The "First Four" games have finally concluded, and the bracket for the NCAA final tournament known as March Madness has finally been set as the top college basketball teams vie to be on top or at least make it to the Final 4.

The annual NCAA basketball tournament has been known for its massive upsets, with top-ranked teams losing to teams nobody has even heard of being a common occurrence every year.

This year, the four #1-ranked teams are UConn, Houston, North Carolina, and Purdue. They will respectively open the tournament against #15th-ranked teams, Stetson, Longwood, Wagner, and Grambling State. As Usual, the four #1-ranked teams are favorites to make it to the Final Four on April 6, but as it is with March Madness, surprises can happen.

As shown by the official NCAA website, there are 68 teams participating in March Madness, all of them qualifying and named as being among the top collegiate teams in the United States. All are vying for a spot at the Final 4 in Glendale, Arizona, and the much-anticipated finals, also in Glendale, just two days later, on April 8. The winner will then be crowned the best college basketball in the country.

So, will familiar names like North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Gonzaga, Duke, and Clemson make it to Glendale? Or will we see the likes of Grand Canyon, Colgate, Akron, and Long Beach State pull off an upset?

Who Are the NCAA March Madness Favorites This Year?

The 2023-2024 has been a crazy season for college basketball, with many picking UConn to come out on top this year. While theoretically, anyone can win it, oddsmakers at BetMGM are saying that UConn is the likeliest to win at +400 odds, with Houston and Purdue tied at second with +600 odds, with Arizona rounding out the top 4 with +1200 odds.

As Yahoo! Sports noted, 19 of the 21 NCAA March Madness tournament champions were in the top 25 of offensive efficiency and defensive efficiency. This year, the 12 teams that have a top-40 offense and defense going into the annual tournament are Houston, Tennessee, Duke, Auburn, North Carolina, Arizona, UConn, Marquette, Purdue, Creighton, Nebraska, and Nevada.

However, the outlet noted that Nebraska and Nevada face a tall chance to win the entire thing. No team seeded No. 8 or higher has won a national championship since Villanova in 1985.

Which Players To Watch Out For During the NCAA March Madness?

Of course, many of the players who are participating in the tournament may be bound for the NBA, and they will have a great chance to shine during March Madness to keep the scouts interested.

These include two Kentucky Wildcats, Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard, who make up the team's backcourt combo. Goal noted that Sheppard is a 3-point threat while Dillingham is a creative point guard.

Donovan Clingan, who plays for UConn, has proven to be a defensive powerhouse, with the 7'2 center threatening to make opponents think twice about attacking the rim. Meanwhile, Purdue's Zach Edey already has scouts looking into his games as he may become the first back-to-back national Player of the Year winner since Ralph Sampson in 1982-1983. Many are already looking forward to his possible match-up with fellow seven-footer Clingan.

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Written by: Rick Martin

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