March Madness 2024: Men's Tournament Schedule, Bracket Predictions for No. 1 Seeds

College basketball fans don't need to check their calendar to know March has arrived.

They've been waiting for this all season long, and they're eager to see what kind of madness is in store for the 2024 men's college basketball tournament.

Considering the chaos we've already seen over the course of this campaign, we should be in for a doozy.

To help whet your appetite ahead of the Big Dance, we'll lay out the tournament schedule and predict which four teams will wind up with No. 1 seeds.

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Tournament Schedule

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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - FEBRUARY 14: Head coach Dan Hurley of the Connecticut Huskies speaks with Tristen Newton #2 during the first half in the game against the DePaul Blue Demons at Wintrust Arena on February 14, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

Selection Sunday: March 17

First Four: March 19-20

First round: March 21-22

Second round: March 23-24

Sweet 16: March 28-29

Elite Eight: March 30-31

Final Four: April 6

NCAA championship: April 8

Predicted No. 1 Seeds

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WACO, TX - FEBRUARY 24: Jamal Shead #1 of the Houston Cougars celebrates in the final seconds of the team's victory over the Baylor Bears in over time at Foster Pavilion on February 24, 2024 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

Arizona Wildcats

The Wildcats are probably the only team listed here that hasn't secured a No. 1 seed yet. It felt like things were trending that direction for quite some time, but they've been a touch less than dominant in conference play, suffering four losses (only one of them against a ranked opponent).

Still, the selection committee considers them to be a top-four team and the KenPom rankings concur. They have a (slight) leg up on the competition for the final No. 1 seed, but they'll capitalize on that advantage and make sure they don't let this slip away.

Houston Cougars

Houston's move to the Big 12—the best conference in men's college basketball—has gone off without a hitch. The Cougars look as dominant as ever, winning 25 of 28 games overall and going 12-3 in the conference with those three losses—all on the road, by the way—decided by a total of 18 points.

They pair the nation's top defense with an efficient offense led by the proven and productive backcourt combo of seniors L.J. Cryer and Jamal Shead. The former is a net-shredder, and the latter can dominate games with his scoring or distributing.

Purdue Boilermakers

The Boilermakers earned a No. 1 seed last year and were swiftly knocked out of the opening round by 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson. Purdue has been playing with a purpose ever since, and its first 28 trips to the hardwood this season have yielded 25 victories.

Opponents still don't have an answer for 7'4", 300-pound senior center Zach Edey, who could become men's college basketball's first repeat Naismith Award winner since Ralph Sampson in 1983. Edey is averaging 23.7 points on 62.7 percent shooting to go along with 11.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in his 30.9 minutes.

UConn Huskies

The defending champion Huskies have looked the part all season. They've only dropped three games to this point, and two of them were against top-15 opponents (then-No. 5 Kansas in early December and then-No. 15 Creighton in late February). They've also won their other five contests against ranked opponents by an average of 15.2 points.

KenPom puts them top-20 on both offense (fourth) and defense (18th). Their starting five is fully loaded and arguably without a weakness. All five average in double figures, and the combination scratches every conceivable itch from outside shooting and table-setting to paint protection and shot-creation.