As February comes to a close, basketball fans are excited for the March Madness tournament just around the corner. The 2024 men’s NCAA Division 1 tournament is one that is watched all around the country and is only a few short weeks away. 

March Madness is a roughly one month long tournament between the top 68 NCAA division one men’s teams.

The tournament consists of seven rounds, the first four, the round of 64, the round of 32, the sweet sixteen, the elite eight, final four and the championship game.

As of right now, the top 10 teams as ranked by the Associated Press poll, are as follows.

1. Houston Cougars – The Cougars have reached number one status twice during the past two years, which mark their first times in the number one spot since 1983.
2. Purdue Boilermakers – Climbing up from the number three spot, the Boilermakers are led by their center Zach Edey who stands at seven foot four inches tall, making him the tallest player in Big Ten history.
3. UConn Huskies – Previously ranked number one, UConn had an upsetting loss against Creighton, currently ranked number twelve, which bumped them down to the number three spot.
4. Tennessee Volunteers – This team has had success the past few years under their head coach, being projected as far as the number two seed for this year’s March Madness.
5. Marquette Golden Eagles – Marquette currently sits second in the Big East, just below UConn and just above Creighton.
6. Arizona Wildcats – The Wildcats currently sit at the top of the Pac-12 with a 22-6 record. The Wildcats are sitting comfortably in their spot with only a few weeks left for their ranking to change.
7. Kansas Jayhawks – The Jayhawks are sitting just below the Arizona Wildcats in the number seven spot. The Jayhawks were holding a nineteen game win streak up until their recent loss against BYU.
8. Iowa State Cyclones – The Cyclones are currently in second in the Big 12 with only three games left to change their position before March Madness begins.
9. UNC Tar Heels – The Tar Heels are currently holding first in the Atlantic Coast, and they currently hold a 22-6 record with a three game win streak.
10. Duke Blue Devils – The Blue Devils, just below their historic rivals at UNC, also hold a 22-6 record, but unlike the UNC Tar Heels, they don’t hold a win streak, having lost just two games ago.

These rankings are subject to change over the next few weeks; however, it’s safe to say that most, if not all, of these teams will make an appearance in March Madness. 

Once in the tournament, upsets are still possible, with lower ranked teams sometimes succeeding over teams ranked higher than them.

Sitting in the top three is Houston, Purdue, and UConn. These three are all in debate for the number one seed in the upcoming March Madness tournament. 

Some other North Carolina teams that are projected to possibly make March Madness include the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, the Appalachin State Mountaineers, UNCW Seahawks and the High Point Panthers.

March Madness can be watched on many different channels, including ESPN, TNT, CBS, truTV and more. Selection Night for all of the teams that make the first round of the tournament will be on Sunday, March 17.