The 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket is live, with first-round action beginning on Thursday. Understanding the 2023 March Madness matchups is the most important aspect of winning your 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket picks. With most formats utilizing a multiplier format, you have to identify the teams most capable of making deep runs in the NCAA college basketball bracket. The UCLA Bruins are a No. 2 seed in the West region after going 29-5, and Mick Cronin’s squad looks like a serious threat to win it all.
However, UCLA also has Kansas, Gonzaga and UConn to contend with in their quadrant of the NCAA Tournament 2023 bracket. What should your strategy be for your 2023 March Madness predictions, and what are some of the potential 2023 NCAA Tournament upsets you need to be aware of? Before making any 2023 March Madness bracket predictions, be sure to check out the 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket picks from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulated the entire 2023 NCAA Tournament 10,000 times. It has absolutely crushed its March Madness picks, beating over 92% of all CBS Sports brackets two of the last four tournaments. The model also nailed three teams in the West and South Region Sweet 16 last year, including No. 5 seed Houston.
It knows how to spot an upset as well. The same model has produced brackets that have nailed 18 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds. It also nailed some massive upsets two years ago, including predicting the championship game between Gonzaga and Baylor and hitting Houston’s Midwest Region win even though the Cougars weren’t the No. 1 seed.
There’s simply no reason to rely on luck when there’s proven technology to help you dominate your 2023 March Madness picks. Now, with the 2023 NCAA bracket revealed, the model is simulating the matchups and its results are in. You can only see it over at SportsLine.
Three 2023 March Madness bracket games to watch
One of the best matchups in the first round of the NCAA Tournament bracket is No. 8 Maryland vs. No. 9 West Virginia in the South Region. Maryland’s Jahmir Young had nine games with 20-plus points during the regular season, so he gives the Terrapins an experienced leader. They also finished just outside the top 30 in offensive and defensive efficiency, creating a balanced attack that is difficult for unfamiliar opponents to deal with. West Virginia is an offensive-minded team that loves to crash the glass and get to the charity stripe. The Mountaineers are led by one of the top coaches in the country, Bob Huggins, making them a challenging opponent at this time of the year.
Another 2023 March Madness matchup to keep an eye on: No. 5 San Diego State vs. No. 12 Charleston Cougars. At least one No. 12 seed has knocked off a No. 5 in all but three NCAA Tournaments dating back to 2001. San Diego State, however, has the nation’s 10th-most efficient defense, according to KenPom. The Aztecs will have their hands full with a Charleston squad that averages nearly 81 points per game.
No. 4 Virginia vs. No. 13 Furman is another critical matchup in the South. Tony Bennett’s squad won a share of the ACC title and was the runner-up in the ACC Tournament to Duke. The Cavaliers missed the NCAA Tournament entirely in 2022 and were bounced in the first round in 2021, but did win a national championship in 2019. Furman is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1980 and the Paladins are a capable squad that had a dominant neutral-court win over an SEC team and also took Big Ten Tournament runner-ups Penn State to the brink on a neutral floor. You can see the model’s 2023 NCAA bracket picks here.
How to make 2023 NCAA bracket predictions
Who wins every tournament-defining matchup? And which teams will make surprising runs through the 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket? With the model’s track record of calling bracket-busting upsets, you’ll want to see which stunners it’s calling this year before locking in any 2023 NCAA bracket picks.
So what’s the optimal NCAA Tournament 2023 bracket? And which NCAA Tournament Cinderella teams will shock college basketball? Visit SportsLine now to see which double-digit seeds you can back with confidence, all from the model that’s called 18 upsets by double-digit seeds.
