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Don’t let anyone tell you that the NIT doesn’t matter after Xavier used its NIT championship last year to springboard it into the 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket. Four of Xavier’s top five scorers were on last year’s squad, and the Musketeers are battle-tested from playing in the tough Big East. A No. 3 seed in the Midwest region of the 2023 March Madness bracket, Xavier will play a first-round game against the only newcomer in the NCAA Tournament 2023, No. 14 Kennesaw State.
The Midwest Region of the 2023 NCAA bracket is loaded with schools from power conferences outside of top seed Houston. No. 2 Texas, No. 4 Indiana and No. 5 Miami (FL) will all try to keep the Musketeers from the Final Four, which would be the first in school history. Before making any 2023 March Madness bracket predictions, be sure to check out the 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket picks from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulated the entire 2023 NCAA Tournament 10,000 times. It has absolutely crushed its March Madness picks, beating over 92% of all CBS Sports brackets two of the last four tournaments. The model also nailed three teams in the West and South Region Sweet 16 last year, including No. 5 seed Houston.
It knows how to spot an upset as well. The same model has produced brackets that have nailed 18 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds. It also nailed some massive upsets two years ago, including predicting the championship game between Gonzaga and Baylor and hitting Houston’s Midwest Region win even though the Cougars weren’t the No. 1 seed.
There’s simply no reason to rely on luck when there’s proven technology to help you dominate your 2023 March Madness pools. Now, with the 2023 NCAA bracket being revealed, the model is simulating the matchups and its results are in. You can only see it over at SportsLine.
2023 March Madness bracket games to watch
One 2023 March Madness matchup to keep an eye on: No. 8 Iowa vs. No. 9 Auburn in the Midwest region. Iowa puts all of its eggs into one basket, as the Hawkeyes rank fourth in offensive efficiency, thanks to committing just 9.9 turnovers per game, but is outside the top 100 in defensive efficiency. Auburn went just 4-7 in games decided by five or fewer points, but boasts one of the most dynamic defensive squads in the land as one of just three teams to average at least 8.0 steals and 5.0 blocks per game.
Another Midwest Regional battle to watch is No. 7 seed Texas A&M vs. No. 10 seed Penn State. The Nittany Lions are dancing for the first time in a dozen years thanks to a prolific offense that ranks sixth nationally in three-pointers made per game. That offense is powered by Jalen Pickett, whose 41 points against Illinois ties for the most by any player this season against a major program. A&M has the SEC Co-Coach of the Year, Buzz Williams, and the attacks the rim like no other, leading the nation in free throws made and attempted.
Also in the Midwest, No. 5 Miami takes on No. 12 Drake in a game that should be one of the popular 2023 March Madness upset picks. The Canes won the ACC regular season title, but were knocked out of the conference tournament by Duke. Drake is one of the hottest teams in the 2023 March Madness field, winning each of its conference tournament games by double-digits. Miami is coming off a surprising run to the Elite Eight as a 10-seed in 2022, but this time they will be the team on upset alert as a 5-seed in the first round. You can see how far all these teams go over at SportsLine.
How to make 2023 NCAA bracket predictions
How far will those major programs go? And which Cinderella teams will make surprising runs through the 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket? With the model’s track record of calling bracket-busting upsets, you’ll want to see which stunners it is calling this year before locking in any NCAA bracket picks.
So what’s the optimal NCAA Tournament bracket 2023? And which March Madness underdogs will shock college basketball? Visit SportsLine now to see which teams you can back with confidence, all from the model that’s nailed 18 upsets by double-digit seeds since its inception and beat over 92 percent of players two of the last four tournaments.
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