The first NCAA Tournament was held in 1939, and since then, just seven teams have won back-to-back national championships. Oklahoma State (1945-46), Kentucky (1948-49), San Francisco (1955-56), Cincinnati (1961-62), UCLA (1964-65 and 1967-73), Duke (1991-92), and Florida (2006-07) are the only teams to achieve this accomplishment. Connecticut will look to join them during the 2024 NCAA Tournament, and the chances of them putting up a repeat performance of last year’s run are better than you might first think.
Now that Selection Sunday has taken place and the brackets for March Madness are set, many college basketball experts have made UConn the favourite to take home the title for a second straight season. At +450, the oddsmakers have also made coach Dan Hurley’s team the betting favourite to cut down the nets at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona at the end of the NCAA Tournament Championship Game on April 8.
But UConn is just one team that should be on your radar as you prepare to fill out your March Madness brackets and place your future bets on the teams you like to win it all. Keep reading to see the outright odds for all 68 teams taking part in this year’s NCAA Tournament—and find out which teams have the firepower to make it all the way to the Final Four and beyond.
UConn to win NCAA Tournament
+450
East Regional Bracket
Connecticut scored the top No. 1 seed overall in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, but they won’t have a cakewalk to the Final Four. The selection committee put the Huskies in the same region as No. 2-seeded Iowa State, the team that took home the Big 12 Tournament title by blowing out the South Regional bracket’s No. 1-seeded Houston. The region also includes No. 5-seeded San Diego State and No. 8-seeded Florida Atlantic, two teams that made it to the Final Four last March.
All odds courtesy of 
Who Will Win The Bracket?
No. 1 UConn may get tested early in the East Regional Bracket by No. 8 Florida Atlantic and the winner of the No. 4 Auburn/No. 5 San Diego State matchup. But UConn was the cream of the crop in college basketball all season long, so they should be able to get back to the Final Four again without facing too many challenges.
Who Could Bust the East Regional Bracket?
No. 8 Florida Atlantic didn’t have as strong of a season as some experts predicted, finishing second in the American Athletic Conference and losing to 11th-seeded Temple in the AAC Tournament. But they gained a lot of experience during last year’s run to the Final Four, and they had the 16th-best scoring offence in the country this year. If they can catch No. 1 UConn on an off night in a potential second round game, they could be dangerous and present challenges.
South Regional Bracket
Houston earned the No. 1 seed in the South Regional bracket despite its blowout loss to Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament title game, but it could be looking at playing against a handful of big-time programs if it wants to get to the Final Four. This includes some historic programs in the likes of No. 3 Kentucky and No. 4 Duke.
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Who Will Win the South Regional Bracket?
If No. 1 Houston hadn’t lost by 28 points to Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament title game, we would have more confidence in them winning the South Regional bracket. But even with that memory fresh in our minds, it’s hard to leave Houston out of the Final Four conversation. The Cougars have played the best team defence in the nation this season, giving up an average of just 57 points per game.
Who Could Bust The South Regional Bracket?
If we had to pick a team to knock off Houston before the Final Four, it would be No. 3 Kentucky. The Wildcats averaged 89.4 points per game this season, giving them the second-best team offence behind only Alabama. But since a No. 3 seed isn’t much of a “sleeper” pick, how about going with No. 12 James Madison instead? The Dukes are a high-scoring team that averaged 84.4 points per game, good for ninth-best in the country.
Kentucky to win regional
+800
Midwest Regional Bracket
Purdue returns to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed again after losing to No. 16-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson as a No. 1 seed last March. We don’t anticipate the Boilermakers dropping another game to a No. 16 seed, but the team may face tough tests as it advances in the tournament from teams like No. 5 Gonzaga and No. 2 Tennessee.
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Who Will Win the Midwest Regional Bracket?
No. 2 Tennessee laid an egg in the SEC Tournament when it lost to Mississippi State, but the Volunteers have one of the best scorers in the tournament in Dalton Knecht. He averaged 21.1 points per game this season. This year’s Tennessee team is also better on the defensive side of the ball than they’ve been in past years, so they’re our favourite to make it to the Final Four out of this region.
Who Could Bust The Midwest Regional Bracket?
We’re expecting the Midwest Regional bracket to put the “madness” in March Madness this year. McNeese State averaged 80.4 points per game this season and can hang with Gonzaga. Samford averaged 86 points per game this season and is facing a shorthanded Kansas team. And is it just us or does Oregon always sneak into the NCAA Tournament and make noise when you least expect it? Look out for the Ducks.
Oregon to make Sweet Sixteen
+450
West Regional Bracket
Even though No. 1 North Carolina is technically the lowest of the No. 1 seeds in this year’s NCAA Tournament, you could argue they got a favourable draw when you look through the West Regional bracket. No. 2-seeded Arizona and No. 3-seeded Baylor have been up and down as of late and might not be able to put up enough of a challenge to stop No. 1 UNC from getting to the Final Four.
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Who Will Win The West Regional Bracket?
No. 1 North Carolina has the offence to beat any team in the West Regional bracket, but they also had some lapses in the ACC this season that lead us to believe they could be on the fast track to getting upset. So why not have fun here? We’re giving out No. 5 Saint Mary’s as our pick to get to the Final Four. The Gaels have the second-best team defence in college basketball this season behind only Houston, giving up just 58.7 points per game.
Who Could Bust The West Regional Bracket?
If No. 5 Saint Mary’s makes it to the Final Four, they would be considered the bracket buster out of the West Regional bracket. But you should also keep an eye on the winner of the No. 7 Dayton/No. 10 Nevada matchup. While neither team is in the top 50 in team offence, they both landed in the top 50 on team defence and have experienced squads that could shake things up.
Saint Mary’s to win regional
+1100
Pick To Win The NCAA Tournament
If you’ve been keeping up with our picks so far, we have No. 1 UConn, No. 1 Houston, No. 2 Tennessee, and No. 5 Saint Mary’s making the Final Four this season. If things play out this way, No. 1 UConn would take on No. 5 Saint Mary’s, while No. 1 Houston would go up against No. 2 Tennessee.
In these matchups, we can’t see No. 5 Saint Mary’s doing enough to take down No. 1 UConn. We also can’t see No. 1 Houston having another letdown game in a big spot like they just had in the Big 12 Tournament title game, which would put No. 1 UConn and No. 1 Houston in the championship game on April 8.
This would be a pretty chalky outcome after such a topsy-turvy regular season that featured one upset after another. But UConn and Houston have been, hands down, the two best teams all season, so it’s only right that we get to see them square off under the brightest lights in March. In this matchup, we have UConn getting the best of Houston in a low-scoring affair to help the Huskies earn their second straight NCAA title and make history.
