Among power conferences, the Pac-12 has the longest drought without a national championship entering the 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket. Since Arizona won in 1997, the conference is 0-for-24, but has several promising bids in the 2023 March Madness bracket. The Wildcats are a 2-seed in the South Region, as are the UCLA Bruins in the West. With the Bruins and No. 10 seed USC departing the Pac-12 in 2024, this could be one of the last chances for the conference to cut down the nets in over a quarter-century as the NCAA bracket 2023 nears.
To the Pac-12’s credit, it has avoided major March Madness upsets in recent years. In fact, it is the only power conference not to have a No. 1, 2 or 3 seed lose in the first round over the last 10 years. While that sounds promising for UCLA and Arizona for Round 1, how far should you advance them in your 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket? Before you make your 2023 NCAA Tournament predictions, see the March Madness 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.
Now, SportsLine’s advanced computer model has simulated the entire NCAA Tournament 10,000 times to come up with the perfect 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket and find out which teams will pull off the biggest upsets. You shouldn’t even think about making a pick without seeing what their model has to say.
Top 2023 March Madness bracket upset picks
One 2023 March Madness matchup to keep an eye on: No. 8 Memphis vs. No. 9 Florida Atlantic in the East region. Memphis may not have the star power of year’s past, but Penny Hardaway’s squad is one of the few that can say it knocked off the No. 1 team in the nation after the Tigers upset Houston in the AAC Championship. As for FAU, no team had more victories than the Owls’ 31 this season. They also were ranked for the first time in program history, spending four weeks in the top 25.
Also in the East Region, it’s No. 5 Duke vs. No. 12 Oral Roberts. The Blue Devils have three of the top four Class of 2022 recruits, and those freshmen emerged over the course of the year. Their offense may get most of the attention, but the Blue Devils were stifling on the other end, allowing just 63.9 points per game. That will make for a matchup of strengths, as the Golden Eagles average 84.2 points per game, the third-most in Division I.
The third matchup to watch is also in the East Regional: No. 6 Kentucky vs. No. 11 Providence. The Friars had a midseason surge to earn a place in the top 25 for eight straight weeks, but they faded down the stretch, losing their last three entering the NCAA Tournament bracket 2023. As for Kentucky, it was up-and-down all season, but the Wildcats still managed to finish third in a tough SEC. However, Tennessee was the only ranked team it defeated all year, as the Wildcats knocked off the Vols twice. See which other 2023 March Madness matchups to target here.
How to make 2023 NCAA Tournament 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.
