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Let’s breakdown the No. 1 seeds in the 2024 men’s NCAA tournament.
The 2024 men’s NCAA tournament is here, and this year’s field features a loaded slate of contenders on the top line. There are compelling storylines, tremendous head coaches, and true star-power on each of these four teams, who all have credible dreams of cutting down the nets on the final Monday of the season in Phoenix.
The UConn Huskies are trying to win consecutive national championships for the first time since Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer, and Al Horford did it at Florida almost 20 years ago. The Houston Cougars will try to surpass last season’s disappointing Sweet 16 exit as a No. 1 seed, and show they can win their first national title under Kelvin Sampson after years of getting close. The North Carolina Tar Heels are aiming to prove last season’s failure to make the NCAA tournament was a total fluke. The Purdue Boilermakers of course want to exact retribution for becoming the second No. 1 seed to ever lose to a No. 16 seed in the first round last year.
Let’s meet the No. 1 seeds in this year’s field.
East Region: UConn Huskies
UConn didn’t just win last year’s national championship — they ran away it. The Huskies six tournament victories a year ago came by an average margin of 20 points per game, making it one of the most dominant March Madness runs in history. UConn lost plenty of talent from last year’s team with Jordan Hawkins, Andre Jackson, and Adama Sanogo all cashing NBA checks, but somehow this team feels even better than ever as it enters the tournament at 31-3 overall.
The Huskies have the No. 1 offense and No. 11 defense entering the field. They might have the best backcourt in America with Tristen Newton and Rutgers transfer Cam Spencer providing an elite mix of shooting and playmaking. UConn might have the best rim protector in the field too with sophomore Donovan Clingan, a massive 7’2 center who rates just outside the top-10 in DI in block rate. Sophomore Alex Karaban provides floor spacing from the four, while freshman Stephon Castle is coming on strong lately and thrives defensively. The bench is led by another holdover from last season, Hassan Diarra, and also features a few talented freshmen. This team has all the pieces to go back-to-back.
South Region: Houston Cougars
Houston pulled off an impossible task this season: they jumped from the American Athletic Conference to the mighty Big 12 while losing multiple first round draft picks to the NBA from last season, and somehow, they got even better. The metrics have been on the Cougars as the best team in America all year, and it’s a testament to the tremendous program head coach Kelvin Sampson has built.
The Cougars enter the tournament with the country’s No. 2 defense and No. 17 offense. Senior point guard Jamal Shead is perhaps the best two-way guard in the country, a nasty point-of-attack defender who has also taken on a bigger scoring burden this season. Baylor transfer L.J. Cryer and holdover Emanuel Sharp provide more scoring bunch on the perimeter. Houston lacks elite size on the interior, but J’Wan Roberts and Ja’Vier Francis are both tremendous on the offensive glass. Houston wants to play low-scoring, grind-it-out basketball, but with a brilliant head coach in Sampson and a truly great lead guard in Shead, they have every opportunity to pull it off.
Midwest Region: Purdue Boilermakers
Purdue has been on a mission all season to make up for being on the wrong end of arguably the biggest upset in tournament history last year. The Boilermakers tested themselves with an extremely difficult non-conference schedule at the start of the year, and somehow, they came away unblemished with wins over Gonzaga, Tennessee, Marquette, Alabama, and Arizona. Add in an impressive 18-4 mark in Big Ten play (including the conference tournament), and team answered every question it could have before March Madness.
Edey is the best player in the country. The 7’4 senior big man is an unstoppable interior scorer who also gives Purdue so many extra possessions as an offensive rebounder. Purdue banked on his supporting cast improving since last year, and it happened thanks to the development of sophomores Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer. Smith is a tough-as-nails point guard who has great chemistry with Edey in the two-man game and enters the tournament nearly 45 percent from three. Loyer is a 44 percent shooter who can stress defenses by running off screens away from the ball. The one new addition here is Southern Illinois transfer Lance Jones, who has added some much-needed aggression on both ends. If Purdue can keep its turnovers down and avoid getting Edey in foul trouble, they will be a tough, tough out.
West Region: North Carolina
The Tar Heels were the biggest disappointment of last season, starting the year at No. 1 in the preseason polls but failing to make the tournament. This year’s roster was always going to look different with guard Caleb Love leaving for Arizona, but it was the Tar Heels’ own additions in the transfer portal that made all the difference in helping the pieces fit better than ever.
North Carolina enters the tournament No. 24 in offensive efficiency and No. 6 in defensive efficiency. Two senior holdovers lead the way with R.J. Davis in the backcourt and Armando Bacot in the front court. Davis played at an All-American level all year by shooting 40 percent from three and cutting down his turnovers. Bacot refocused himself on the defensive end and is still a skilled interior scorer and rebounder. Carolina needed a big wing who could stretch the floor, and they found one in the portal in Stanford transfer Harrison Ingram. The 6’7 forward hit 37 percent of his threes and gave UNC some more size against opposing wing scorers. Cormac Ryan came over from Notre Dame to provide movement shooting, while freshman point guard Elliot Cadeau’s careful playmaking was a great fit next to Davis’ scoring. UNC might be the fourth No. 1 seed, but they check so many boxes for a potential national champion.
