March Madness 2026 is upon us, as the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket was revealed on Sunday. Blue bloods like Duke and UConn have lived up to their prestige all year, while the likes of Arizona and Michigan are hoping to add a second national title. The 2026 March Madness bracket also features several teams coming off some of their best seasons in program history like the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who are seeking their first NCAA Tournament victory. However, success in the regular season is by no means a guarantee that a team will have a deep run in the 2026 NCAA bracket.
Arizona is one of the teams to be ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll this season, but the Wildcats are more familiar with March Madness upsets than anyone else. Ten times they’ve lost to a team seeded five or more spots below them, most of any school, so in which round of 2026 March Madness bracket should the No. 1 seed Wildcats be on upset alert? 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 being revealed, the model is simulating the matchups and its results are in. You can only see it over at SportsLine.
2026 March Madness bracket games to watch
One of the 2026 March Madness matchups to keep an eye on: No. 8 seed Villanova vs. No. 9 seed Utah State in the West Region. Villanova finished third in the Big East this season with a 24-8 record, but it was bounced by Georgetown in a Big East Tournament upset. The Wildcats have won three NCAA Tournaments, including 2016 and 2018. Utah State is in the Big Dance for the fourth year in a row, and it is seeking its first Sweet 16 appearance since 1970.
Also in the West Region, Miami vs. Missouri figures to be a pivotal 7 vs. 10 matchup. Miami is three years removed from the lone Final Four appearance in school history, and it is coming off a third-place finish in the ACC. Missouri was on the NCAA Tournament bubble throughout the season, but it won pivotal SEC games against Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Kentucky and Florida. The Tigers are entering the Big Dance on a three-game losing streak, though.
The third matchup to watch in the West Region features No. 4 seed Arkansas vs. No. 13 seed Hawaii. Arkansas enters the NCAA Tournament with a ton of momentum after winning the SEC Tournament on Sunday. The Razorbacks won three games in five days, capping off their run with an 86-75 win over Vanderbilt. Hawaii beat UC Irvine in the Big West Tournament title game on Saturday after finishing second in the Big West regular-season standings. You can see how far all these teams go over at SportsLine.
How to make 2026 NCAA bracket predictions
How far will those major programs go? And which Cinderella 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 is calling this year before locking in any 2026 NCAA bracket picks.
So what’s the optimal NCAA Tournament bracket 2026? And which 2026 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 25 upsets by double-digit seeds since its inception and beat over 91% of players in four of the last seven tournaments.
