March Madness 2024: Schedule and Bracket Predictions for Top Men's Seeds

Bring on the Madness.

Selection Sunday is fewer than two weeks away, and the nation's top men's college basketball teams are already preparing for potential championship runs. UConn has the talent to repeat, but programs such as Houston, Purdue, Tennessee, Arizona, Iowa State, North Carolina and more all have plenty of firepower to challenge.

With that in mind, here is a look at the upcoming schedule for Selection Sunday when the bracket is released and the tournament as a whole, as well as predictions for the four No. 1 seeds in that bracket.

Selection Sunday and Tournament Schedule

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LOUISVILLE, KY - MARCH 26: The March Madness Logo on display on the Wilson NVO NXT game ball during the Creighton Bluejays versus the San Diego State Aztecs in the Elite 8 Round of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship South Regional on March 26, 2023, at KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, KY.(Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Selection Sunday Schedule

• Date: Sunday, March 17
• Time: 6 p.m. ET
• TV: CBS

Tournament Schedule

• 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 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona
• NCAA championship game: April 8 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona 
  

No. 1 Seed Prediction: Purdue

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CHAMPAIGN, IL - MARCH 05: Purdue Boilermakers Center Zach Edey (15) reacts as time expires in the college basketball game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Illinois Fighting Illini on March 5, 2024, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Purdue has the ultimate chance at redemption this season.

The Boilermakers were a No. 1 seed in last year's Big Dance but were stunned in the first round by 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson. The Big Ten powerhouse could do nothing but watch as other teams competed for the Final Four it surely thought it would reach.

They will have another chance as a top seed this year.

Big man Zach Edey is still leading the show, and Purdue has been steady all season with wins over Gonzaga, Tennessee, Marquette, Alabama, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Illinois.

While there were some hiccups on the road against Northwestern, Nebraska and Ohio State, the Boilermakers are essentially a lock for a No. 1 seed with that many marquee wins and a 27-3 overall record.

No. 1 Seed Prediction: Houston

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WACO, TX - FEBRUARY 24: L.J. Cryer #4 of the Houston Cougars handles the ball against the Baylor Bears in the second half at Foster Pavilion on February 24, 2024 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

Anybody who thought Houston would be in for a rude awakening with a move to the Big 12 thought wrong.

The Cougars have made their presence known in their new conference with wins over Texas Tech, Texas, Iowa State and Baylor. While they lost to Kansas on the road, they will have the chance at revenge when they host the Jayhawks on Saturday.

Houston stifles opponents with its defense, which means it doesn't have to score as much as most top teams to come away with victories.

But it has enough firepower with L.J. Cryer, Jamal Shead and Emanuel Sharp to win games on the offensive side if needed.

The Big 12 tournament will be anything but easy for the Cougars with Iowa State, Baylor, Kansas, BYU and perhaps Texas Tech as true threats, but they have the inside track for a No. 1 seed thanks to all they've accomplished to this point.

No. 1 Seed Prediction: UConn

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HARTFORD, CT - FEBRUARY 17: UConn Huskies guard Tristen Newton (2) shoots the three point shot during the game as the Marquette Golden Eagles take on the UConn Huskies on February 17, 2024 at the XL Center in Hartford, CT (Photo by Williams Paul/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Relentless, dominant, champions.

While UConn hasn't been completely perfect this season, the reigning national champions are undefeated at home, picked up impressive nonconference wins against Texas, North Carolina and Gonzaga, and can overwhelm opponents with an offensive onslaught.

Five different players average double-digit scoring totals for the Huskies in Tristen Newton, Cam Spencer, Alex Karaban, Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle, underscoring their ability to still win important games even if a couple players are struggling.

That should bode well come tournament time, as should the experience of an entire season of receiving their opponents' best shot given their status as reigning champions.

The Big East tournament is always appointment viewing, but UConn should have a No. 1 seed waiting for it in the Big Dance after such an impressive season.

No. 1 Seed Prediction: Arizona

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TUCSON, AZ - MARCH 02: Arizona Wildcats guard Caleb Love #2 during the first half of a men's basketball game between the Oregon Ducks and the University of Arizona Wildcats on March 2, 2024 at McKale Center in Tucson, AZ. (Photo by Christopher Hook/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

If the tournament started today, the final No. 1 seed might go to Tennessee.

However, the thought here is Arizona will be the team atop one of the brackets come Selection Sunday largely because of the conference tournaments. While the selection committee might not put as much stock into the conference tournaments as casual fans, they can be tiebreakers of sort when the margin is so thin.

And the margin is thin between Tennessee and Arizona.

The separation will come when the Wildcats win a Pac-12 tournament that doesn't have as many landmines as Tennessee will face in the SEC tournament. Washington State, Colorado and Oregon could be challenges, but there is far more top-notch depth that the Volunteers may have to face.

South Carolina, Auburn, Alabama and Kentucky are all ranked, and Florida will likely be in the next edition of the Top 25 after defeating the Crimson Tide on Tuesday. One of those teams will defeat Tennessee, which will clear the way for the Wildcats to earn the final No. 1 seed in the bracket.

Perhaps they can settle which team is better in the Final Four.