College basketball predictions 2023-24: Expert picks for 2024 Final Four and NCAA Tournament champion

Part of faculty basketball’s good looks is its unpredictability. Just 12 months after the 2022 NCAA Tournament produced a blue blood particular of Duke, North Carolina, Villanova and Kansas within the Final Four, the 2023 Big Dance veered onerous in an sudden course. The Final Four featured 3 first-time visitors — FAU, Miami and San Diego State — along side No. 4 seed and eventual nationwide champion UConn.

UConn, Miami and FAU had been unranked to start out closing season, whilst San Diego State used to be nineteenth. Meanwhile, North Carolina become the primary preseason No. 1 crew to ever pass over the NCAA Tournament. Now, with the arriving of the 2023-24 season, it is time to include the chances as soon as once more.  

When the ball is tipped Monday across the nation, it is going to mark the start of a five-month adventure that can culminate in Glendale, Arizona, for the 2024 Final Four. Opinions on who will probably be at State Farm Stadium at the first weekend of April range vastly inside of our panel of six professionals right here at CBS Sports. Collectively, we’ve got picked 13 groups to achieve the Final Four, with 3 other groups popping out on peak as nationwide champions.

Below, you can to find the ones makes an attempt to are expecting what is in retailer for the completely unpredictable game of faculty basketball within the 2023-24 season. 

2024 Final Four predictions

Predicted champions 

Kansas: The Jayhawks have gained two nationwide championships below Bill Self and would’ve been the favourite in 2020 if no longer for a world pandemic resulting in the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament. Now, right here they’re once more, No. 1 within the preseason AP Top 25 and the favourite in making a bet markets to win the 2024 NCAA Tournament in large part as a result of Self’s presence, the go back of starters Dajuan Harris, Kevin McCullar and Ok.J. Adams and the addition of transfers Hunter Dickinson and Nick Timberlake. Kansas has ability, revel in, intensity and a trainer who has been classified the most efficient within the game by means of a panel of CBS Sports writers and analysts two directly years. That’s a perfect mixture and why I imagine the Jayhawks are the crew perhaps to win the nationwide championship, which might make Self simply the 7th Division I males’s trainer in historical past to say 3 NCAA Tournament titles. — Gary Parrish (additionally David Cobb, Jerry Palm)

Purdue: There have best been two No. 1 seeds in NCAA Tournament historical past to lose to a No. 16 seed. One used to be Virginia in 2018, however the Cavaliers rebounded in one of the best ways conceivable by means of successful the NCAA championship the next 12 months. The different is Purdue in 2023, and I imagine the Boilermakers can mirror Virginia’s follow-up. Purdue has the most important weapon within the game — reigning Player of the Year Zach Edey — and a extra skilled supporting forged that has all of the chips on all of the shoulders to come back again higher this season. The majority of the crew’s core is again in position this season, and with an offseason to procedure and support upon a heartbreaking postseason loss, I’m making a bet Purdue reveals a option to flip this right into a feel-good tale for the ages. — Kyle Boone (additionally Matt Norlander)

Duke: Duke brings again 4 starters from a crew that gained the ACC identify in Jon Scheyer’s first season on the helm, and this system parlayed that good fortune at the recruiting path by means of bringing within the No. 2 total elegance. Guard play nonetheless issues in March, and Tyrese Proctor, Jeremy Roach and Jared McCain are the 3 standouts on the place. The 2023-24 season remains to be the 12 months of the massive guy, and it is onerous to argue in opposition to Kyle Filipowski being the No. 2 total participant in the back of reigning National Player of the Year Zach Edey. The Blue Devils have a mix of revel in and early life that makes the easiest recipe for a countrywide identify returning to Durham, North Carolina. — Cameron Salerno

Predicted Final Four groups

FAU: The greatest mistake some make whilst discussing FAU is insisting the Owls “just got hot in the NCAA Tournament to make the Final Four” reasonably than acknowledging that they had been simply truly nice all season. FAU went 35-4 whilst taking part in in a league with two different top-50 KenPom groups. The Owls gained their convention by means of a couple of video games. They gained the identify recreation in their convention match by means of 22 issues. They beat the Memphis crew that beat Houston within the AAC Tournament, beat the Tennessee crew that eradicated Duke from the NCAA Tournament and beat the Kansas State crew that eradicated Kentucky and Michigan State from the NCAA Tournament. Now, all 5 starters are again from that extremely completed crew, which is why there may be not anything loopy about suggesting Florida Atlantic truly does have the trainer and avid gamers to make back-to-back Final Fours although this system had 0 NCAA Tournament wins in historical past previous to its run closing March. — Parrish

Texas A&M: My Final Four picks are yearly a bundle of groups that I deliberately make a selection to NOT all be ranked within the peak 4/5/6 of my annual peak 101 scores. Keep in thoughts, with one exception (2007-08), the 4 Final Four groups weren’t ranked within the preseason peak 5. So, I’m having a look for life like picks that don’t seem to be evident acros the board. I’m the one one of the most six right here to select A&M to visit Glendale. I just like the Aggies’ possibilities to win the SEC a 12 months got rid of from completing moment with a 15-3 report and returning the fourth-highest share of minutes-getters in high-major basketball (Wisconsin, Purdue and Marquette, consistent with BartTorvik.com). Look for junior lead guard Wade Taylor IV to emerge as one of the most highest backcourt scorers within the country. One caveat right here, although: My A&M pick out used to be made earlier than it used to be published that Julius Marble is lately clear of the crew for causes that have not been disclosed. His position is a significant one to A&M’s season-long viability, so we watch for extra with that. (If Marble finally ends up no longer being at the crew, I might faucet Marquette as a sub right here.) — Norlander

Texas: You’re seeing some love for second-year trainer Jon Scheyer in our preseason Final Four picks, however let me give second-year Texas trainer Rodney Terry — who’s in his first season because the full-time chief of the Longhorns — some reinforce. Texas used to be a No. 2 seed closing season and made the Elite Eight, completing 5th at KenPom within the procedure. That’s a perfect 12 months. The Longhorns introduced on one of the most highest scorers within the nation, Max Abmas from Oral Roberts, and may have an elite two-way guard within the Big 12 with junior Tyrese Hunter. Dillon Mitchell had a cushy opening as a freshman; glance for him to pop. Dylan Disu’s all-around price is set to transform much more discovered, too. I do not believe Texas will win the Big 12, however I do suppose it will rack up Quad 1 wins and put itself in place to be at the 2-, 3- or 4-seed line. A crew with the entire items to win 4 within the Big Dance, definitely. — Norlander

Kentucky: Kentucky has no longer made it to the second one weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2019. It has misplaced to Kansas State, Saint Peter’s and additionally overlooked the tourney totally since then. So, the momentum for UK below John Calipari is not there presently. I am getting it. But ability nonetheless issues greater than I feel the informal fan would care to recognize, and Kentucky has it in spades. Even with an absolutely suspect frontcourt because of preseason accidents, the Wildcats have two attainable stars in Justin Edwards and DJ Wagner — the core items of a top-five incoming recruiting elegance. With Antonio Reeves again, there is a great mix of revel in and elite younger ability to assist Calipari get issues again not off course in Lexington. — Boone

UConn: Haters will level to the truth that going to back-to-back Final Fours is traditionally not going; the closing crew to take action used to be the ones mid-aughts Florida groups below Billy Donovan. The haters have no idea Dan Hurley, although. UConn misplaced Adama Sanogo and Jordan Hawkins from its title-winning crew, however the nucleus of Tristen Newton, Alex Karaban and Donovan Clingan are again blended with the arriving of attainable one-and-done freshman Stephon Castle. This crew will once more have dimension, duration and super guard play — the recipe of a crew that would, and I feel will, be again within the Final Four this season. — Boone

Michigan State: Michigan State’s mixture of returning manufacturing and younger ability is the easiest combine in these days’s generation. The Spartans can flip to veteran guards like Tyson Walker, A.J. Hoggard and Jaden Akins in seize moments and for constant manufacturing. As the veterans information the send, a trio of top-50 rookies can acclimate to the varsity recreation and blossom into key roles in time to polish by means of March. Tom Izzo has guided the Spartans to twenty-five directly NCAA Tournament appearances, together with 15 Sweet 16s and 8 Final Fours. This team has all of the substances wanted so as to add to his legacy. — Cobb 

Arizona: Arizona is 61-11 (32-8 Pac-12) and has earned a No. 1 seed and No. 2 seed for the NCAA Tournament during the last two seasons to start out trainer Tommy Lloyd’s tenure. The Wildcats have made early exits from the Big Dance below Lloyd, however this crew may also be other. Former North Carolina guard Caleb Love has been to a countrywide identify recreation, so has San Diego State switch ahead Keshad Johnson. Both will have to be starters and will mix with a forged returning core of Kylan Boswell, Pelle Larsson and Oumar Ballo to provide Lloyd some other deadly offensive crew. If Ballo can shine as the center-piece of the frontcourt, the Wildcats will dance from their house in Tucson to a Final Four look simply up the street in Glendale. — Cobb (additionally Norlander)

Marquette: Marquette used to be one of the most delightful surprises from closing season. The Golden Eagles gained the Big East common season and match titles earlier than incomes a 2-seed within the NCAA Tournament. They fell sufferer to Michigan State in the second one spherical, however nearly everyone seems to be again to provide it some other pass. This season, like closing, they’re led by means of reigning Big East Player of the 12 months Tyler Kolek.  Marquette went 9 deep closing 12 months and Kolek is joined by means of seven different returning Golden Eagles from closing season’s rotation. The best participant who left used to be Olivier-Maxence Prosper, who’s now prospering (pun supposed) within the NBA. The Big East figures to be extremely aggressive once more this season, so a peak seed within the NCAA Tournament is also an excessive amount of to invite, however Shaka Smart’s workforce will probably be smartly ready for a deep run within the NCAA Tournament. — Palm

Creighton: Creighton used to be seconds clear of achieving its first Final Four in program historical past earlier than San Diego State’s Darrion Trammell knocked down a unfastened throw that despatched the Bluejays packing. Creighton brings again the most efficient trio within the Big East in Ryan Kalkbrenner, Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander, and it added Utah State switch Steven Ashworth to interchange former level guard Ryan Nembhard. The Big East will probably be a grind, and there are 3 groups — UConn, Marquette and Creighton — that every one have a respectable probability of achieving the overall weekend of the season. This is the 12 months the Bluejays recover from the hump, in large part as a result of their returning revel in. — Salerno (additionally Boone)

USC: The Trojans are able to make a run. USC brings again famous person guard Boogie Ellis, who will probably be paired within the backcourt with Isaiah Collier, who is regarded as one of the most peak level guards from the 2023 recruiting cycle and the favourite to win Freshman of the Year. By season’s finish, we might be having a dialog about Ellis and Collier being the highest backcourt in America as a result of how smartly they supplement every different. The greatest storyline surrounding the Trojans program is the standing of Bronny James, who suffered a frightening heart-failure incident over the summer time and has no timeline for a go back. If USC can get James again in any capability, he will be the very best position participant to pair with Collier and Ellis. USC used to be at the cusp of achieving the Final Four in 2021, and that is the season this system ends its 70-year drought. — Salerno