NCAA Tournament: 4 Teams That Could Benefit From Close-to-Home Regional Sites

This is ONLY November!

That means it’s time to start looking ahead to the 2024 NCAA Tournament, right?

Check out the breakdown below for which teams could have regional advantages based on the sites of the games during this season’s March Madness. In no particular order:

UConn

The defending national champions have never been to the Final Four in back-to-back seasons. Will that change in 2024? Part of it could depend on the Huskies’ draw. If UConn earns one of the top seeds in the East Region on Selection Sunday, it could mean games during the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn followed by the East Regional the following week at TD Garden in Boston. It would be awfully tough to beat Dan Hurley’s squad in an NCAA Tournament game in the Northeast.

Michigan State

Tom Izzo is taking aim at his ninth Final Four with the 2024 Midwest Regional set to be played at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. That’s a big deal for the Spartans, who play Baylor in the very same venue on December 16th. A high seed in the Midwest could also put Michigan State in either Indianapolis or Pittsburgh during the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament, with both venues being around five hours or less from East Lansing.

Purdue

Much like Michigan State, the Boilers will be targeting a spot in the Midwest Region. First- and second-round games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis -- a place where Purdue will play Arizona in December -- would be a pseudo-home game for the Boilers. Little Caesars Arena -- the site of the Midwest Regional -- is just 4.5 from West Lafayette. That’s a big deal for a program seeking its first Final Four berth since 1980.

Arizona

The Wildcats are projected to be the best team on the West Coast this season, and while they may not have as clear of an advantage as the teams listed above, there’s still a path for Tommy Lloyd’s squad to have a geographic edge. Spokane -- a place where Lloyd was the top assistant at Gonzaga for 20 years -- is a site for the first two rounds and could put him in a position to have sort of a homecoming if the Wildcats are assigned to play there. The 2024 West Regional will take place in Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena from March 28-30.

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Jon Rothstein is not a FanDuel employee. The reporting of Rothstein is not subject to FanDuel's verification and does not represent the views or input of FanDuel. Betting based on Rothstein's reporting will not guarantee a successful outcome. Always do your own due diligence and use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.

Rothstein has been a college basketball insider for CBS Sports since 2010 and a contributor to the CBS Broadcast Network since 2016. He joined FanDuel in 2022 as a Content Creator. Rothstein is also the host of the College Hoops Today Podcast via Compass Media Networks.