March Madness Guide: Everything to know before filling out your bracket
The brackets have dropped, the matchups are set, and the most electric three weeks on the college basketball calendar are here. The 2026 NCAA Tournament features perhaps the most elite freshman class we've ever seen and a quartet of No. 1 seeds that should battle for the national title.
While mainstays like Duke, Michigan, Arizona, and Florida grab most of the headlines, a couple of plucky underdogs always make noise. We help identify who they could be heading into Thursday. Find everything you need to know about the 68-team event below.
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Region previews
Featured analysis
Betting tips
Region previews 🍿
East Region
Another year, another top-seeded Duke roster led by a fabulous freshman. Cameron Boozer took the torch from Cooper Flagg and immediately turned in one of the most dominant first seasons in recent memory. That helped the Blue Devils to the ACC title and the No. 1 overall seed in the field. However, Duke has been hit hard by injury woes, with Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba both on the shelf. Can Jon Scheyer's squad avoid an upset in a likely second-round date with Rick Pitino's St. John's or Bill Self's Kansas? Read more ...
South Region
Last year's national champ is back as a 1-seed. Florida tops an intriguing South Region where No. 2 Houston would play potential Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games in its hometown. The Gators rode a 12-game winning streak into the SEC tourney semifinal, but Vanderbilt blew their doors off in a shocking loss. Florida's likely Sweet 16 opponent in this region? You guessed it, that same Commodores team. That could open the door for the Cougars or No. 3 Illinois to make a run. Read more ...
Midwest Region
Michigan lost the Big Ten title game to Purdue over the weekend but still secured a very favorable path to the Elite Eight. Possible opponents include a No. 4 Alabama team with major frontcourt issues and a No. 5 Texas Tech outfit without superstar JT Toppin. All signs seemingly point to an epic showdown between the Wolverines and No. 2 Iowa State in the regional final - unless No. 3 Virginia can make a charge from the bottom of the bracket. Read more ...
West Region
Arizona gets to stay out west but could potentially face the nation's hottest player, Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr., in the Sweet 16. That would set the stage for an incredible battle of first-year stars: Acuff versus the Wildcats' duo of Brayden Burries and Koa Peat. The bottom part of the bracket features just as much freshman star power in the nation's leading scorer, AJ Dybantsa of No. 6 BYU. Purdue holds the 2-seed after a thrilling Big Ten Tournament victory and brings one of the most veteran-laden teams to March Madness. Read more ...
Featured analysis ✍️
Picking the winner of every game in the 2026 NCAA Tournament
Whether you make picks based on analytical profiles, team names, or a school's distance from the nearest Wendy's, there are endless ways to fill out your NCAA Tournament bracket. Here's how ours turned out. Read more ...
March Sadness: 1 reason your team won't win NCAA tourney
Now that the euphoria of Selection Sunday has evaporated, it's time to get realistic about March Madness. No matter how great you think your team is, it's almost certainly not going to win the tournament. Only one of the 68 teams in the bracket will cut down the nets in early April, and we've identified one reason each that 67 of those squads will go home in defeat. Read more ...
Teams that could bust your bracket early
Last year's tournament didn't produce many upsets: Only three teams seeded higher than No. 10 won a game, and no seed higher than 12 advanced past the opening round. While there is once again a massive gap between the top teams in the bracket and the rest, the middle of the pack is rife with upset potential in the early rounds. Here are five teams to target that could create bracket chaos right off the jump. Read more ...
10 freshmen in NCAA tourney that could save your NBA team
Tanking reached new depths in the NBA this season, and any college basketball fan can probably tell you why. The elite level of freshman play this season is virtually unheard of in recent memory, and 2026 could end up being one of the best draft classes in history. Cam Boozer, Darryn Peterson, and AJ Dybantsa are the headliners, but this class goes at least 10 deep on guys who could instantly change your favorite NBA team's fortunes. Read more ...
Betting tips 💸
March Madness: How betting odds can help build winning brackets
Not everyone has been locked into college hoops for months, but you can still put together a bracket with winning upside despite not knowing the best players from High Point or McNeese State. If you're just beginning your March Madness research, the best place to start is with betting odds. Millions of dollars will be wagered on the NCAA Tournament, and sharp money within that sum helps create efficient lines that project outcomes more accurately than any other resource. Read more ...
Are Cinderellas dead? 4 high-major long shots to consider
Last year's Final Four was a No. 1 party, with all four top seeds qualifying for the first time since 2008. This year's bracket is the only time in modern tournament history that all 16 top-four seeds are double-digit favorites in their first-round games. Does that mean we should start digging Cinderella's grave? The addition of NIL has made it harder than ever for mid-major programs to compete with the top teams. However, that doesn't mean the underdog is dead - it just means we need to look at long shots from major conferences. Read more ...
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