[imagesource:gibonsgazette]

Love watching and betting on sports? We have the info about the exciting potential March Madness college basketball matchups.

The annual climax to the NCAA Division 1 season known as ‘March Madness’ always generates a ton of excitement among sports fans. One reason for that is that they know one of the 68 sides involved in the event will be crowned the champion at the end of it.

Another reason for the buzz around the tournament is the single-elimination format. This ensures each team has to go for broke in every game they play, as there are no second chances for losers.

March Madness is also one of the US sports tournaments that produces a lot of upsets, with hotly tipped sides often falling short. That adds more spice for fans and for anyone betting on it; an activity which is growing in popularity.

This article will take a look at the most exciting potential matchups in the 2024 tournament.

Number 1 Seeded Sides

March Madness is one of the most surprising of all sports competitions, but that does not mean that the seeding system for the tournament is irrelevant. The sides that land the number 1 seeded places have done so based on their conference performances and results during the season.

In the past 39 years of the tournament, 24 championship winners went into March Madness as a top-seeded side. Furthermore, 12 of the last 16 champions were number 1 seeds at the start.

Among the sides that are fighting for the four coveted number 1 seeds this year are Arizona, North Carolina, Houston, UConn and Purdue. North Carolina have slipped in their recent matches, which could see them having to settle for a number 2 seeded place.

Most observers will not find it surprising that teams expected to secure number 1 seeds are among the favorites to win the tournament. Purdue and UConn are among the hot tips at sportsbooks, on +800 and +700 respectively and it is not hard to see why based on their form.

Both have gone on lengthy winning streaks in the all-important late stages of the conference season. Recent form stats are a solid indicator of why some teams are favored in college basketball matchups and are one of the things that should be studied before placing bets.

Matchups That Would be Great to See

UConn vs. Purdue

Any March Madness showdown between these sides would showcase college basketball at a really elite level. Both teams are strongly tipped to be in the tournament as top seeds and each has an impressive conference record this season.

Purdue have a genuine match winner in their side, in the shape of center Zach Edey. They have dominated the Big Ten conference just as UConn have the Big East, but for all their strength Purdue are a reminder that the ‘madness’ aspect of this tournament is real.

They went into the 2023 event among the number 1 seeds and a hot favorite, only to fall victim to one of the biggest ever upsets when they lost to rank outsiders Fairleigh Dickinson. Shocks and unpredictability are baked into March Madness and top sides like Purdue and UConn know that all too well.

Arizona vs. North Carolina

The Tar Heels may just lose out on a place among the number one seeded sides, due to a late slip in form. That should take nothing away from their strength though and they are highly rated by the experts.

If North Carolina do manage to claim number one seeding, they will be the first ACC side to do so since 2019. That year, this conference produced three of the four top seeds and the eventual champions in Virginia, but it has been in a slump in recent seasons.

Arizona are the team most likely to deny them that number one seed. That would make any March Madness fixture between them even more fascinating. It is difficult to separate their season stats, although the Tar Heels come off slightly better in terms of conference wins.

This kind of hard-to-call battle is what people look for from college basketball matchups.

South Dakota State vs. Houston

Basketball fans look to this tournament for upsets and giant killing, as they have become more frequent in recent seasons. Number 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson dumping number 1 seed Purdue out of the tournament was the big story of last year, but could it be repeated?

South Dakota State are tipped to be among the lowest seeded sides, whereas Houston are third favorites. A win for the former would prove that the tournament remains among the least predictable sports events in the world.

March Madness will surely produce plenty of surprises again this year.