Teams with the Best Path to the Championship

The 2024 NCAA Tournament field is set and now the goal for everyone is to fill out their bracket that includes picking an ultimate winner. There are a handful of teams this year that are looked at as having the best chance to win it all. Let’s look at some of the teams that may have the easiest path to the Final Four and the championship.

The Huskies’ first challenge likely won’t come until the Sweet 16. It’s expected that Auburn will make it there to face UConn. Auburn has been hot, easily winning their way to the SEC Championship. They are hot but came out of nowhere to get here. There was a case that Auburn should have been a higher seed but if UConn can get past them, they have a nice path to the Final Four.

In the Elite 8 it’s assumed that UConn will face one of either Iowa State or Illinois. UConn would likely love to see Iowa State here, even though they are the No. 2 seed in the East region. Iowa State made easy work of Houston in the Big 12 Championship but was extremely inconsistent this year and had one of the softest non-conference schedules of any Power 5 team.

Duke was given a four seed and got placed in one of the easiest regions by many people’s accounts. If they make it to the Sweet 16, Duke will likely have to face Houston who is the one seed. Houston is on upset alert for a lot of people early in the tournament. They just lost by 20 points in the Big 12 Championship and will possibly have to play a tough Texas A&M team in the second round. Duke may have gotten a lucky draw here.

Marquette as a two seed coming from the Big East represented by just three teams shouldn’t scare Duke down the line either. Kentucky could be in their way as well if they beat Marquette but as usual, Kentucky is a young team that may struggle against more experienced teams in the tournament. Watch out for Duke as one of the lower seeds to go on a tournament run.

As a one seed the path to the Final Four is always easier than any other seed. Their greatest challenge may be early on in this region as Kansas or Gonzaga will likely come up for them in the Sweet 16. Those are two programs that have a winning history in the NCAA Tournament. Kansas was also ranked No. 1 at one point this season.

After the Sweet 16 it looks like smooth sailing in the Midwest region for Purdue. Tennessee or Creighton looks to be slated to play Purdue in the Elite 8. After that they will be matched against the South region in the Final Four which could be Houston or one of Duke or Kentucky who many people have as the favorites to come out of the South.