The annual greatest tournament is officially underway. Here are the top three teams from each region of Selection Sunday for the 2024 NCAA tournament.
March Madness is upon us, and 64 teams are about to play 32 games in the span of two days. That's a lot of thrilling basketball to see.
If you need a little help narrowing down which games to prioritize on your TV screen, we've got you covered.
Let's take a look at the top matchups going into the First Round of March Madness:
No. 8 Miss. St. vs. No. 9 Michigan St.
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
The Spartans are coming into the tournament with a 2-3 record in March, with two of their losses to the No. 1-seeded Purdue. However, Michigan State has come within at least six points of the Boilermakers each time. Tom Izzo's squad did also snag a win against fellow No. 9 seed Northwestern this month.
Miss. St. comes in off a loss to No. 4-seeded Auburn in the SEC semifinal. Outside of beating Tennessee twice, the Bulldogs haven't had much luck when playing ranked opponents.
The Spartans are not a top 25 team, but they have a top 25 head coach, for sure. There's a possible upset here.
NCAAB
No.1 Purdue vs. No. 16 MTST/GRAM
Even though the Boilermakers do not have their opponent yet, I have them on upset watch. Yes, I know the odds are against it, but stick with me.
They lost the Big Ten semifinal due to a buzzer beater by Wisconsin's Max Klesmit in overtime.
In the month of March, Purdue has not won a game with a double-digit lead.
With a demoralizing loss to Wisconsin this weekend, how the Boilermakers rebound is a must watch at the very least.
No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 12 James Madison
The Badgers, coming off a Big Ten title, face the James Madison Dukes, a team that went 31-3.
Since they are in the Sun Belt conference, JM's record is inflated, but they did provide one of the first upsets of the season when they defeated the then-No. 4 Michigan St.
James Madison in recent years has grown an environment as an up-and-comer school in terms of athletics, with their football team catapulting their athletics program to a spot in Division I for the 2022 season.
The vibes are good at James Madison University. They will come willing to battle.
No. 4 Auburn vs. No. 13 Yale
No. 13-seeded Yale, having beaten Brown with a buzzer beater in the Ivy League championship game, seem to have some of that Cinderella magic in them.
Taking on an Auburn team that was a top-ranked squad throughout the season, the future senators and scientists have their work cut out for them.
But the Ivy League team is always one to look out for, and this year is no different.
No. 5 Gonzaga vs. No. 12 McNeese
Gonzaga, a team that has become synonymous with leaving the tournament early like how ketchup has become synonymous with tomatoes, is on everyone's upset list it seems again this year.
The Bulldogs are coming off a loss to Saint Mary's in the WCC Tournament final, marking the second time in 12 years they have not taken home the WCC trophy.
The upsets are coming for Gonzaga early this year, or maybe they got the jitters out of their system? We'll just have to see.
