March Madness Bracket Tips

It is time to fill out your March Madness Brackets, as the NCAA Tournament begins on Tuesday, March 19 with First Four action and then the main part of March Madness begins on Thursday, March 21 with 16 games and continues with 16 games on Friday, March 22. What should you be aware of when filling out your March Madness Bracket? We’ll focus on how the seeds do in the first round to give you some help in filling out your March Madness Bracket.

2024 NCAA Tournament

Date and Time: Tuesday, March 19, 2024 – Monday, April 8, 2024

The 2024 NCAA Tournament begins on Tuesday, March 19 with First Four action and continues on Wednesday, March 20 with more First Four action and then the main NCAA Tournament begins on Thursday, March 21.

Check out the latest March Madness odds at Caesars.

NCAA Tournament Seed History

Before we get into the specific seeding trends, let’s look at the overall picture. We know that in the first round that everyone is going to be picking a lot of top seeds. Five years ago, a #1 seed finally lost, after 132 straight wins. It was #16 UMBC beating #1 Virginia. What was thought to be impossible happened again last year when #16 Fairleigh Dickinson beat #1 Purdue. Even with those two losses, it should be known that #1 seeds have won 63% of the last 38 tourneys and 7 of the last 10. They have advanced to the Sweet 16 a total of 128 times. 61 top seeds have made the Final Four, 37 have made the title game and 24 have won the tourney. In the last 10 years, a total of 30 top seeds made the Sweet 16 with a total of 11 making the title game with seven winning it all. Go against the top seeds at your own risk.

The only year that all four top seeds made the Final Four was in 2008. Eight championship games have featured a #1 vs. a #1, the most recent in 2021 when Baylor beat Gonzaga.

No. 2 seed vs. No. 15 seed

The No. 15 seeds rarely win against the No. 2 seeds, but it has happened and it has happened more recently. The No. 15 seeds were 4-104 in their first 108 matchups, but in the last 44 matchups, the No. 15 seed has actually won straight up a total of seven times. Taking a No. 15 seed straight up is still risky, but it is not as impossible as it once was for the No. 15 seed to win.

No. 3 seed vs. No. 14 seed

The No. 14 seed has been worth a shot in recent NCAA Tournaments, but overall, the No. 3 seed still has a straight up record of 130-22. It is oftentimes one and done for these teams, as they rarely make the Sweet Sixteen.

No. 4 seed vs. No. 13 seed

You would think this matchup would be a little closer than the 3-14 seeding and it is, but not by as much as you think. The No. 4 seeds are 120-32 straight up against the No. 13 seed in the NCAA Tourney.

No. 5 seed vs. No. 12 seed

We know all about the No. 12 seed winning this matchup quite a bit. It seems we get at least one No. 12 seed winning every single year. That being said, the No. 5 seed is still 99-53 straight up in NCAA Tourney history against the No. 12 seed.

No. 6 seed vs. No. 11 seed

This matchup is much closer than the seeding would indicate. In fact, a No. 11 seed is sometimes favored over the No. 6 seed. It is still important to remember when picking your March Madness Bracket that the No. 6 seeds hold a 94-58 overall record against the No. 11 seeds.

No. 7 seed vs. No. 10 seed

You would think that the No. 10 seed would do well in this matchup because the seeds are closer but the numbers do not say so. The No. 7 seeds are 92-59 against the No. 10 seeds so that means they are almost as good as the No. 6 seeds.

No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed

This game has actually seen the No. 9 seed with a slight overall straight up edge as the No. 9 seed is 78-74 all-time against the No. 8 seeds in the NCAA Tourney.

Check out the latest March Madness odds at Caesars.