingan will complicate Alabama’s ability to create open looks by getting into the lane, which will be key to keeping up.

South vs. Midwest

11 NC State vs. 1 Purdue

NC State is difficult to pick against at this point. DJ Burns has become the darling of the NCAA Tournament and even when all signs point to Zach Edey having the upper-hand in this matchup, that argument could be made too many times before.

National Championship

Champion

1 UConn vs. 1 Purdue

The battle of big men will match Donovan Clingan and Zach Edey together. The ability to get contributions from the remaining cast of characters should prove the different in this one, where UConn holds a clear advantage at positions one through four.