Predicting Final Four, National Championship Game in 2024 NCAA Tournament

With the 2024 NCAA Tournament upon us, it’s time to predict who will make it to the Final Four and who will win it all in the national championship game.

On3’s Andy Staples and James Fletcher went region by region to decide who will make it out of each bracket and get to the Final Four. Can UConn repeat as national champions?

That might be the theme of 2024: repeat season

“So I already mentioned, I got Houston getting knocked off in the first weekend,” Staples said on his show. “So that’s your one seed out. Sets up a Marquette–Duke Elite Eight … I got Marquette advancing … So let’s move to the other side of the bracket. We’ll start in the West … I got cold feet on North Carolina because I hadn’t been in on North Carolina. I was tempted to just make them my national champ. I was tempted to bring them all the way through, I got cold feet on them. 

“As you mentioned, this bracket looks like chalk. It’s hard to find the upsets. But the chaos, that means there’s just a huge possibility for chaos. So this could be completely wrong. But I got Arizona avenging last year. The Caleb Love game in the Elite Eight … and Arizona advancing to the Final Four. Now, up to the east. I’ve got all chalk in the Elite Eight. I’ve got one versus two. I think that could be the game of the tournament if it happens. UConn and Iowa State. I got UConn advancing. I got UConn beating Tennessee for the national title. I think UConn is the first repeat champ since Florida in ‘06 and ‘07.”

Fletcher had similar picks but there were some surprises along the way.

“I’ve got UConn, I just think that they are so strong,” Fletcher said. “In that west region though, I know it’s gonna be wrong. And I know that something’s gonna happen. I can’t tell you what it’s gonna be though. So I’m going North Carolina, because I just think that if we get that North Carolina-Arizona matchup, if we get, that’s what it comes down to. If we survive all the chaos in the early rounds, and it’s North Carolina and Arizona there at the end. I like their chances … I’m gonna take UConn over North Carolina to advance to the national championship game.” 

Now to the flip side. Get ready for this Final Four pick where Fletcher went all in on two teams that could very well get bounced early.

“And then we head over to the south region where I’m going to do it, we talked about somebody who was going to pick this team to lose in the first round and other people were going to take them to the Final Four, there’s no in between … I’m going with Kentucky,” Fletcher said. “I think they get hot. I think Calipari has got just enough of that defense figured out. He’s already hinting at some little wrinkles that he’s gonna throw into the game plan … And then in that Midwest region, this is the one that comes back and forth. 

“There’s two teams and I’ve got to make a decision right here and now it’s coming down to the wire. I’m still thinking about it. But I’m going to say that Purdue avenges. I’m gonna say they get through and they get to the Final Four … I’m gonna go Purdue over Kentucky and then I’ve got UConn winning it all in the national championship game.”