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March Madness bracket predictions: National championship picks for the 2024 NCAA Tournament
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- March Madness bracket predictions: National championship picks for the 2024 NCAA Tournament
The national championship is set in the men's March Madness bracket .
On one side is UConn , the team that won it all last year and dominated all competition on the way to the Final Four and survived an upset bid from Alabama on Saturday. The Huskies are undefeated – 5-0 – in men's basketball national championship games and are going for their sixth title in program history. All five previous titles have come since 1999.
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On the other side of the bracket is Purdue , a team that has been unable to get over the hump in recent years, including a first-round loss to a No. 16 seed last year. The Boilermakers are playing for their first national title since the tournament's inception in 1939. They were previously runners-up to UCLA in 1969.
Here's everything you need to know about Monday's men's college basketball national championship.
Apr 6, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) is defended by North Carolina State Wolfpack forward Ben Middlebrooks (34) in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2024 NCAA Tournament a
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2024 Men's national championship: Purdue vs. UConn predictions
Bleacher Report :UConn 84, Purdue 78
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Andrew Peters writes, "The Boilermakers will obviously have a giant in the paint in Edey, but UConn has one on its side in Donovan Clingan. The senior center, who stands 7'2", is an elite rim protector, averaging 2.5 blocks per game this season. Edey has been dominant in the paint all tournament, but he hasn't seen a defender like Clingan yet."
The Sporting News :UConn 78, Purdue 71
Bill Bender writes, "For Purdue, it is about not letting UConn get on the game-changing runs that doomed Illinois and Alabama in the last two rounds. How will Edey alter the UConn offense? It might take the Huskies a little longer to settle in, but they will make the right adjustments at halftime."
The Athletic :Projected score model has UConn winning
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Dan Santaromita writes, "Austin Mock's projection model also has UConn as a 6.5-point favorite with an average projected score of 75.3-68.8. The Huskies won the national title in 70.7 percent of the simulations."
Fansided :Take the Huskies to win the national championship
Reed Wallach writes, "Ultimately, I side with the Huskies, the most complete team in the country. Edey is great, but the team can't exploit any holes on the UConn roster to get over the hump. It's a tax, but it's UConn or nothing for me in the title game."
ESPN :Analytics model sides with UConn
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ESPN Analytics give the Huskies a slight edge in the national championship game, with the model predicting a 54.3% chance of a UConn win. The same model leaves Purdue with a 46.7% chance to win the title.
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Purdue vs. UConn: Odds, spread and lines for March Madness
UConn are favorites to defeat Purdue in Monday's national championship game, according to the BetMGM college basketball odds . Looking to wager? Check out the best mobile sports betting apps offering sports betting promos in 2024 .
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Odds as of Sunday.
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Spread:UConn (-6.5)
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Moneyline:UConn (-275); Purdue (+225)
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Over/under:145.5
How to watch Purdue vs. UConn: TV, streaming and schedule
Date:Monday, April 8
Time: 9:20 p.m. ET
Where:State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Cable TV:TBS/TNT/truTV
Streaming: Paramount+ ; Hulu + Live TV ; NCAA March Madness Live app; fuboTV
How to watch: Catch the men's national championship with a subscription to fuboTV
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: National championship bracket predictions: Purdue vs. UConn picks
