Injuries frequently play a role in figuring out how to make March Madness bracket picks, and this year is no exception. Perhaps the most notable injury to consider before making any 2026 NCAA bracket picks is star freshman Caleb Wilson for North Carolina. He’s out for the tournament with a thumb injury, which contributed to UNC dropping to a 6-seed. JT Toppin (ACL) of the fifth-seeded Texas Tech is another example of an injury potentially derailing a March Madness 2026 run.
On the other side of the coin, Duke is hoping to get center Patrick Ngongba (foot) back at some point during the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket, perhaps boosting the Blue Devils’ outlook. How should injuries factor into your 2026 March Madness bracket strategy, and which 2026 March Madness Cinderellas and sleepers should you target? Before making any 2026 March Madness bracket predictions, be sure to check out the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket picks from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
Their proven projection model has simulated every game in the tournament 10,000 times. It has absolutely crushed its March Madness picks recently, beating over 91 percent of all CBS Sports brackets in four of the past seven tournaments. It was all over UConn’s championship run two years ago and nailed 12 teams in the Sweet 16 last year. It also correctly predicted all four Final Four teams in 2025.
It knows how to spot an upset as well. The same model has produced brackets that have nailed 25 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds since its inception in 2016.
Now, with the 2026 NCAA bracket revealed, the model is simulating the matchups and its results are in. You can only see it over at SportsLine.
Three 2026 March Madness bracket games to watch
One of the most intriguing 2026 March Madness matchups to watch: No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 9 TCU in the East region. Loyalty and continuity are tough to find in this era of college basketball, but Ohio State boasts one of the most experienced players in the bracket in senior guard Bruce Thornton. He has 135 starts for the Buckeyes, and has seen his scoring average increase each year. This season he paced the Buckeyes with 20.2 points per game. TCU, meanwhile, enters this matchup having won nine of its last 11 games, helping erase the memories of a four-game losing streak in the middle of conference play that endangered its NCAA Tournament hopes at the time.
Another 2026 NCAA Tournament matchup to keep an eye on is No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 UCF in the East Region. Mick Cronin and the UCLA Bruins are still adjusting to life as members of the Big Ten, but they’ve managed to make the NCAA Tournament in each of their first two seasons with the conference. UCLA went 23-11 overall and was 13-7 in the league while UCF went 21-11 on the season and 9-9 in the Big 12 to end a seven-year NCAA Tournament drought. Each of UCF’s top five scorers this season were upperclassmen and transfer guard Riley Kugel and Themus Fulks form a dynamic backcourt duo.
Another 2026 March Madness game to watch out for: No. 6 Louisville vs. No. 11 South Florida in the East Region. This could be one of the most exciting matchups during the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, as both teams ranked top 20 nationally in scoring during the regular season. Ryan Conwell led the Cardinals by averaging 18.7 points per game this season and Louisville is hopeful that superstar freshman Mikel Brown Jr. (back) can return to action. Meanwhile, the Bulls had five players average double-figures in scoring this season, including Wes Enis (16.7 points per game) and Izaiyah Nelson (15.8). You can only see the model’s 2026 NCAA bracket picks here.
How to make 2026 NCAA bracket predictions
Who wins every tournament-defining matchup? And which teams will make surprising runs through the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket? With the model’s track record of calling bracket-busting upsets, you’ll want to see which stunners it’s calling this year before locking in any 2026 NCAA bracket picks.
So what’s the optimal NCAA Tournament 2026 bracket? And which NCAA Tournament Cinderella teams will shock college basketball? Visit SportsLine now to see which double-digit seeds you can back with confidence, all from the model that called all four Final Four teams in 2025.
