Arizona has been a No. 1 seed (in 2022) and No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament bracket Tommy Lloyd’s two seasons at the helm. The Wildcats’ success this season has come without three key players from last year’s team, all of whom were selected in the top 33 picks of the 2022 NBA Draft. This year’s Arizona squad went 28-6 and won the Pac-12 Tournament Championship last weekend ahead of March Madness 2023. Entering the 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket led by second team All-American, forward Azuolas Tubelis, who topped the conference in points (19.3 per game) and rebounds (9.3 per game), the Wildcats will try to improve upon their Sweet 16 appearance last season.
For Arizona to advance as the No. 2 seed in the South Region of the 2023 NCAA bracket, they would need to defeat No. 15 Princeton and the winner of No. 7 Missouri and No. 10 Utah State. With a likely matchup in the Sweet Sixteen against No. 3 Baylor or No. 6 Creighton, Arizona would face top seed Alabama in the Elite Eight if they made it that far in the NCAA Tournament 2023. Can the Wildcats pull a minor upset to advance to their first Final Four since 2001? 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
A first-round matchup in the South worth keeping an eye on is No. 8 Maryland vs. No. 9 West Virginia. The only two wins Maryland has recorded away from home since November were against Big 10 cellar-dweller Minnesota. They lost three of their final four games heading into the 2023 NCAA Tournament and coach Kevin Willard has only won one NCAA Tournament game in his career. Meanwhile, West Virginia’s Bob Huggins is 4-1 in first round games at the school.
Another 2023 March Madness matchup to keep an eye on: No. 5 San Diego State Aztecs vs. No. 12 Charleston Cougars in the South Region. The Aztecs rank 29th nationally in points per game allowed (63.6) and are led by senior guard Matt Bradley (12.9 PPG). Charleston averages 80.8 points per game and went 31-3 during the regular season. In order to avoid the upset, the Aztecs will likely need to slow the pace and prevent the Cougars from excelling in transition.
A 2023 March Madness matchup to look out for: No. 4 Virginia vs. No. 13 Furman in the South. Virginia is seeking consistency in the NCAA Tournament 2023, as its last three trips have included two first-round exits and a national championship. The Cavaliers are led by fifth-year senior guard Kihei Clark, who was a member of the 2019 title team. Furman has an experienced roster as well, with SoCon Player of the Year Jalen Slawson and all-conference member Mike Bothwell opting to return this season after losing in the conference title game last year. The Paladins have not played since beating Chattanooga in the SoCon final on March 6. 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.
