Let the Madness begin.
The NCAA Tournament is back in full force for the 2024 college basketball season with intriguing storylines in both the men's and women's brackets.
The men's tournament features a field from which UConn is expected to emerge as back-to-back NCAA champions. That hasn't happened since the Al Horford and Joakim Noah-led Florida Gators achieved the feat in 2006 and 2007.
The women's bracket features two interesting teams that should have deep tournament runs. South Carolina remains undefeated at 32-0 and will look to stay unbeaten through the whole season.
Meanwhile, reigning national runner-up Iowa will look to avenge its championship game loss against LSU and try to earn a championship. Star Caitlin Clark is in her last postseason with the Hawkeyes, so it's now or never for the future No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft.
Indeed, fans have a lot to look forward to in March, including filling out their brackets.
But when must those bracket predictions be submitted? Here's what to know about the start of both the men's and women's NCAA Tournaments in 2024.
SN's MARCH MADNESS HQ
Live NCAA bracket news | TV schedule | Printable PDF
When are March Madness brackets due in 2024?
- Men's bracket: Thursday, March 21, 12:15 p.m. ET
- Women's bracket: Friday, March 22, 11:30 a.m. ET
March Madness brackets must be filled out before the NCAA Tournament's Round of 64 games begin.
The first Round of 64 contest to tip off in the men's bracket — Michigan State vs. Mississippi State — will occur at 12:15 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 21. That will serve as the rough deadline by which college basketball fans will need to submit their brackets to qualify for contests.
The women's bracket will also feature Michigan State in its first Round of 64 game, as the Spartans will play UNC to start that tournament. The women don't play until 11:30 a.m. ET on Friday, March 22, so players will have just under 24 hours longer to submit those brackets.
It is probably best to beat the bracket submission deadline by at least 15 minutes to ensure no technical difficulties prevent you from participating in each contest.
Also, it's worth noting that while the NCAA Tournament's Round of 64 won't begin until Thursday, there will still be First Four games in each tournament. While those games are a part of March Madness, bracketologists aren't required to pick winners in those contests. The winners automatically advance to the Round of 64 in electronic bracket contests.
REGION-BY-REGION GUIDES: South | Midwest | West | East
Printable March Madness bracket
You can download Sporting News' printable men's NCAA Tournament bracket (PDF) by clicking here.
And to download Sporting News' printable women's NCAA Tournament bracket (PDF), click here.
WOMEN'S BRACKET TIPS: Upset predictions | Best odds to win it all
March Madness bracket predictions
Three Sporting News writers — Mike DeCourcy, Bill Bender and Vinnie Iyer — gave full bracket breakdowns for the men's 2024 NCAA Tournament. All three of them had two Final Four teams in common, UConn and Tennessee.
The Final Four predictions of each writer can be seen below while their full bracket breakdowns can be accessed by clicking their names.
Mike DeCourcy: UConn, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arizona
Bill Bender: UConn, Houston, Tennessee, Baylor
Vinnie Iyer: UConn, Houston, Tennessee, Arizona
Meanwhile, other Sporting News experts are breaking down individual game matchups to help fans decide on the biggest toss-up matchups across the bracket.
EAST
- 8 FAU or 9 Northwestern?
- 7 Washington State or 10 Drake?
- 6 BYU or 11 Duquesne?
- 5 San Diego State or 12 UAB?
- 4 Auburn or 13 Yale?
SOUTH
- 8 Nebraska or 9 Texas A&M?
- 6 Texas Tech or 11 NC State?
- 5 Wisconsin or 12 James Madison?
- 4 Duke or 13 Vermont?
WEST
- 8 Mississippi State or 9 Michigan State?
- 7 Dayton or 10 Nevada?
- 6 Clemson or 11 New Mexico?
- 5 Saint Mary's or 12 Grand Canyon?
- 4 Alabama or 13 Charleston?
UPSET PICKS: 10 seeds | 11 seeds | 12 seeds | 13 seeds
Meanwhile, Sporting News' Kate Yanchulis provided her expert picks on the likely women's Final Four participants. She projects Caitlin Clark's Iowa squad and Kamilla Cardoso's South Carolina team to make it out of the two Albany regionals to set up some heavyweight clashes in Cleveland.
Below is a look at Yanchulis' Final Four projections; her full bracket breakdowns can be accessed by clicking her name.
Kate Yanchulis: South Carolina, Iowa, Stanford, USC
Meanwhile, The Sporting News' experts broke down the chances of several notable squads and players reaching the Final Four.
PATH TO THE FINAL FOUR
- South Carolina (Kamilla Cardoso)
- USC (JuJu Watkins)
- LSU (Angel Reese)
- Iowa (Caitlin Clark)
- UConn (Paige Bueckers)
