2026 March Madness Bracket Breakdown

         2026 March Madness Bracket Breakdown

    March is here! On Sunday, the 2026 March Madness bracket was revealed. Last year, in 2025, the NCAA Tournament was less crazy than many college basketball fans have grown to expect. It remains to be seen if the madness will be back in full force in 2026. The entire bracket will be broken down here. 

        East Region

    The top left region is the East Region, where Duke is the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. The Blue Devils dominated their way through the regular season, going 29-2, with their most notable win coming against Michigan on a neutral court in February. However, they have been plagued by injuries lately, with starters Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba both missing the ACC Tournament due to injuries. Ngongba is expected back in time for the NCAA Tournament, but Foster isn't. Without them, Duke looked more mortal in the ACC Tournament. Though they still won the event, they had to survive a last second three-point attempt against a Florida State team that isn't even in the NCAA Tournament, and they also had a huge scare against Virginia in the ACC Championship Game. It will be interesting to see if they can get back into their regular season form for the NCAA Tournament. They should get some time to heal up in their first round matchup against 16-seeded Siena. Assuming they win that game, they will face the winner of No. 9 seed TCU vs. No. 8 seed Ohio State. 

    This is the first game of the Round of 64, as it happens at 12:15 PM on Thursday. Both teams are hot right now. TCU was on a six-game winning streak to close out the regular season, before they lost to Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament by a score of 78-73. Ohio State, meanwhile, had won four games in a row before they fell to Michigan 71-67 in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. This propelled the Buckeyes from being squarely on the bubble to being comfortably in the field as an eight seed. TCU's best wins are against Florida and Iowa State, while Ohio State's best win is against Purdue. This is an interesting matchup, which could go either way. 

    The 5-12 matchup in the East Region is St. Johns vs. Northern Iowa. St. Johns has been dominant recently, winning 19 of their last 20 games. They are coming off their second straight Big East regular season and tournament titles, beating UConn in the Big East Championship Game. They also split with UConn in the regular season. This St. Johns team is looking dangerous entering March Madness. They are up against a Northern Iowa team who went on a tear through the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. The Panthers, who were the six seed of that tournament, beat Evansville in the first round, then beat Illinois State, then Bradley, then Illinois-Chicago in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship Game. Both of these teams are very defensive, so expect this game to be played in the sixties. Northern Iowa is looking dangerous right now, but they got a tough draw against an extremely hot St. Johns team. 

    Moving down the bracket, the No. 4 seed Kansas Jayhawks will battle the No. 13 seed California Baptist Lances. California Baptist is in their first ever NCAA Tournament, and they will be matched up against a blue blood program right off the bat in Kansas. The Lancers won in a thriller against top-seeded Utah Valley in the WAC Championship Game. Kansas, meanwhile, has had a somewhat up-and-down season. The main storyline of their season has been the drama surrounding projected future top NBA draft pick Darryn Peterson, who has been in and out of the lineup for ambiguous reasons throughout the season. In their most recent game, they got dominated by Houston in the Big 12 Tournament, but they did beat Houston in the regular season. They also beat Arizona and Iowa State earlier in the season. All of those wins were at home, though, so it will be interesting to see how they perform away from Allen Fieldhouse. 

    In the bottom half to the bracket, six-seeded Louisville will face eleven-seeded South Florida. Louisville, like Kansas, has had an up-and-down season. They haven't been able to beat the very best teams that they have played, as they lost to Duke twice. Their best win is on the road against Miami, though they did lose to Miami in the ACC Tournament. However, they have beaten most of the teams that they were supposed to. Their best player, star freshman Mikel Brown Jr., has been in and out of the lineup all season, so that will be an X-factor for the Cardinals as well. South Florida, meanwhile, is the AAC regular season and tournament champions. They are 25-8 on the season, and they have won eleven straight games. They beat Wichita State in the AAC Championship Game to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. This game will be interesting, as South Florida is red hot, so we will see if Louisville can handle them. 

    The winner of that game will take on the winner of the 3-14 matchup in this region between third-seeded Michigan State and 14-seeded North Dakota State. The Spartans were projected by many to be on the two line before they lost their last game of the regular season 90-80 to Michigan, and then lost their first game of the Big Ten Tournament 88-84 to UCLA. Their best player is Jeremy Fears, who averages 15.7 points per game and an insane 9.2 assists per game. Their best wins this season are at home against Illinois and at Purdue. North Dakota State is the Summit League regular season and tournament champions, with a 27-7 overall record. They will have their work cut out for them against the Michigan State Spartans. 

    Continuing to move down the bracket, the 7-10 matchup in this region is No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 UCF. UCLA has been playing well lately, outside of a head-scratching 78-73 loss at Minnesota. Other than that, in their last ten games of the season, they have beaten No. 10 Illinois, No. 9 Nebraska, and No. 8 Michigan State. UCF, on the other hand, has lost four of their last five games, their only win being a one-point win over Cincinnati in their first Big 12 Tournament game. During that stretch, they lost to Baylor, Oklahoma State, and West Virginia, none of whom are in the NCAA Tournament. They will have to turn it around quickly against a relatively hot UCLA team. 

    Finally, at the bottom of the East Region, the No. 2 seed is the UConn Huskies, and they will be playing against the No. 15 seed, the Furman Paladins. UConn has had an interesting season. They have played close games against mediocre teams, and even lost some of them, as they have losses to Creighton and Marquette on their resume, neither of which made the NCAA Tournament. They are also coming off a blowout loss to St. Johns in the Big East Tournament Championship Game, and have lost two of three to the Red Storm on the season. However, their only other loss of the season besides these four came against Arizona, who is one of the favorites to win the National Championship. They should beat Furman in round one, even though Furman has been hot lately, but it will be interesting to see how far they can go after that. 

    As far as potential matchups down the line in this region, I think that the Sweet 16 will be Duke-St. Johns and UConn-Michigan State. Kansas could beat St. Johns, Louisville could beat Michigan State, and UCLA could beat UConn, but that is my projected Sweet 16. Duke-St. Johns is a very interesting matchup to me. Duke will most likely be without Caleb Foster for the tournament, and, without him, the Blue Devils have looked more vulnerable. Admittedly, they will be getting Patrick Ngongba back, but still, it is worth noting. St. Johns, meanwhile, has been very hot lately, and they are coming off a dominant win over UConn in the Big East Tournament Championship Game. Given these factors, I actually have St. Johns upsetting Duke and advancing to Elite Eight. In the other game, I don't trust UConn enough. They have struggled a bit lately, and I have Michigan State beating them. I then predict that St. Johns will beat Michigan State in the Elite Eight and advance to their first Final Four since 1985. 

    East Region Champion: St. Johns

       West Region

    The top right region in this bracket is the West Region, where Arizona is the No. 1 seed. They have been dominant all year in maybe the toughest conference in college basketball. They are 32-2 overall, with their only two losses on the year being in back-to-back games at Kansas by a score of 82-78 and at home against Texas Tech by a score of 78-75. They have bounced back since then and beat Iowa State and Houston, both of whom are two seeds in the NCAA Tournament, to win the Big 12 Tournament. They should get past the No. 16 seed in this region, Long Island, pretty easily. 

    The 8-9 matchup in this region is between No. 8 Villanova and No. 9 Utah State. Villanova has struggled against most of the good competition that they have played this year, going a combined 0-4 against UConn and St. Johns. However, they have beaten most of the other teams in the Big East, establishing themselves as the clear cut third best team in that league. Utah State, meanwhile, is 28-6 on the year, and is the only Mountain West team in the NCAA Tournament in a down year for the league. Because of the relative lack of good teams in that league, they haven't played much good competition, but they have looked really good against the teams that they have played. 

    This region has one of the more anticipated 5-12 matchups in this bracket in No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 12 High Point. Wisconsin has picked up several excellent wins this season, and is relatively hot right now. Before losing to Michigan 68-65 on a buzzer-beater in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, they were on a five-game winning streak. During that streak, they won at Purdue and beat Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament. Earlier in the season, they beat Michigan and Illinois on the road, as well as Michigan State at home. Because of these wins, many people are excited about Wisconsin entering this tournament. However, people are also excited about their opponent, the High Point Panthers. They are 30-4 on the season and haven't lost a game since mid-January. They average 90.0 points per game, which is the fifth-highest in the country. They will be tested against Wisconsin, though. 

    Moving further down the bracket, the No. 4 seed, the Arkansas Razorbacks, are matched up against the No. 13 seed, the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. Arkansas is the SEC Tournament Champions, having defeated Oklahoma, Ole Miss, and Vanderbilt to win the event. They are 26-8 on the year, and are on a five-game winning streak. They have lost to all of the very best teams that they have played, though, with their best wins coming against Vanderbilt (twice) and Tennessee. Still, they are a threat entering March Madness, led by one of the best freshmen in the country, Darius Acuff Jr. Hawaii, on the other hand, won the Big West tournament to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. They are 26-8 on the year. Not many people are picking this upset, as Arkansas is the 15.5 point favorites, but that is what March Madness is all about.

    Moving into the bottom half of the region, the No. 6 seed, the BYU Cougars, will face the winner of the First Four matchup on Tuesday between Texas and North Carolina State. North Carolina State enters the tournament having lost seven of their last nine games, but still barely managed to sneak into the field. They are 20-13 overall. The Texas Longhorns, meanwhile, also enter the tournament cold, having lost five of their last six games. On the season, they are 18-14. The winner there will face BYU, who has had an up-and-down season. Ever since losing their second-leading scorer, Richie Saunders, for the season, they have struggled at times. They still have the leading scorer in the country in star freshman A.J. Dybantsa, but they can't just rely completely on him. It is unclear how far BYU can actually go, but they may have gotten lucky with this draw. Both Texas and North Carolina State are extremely cold, so BYU may be able to get past either one of them. 

    The winner of that game will face the winner of the matchup between No. 3 seed Gonzaga and No. 14 seed Kennesaw State. After finally having their streak of nine straight Sweet 16 appearances snapped last year, Gonzaga looks to make it back there this year. They are 30-3 on the year. However, they will be without Braeden Huff, their second-leading scorer, in the tournament. They have played without him for the last several weeks, and have still managed to win most of their games, but it remains to be seen how they fare against tougher competition without him. Kennesaw State may not be tougher competition, though. Their best win this season came against Alabama. They have lost to Portland this season, which is worth noting heading into this matchup against Kennesaw State. Kennesaw State won the Conference USA Tournament to reach their second ever NCAA Tournament. They are seeking to pull off this upset and win their first ever NCAA Tournament game. 

    The 7-10 matchup in this region is the final game of the first round, and it is between No. 7 seed Miami and No. 10 seed Missouri. The Hurricanes are 25-8 overall and finished third in the ACC in the regular season. Their best wins are against North Carolina and against Louisville in the ACC Tournament. They are coming off an 84-62 blowout loss at the hands of Virginia in the ACC Tournament semifinals. Missouri, meanwhile, enters the NCAA Tournament on a three-game losing streak. They are 20-12 on the year, with their best win being a 76-74 home win over Florida. They have also beaten Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee. Missouri has played in a tougher league than Miami, but they will need to turn things around if they want to beat the Hurricanes. 

    At the bottom of the West Region is the two-seeded Purdue Boilermakers, and they will be battling the No. 15 seed, the Queens Royals. Purdue is a very interesting team entering the tournament. Entering the Big Ten Tournament, they were ice cold. They had lost four of their last six games, and they narrative surrounding them was how disappointing they had been after starting off the year as the preseason No. 1 team in the country. However, they then beat Northwestern, Nebraska, UCLA, and Michigan to win the Big Ten Tournament. This performance elevated them to a two seed, and restored many people's belief in them. However, they are still a risky pick to go far, given how bad they have looked at times this season. Queens is in their first ever NCAA Tournament, having beaten Central Arkansas in the Atlantic Sun Championship Game to get here. Purdue has lost games like this before, like against Farleigh Dickinson in 2023, but they should be able to get this win. The next round is when the real test begins for this Purdue team. 

    Looking at the entire region, my projected Sweet 16 is Arizona-Wisconsin and Gonzaga-Purdue. I could see any of Wisconsin, Gonzaga, and Purdue losing, but frankly, Gonzaga and Purdue don't have that hard of a path. Arkansas could be a tough game for Wisconsin, but the Badgers have the better wins on the season. However, I don't think that Wisconsin will beat Arizona. The Wildcats are just too good. Gonzaga-Purdue, on the other hand, is a very 50-50 game. It all depends on which Purdue will show up. I lean picking Gonzaga as the more consistent team throughout the season. However, either way, I don't think that the winner of that game is beating Arizona. Arizona is clearly the best team in this region, and this is the most obvious of any of the Final Four picks. 

    West Region Champion: Arizona 

        Midwest Region

    We now move on to the bottom right region, the Midwest region, where Michigan is the No. 1 seed. The Wolverines are 31-3 on the season, and, while they are coming off an upset loss to Purdue in the Big Ten Championship Game, are still looking like clear national championship contenders entering the tournament. They have many extremely high-quality wins this season, including Gonzaga, Michigan State (twice), Nebraska, and Purdue. With one of the best defenses and one of the best frontcourts in the country, the Wolverines are poised for a deep run. They will face the winner of the First Four matchup between UMBC and Howard. Even though UMBC has upset a one seed as a sixteen seed before, as they did it against Virginia in 2018, it is hard to envision them doing it this time. 

    The 8-9 game in this region is between No. 8 seed Georgia and No. 9 seed St. Louis. Georgia has the seventh-best scoring offense in the country, averaging 89.8 points per game. Entering the SEC Tournament, they were a relatively hot team, having won five of their last six games, but they got upset by Ole Miss 76-72 in their first SEC Tournament game. Their best wins are at home against Alabama, at home against Arkansas, and at Kentucky. St. Louis, meanwhile, has the 12th ranked scoring offense in the country, scoring 87.2 points per game. However, they have struggled down the stretch. After getting off to a 24-1 start, they are just 4-4 in their last eight games. These losses include a blowout 86-57 loss at George Mason and a blowout 77-62 loss at Dayton. They will have to turn things around fast if they want to beat Georgia. 

    Moving further down the bracket, No. 5 seed Texas Tech takes on No. 12 seed Akron. Texas Tech is an interesting team entering the NCAA Tournament. They have some extremely strong wins, including wins over Duke, Houston, Arizona, and Iowa State. However, three of those wins came with their best player, and one of the best players in the country, JT Toppin. Toppin is not going to be playing in the NCAA Tournament, as he tore his ACL a few weeks ago. While they did defeat Iowa State on the road without him, they have dropped their last three games. They still have some really good players, such as Christian Anderson, but they will have to get things together fast. Akron, meanwhile, is making their third straight NCAA Tournament appearance, and their fourth in the last five years. They are ninth in the country in scoring offense, averaging 88.4 points per game. They have won their last 10 games. This is a very interesting 5-12 matchup. 

    The winner of that game will take on the winner of the game between No. 4 seed Alabama and No. 13 seed Hofstra. Alabama is 23-9 on the year, with their best wins coming against St. Johns, Illinois, Arkansas, and Tennessee. They have the third best scoring offense in the country, averaging 91.7 points per game. However, they got upset by Ole Miss 80-79 in their first game of the SEC Tournament. Also, on Monday, a story broke that could really hurt Alabama's chances of going far in this year's NCAA Tournament. The Crimson Tide's second-leading scorer, Aden Holloway, was arrested after being caught with a pound of marijuana. He was removed from campus and will not play in the NCAA Tournament. This development will put more pressure on Labaron Philon Jr. to dominate in the tournament. Hofstra is the CAA Tournament champions with a 24-9 record. They have won their last seven games. We will see if they can upset a shorthanded Alabama team. 

    In the bottom half of this region, No. 6 seed Tennessee will battle the winner of the First Four game between Miami (OH) and SMU. Miami (OH) is one of the more discussed teams in the entire field, as they are 31-1 on the year. Their only loss came in the first game of the MAC Tournament, where they got upset by UMass. However, they have no Quadrant 1 wins, as they played one of the weakest schedules in the country. They also played in a lot of close games, further suggesting that they aren't as good as their record may suggest. It was hotly debated whether they should get an at-large bid or not, but the selection committee ultimately gave them the nod over teams like Oklahoma and Auburn. They will be out to prove that they belong in the field against SMU. The Mustangs, on the other hand, have struggled as of late, dropping five of their last six games. Their best win is a 95-85 home win over Louisville. The winner of that First Four will take on Tennessee. The Volunteers have been relatively cold recently as well, losing four of their final six games. However, some of that was without their best player, star freshman Nate Ament. He will be playing in the NCAA Tournament. Their best win is against Houston on a neutral court. They also have road wins over Alabama and Vanderbilt. 

    Whoever comes out of those games will face the winner of No. 3 seed Virginia vs. No. 14 seed Wright State. The Cavaliers are 29-5, finishing second in both the ACC regular season and in the ACC Tournament. They are coming off a close 74-70 loss to Duke in the ACC Championship. Their best wins are against Louisville and Miami (twice). They have a very impressive record, but they haven't played the strongest schedule, so it will be interesting to see how they do in March Madness. Wright State is 23-11 on the year, and they are the Horizon League regular season and tournament champions. They haven't played anyone of Virginia's caliber all season, so it will be interesting to see how they do. 

    There is a very interesting 7-10 matchup in this region between No. 7 seed Kentucky and No. 10 seed Santa Clara. Kentucky has had a disappointing season after entering the year with extremely high expectations. They are 23-11, finishing in a tie for seventh in the SEC regular season standings. Their best wins are against St. Johns, Tennessee (twice), Arkansas, and Vanderbilt. They have shown flashes at times this season, but they have also been very inconsistent. We will see which version of them shows up in the NCAA Tournament. Santa Clara, on the other hand, is a team that a lot of people like. They are 26-8 on the season, finishing third in the West Coast Conference regular season standings and making it to the West Coast Conference Championship Game. Their best win is against St. Mary's (twice). A lot of people like them to beat Kentucky, but it remains to be seen if it will actually happen. 

    Finally, at the bottom of the Midwest Region, the No. 2 seed, the Iowa State Cyclones, take on the No. 15 seed, the Tennessee State Tigers. Iowa State is 27-7, and finished in a tie for third in the Big 12 regular season standings. They then made the Big 12 Conference Tournament Semifinals, before losing on a buzzer-beater to Arizona. Their best wins of the season are against St. Johns, Purdue, Kansas, Houston, and Texas Tech. They are matched up against a Tennessee State team that won both the Ohio Valley Conference regular season and tournament titles. They blew out Morehead State 93-67 in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship Game to make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1994. They will have their hands full against Iowa State, though.

    I think that the Sweet 16 in this region will be Michigan-Akron and Virginia-Iowa State. I was going to have Alabama over Akron in the Round of 32 before the news about Aden Holloway broke. Now, though, I think that Akron has a really good path, having to face a shorthanded Texas Tech team in the first round and likely having to face a shorthanded Alabama team in the second round. I really don't see Michigan or Iowa State losing prior to the Sweet 16. Tennessee could beat Virginia, but I will pick Virginia in that game. I think that Michigan beats Akron pretty easily, and I have Iowa State over Virginia in the Sweet 16, because Iowa State has faced the harder competition all year. I then have Michigan beating Iowa State in the Elite Eight to advance to the Final Four. 

    Midwest Region Champion: Michigan

        South Region

    The final region in this bracket is the South Region, where defending champion Florida is the No. 1 seed. The Gators are 26-7 this season, and they were the SEC regular season champions. They had won 12 straight games before losing to Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament Semifinals. Still, they are a hot team entering the tournament. Their best wins are against Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky (three times). They are a threat to once again go deep and maybe even successfully defend their National Title. They will face the winner of the First Four game between Prairie View A&M vs. Lehigh, who they should beat pretty easily. 

    Assuming the Gators do win that game, they will take on the winner of a battle between No. 8 seed Clemson and No. 9 seed Iowa. Clemson went 24-10 this season, and finished in a tie for fourth in the ACC regular season standings. They then made the ACC Tournament Semifinals before taking a 73-61 loss to Duke. They were on a three-game winning streak prior to that game. Their best wins are against Louisville and North Carolina. Iowa, meanwhile, is 21-12 on the season, and finished ninth in the Big Ten regular season standings. They lost to Ohio State 72-69 in the Big Ten Tournament. They are a pretty cold team, having lost seven of their last ten games entering the NCAA Tournament. They are laregly dependent on one player, Bennett Stirtz, to get most of the scoring done for them, which is concerning. Their best win is a home win over Nebraska. They will have to right the ship to beat Clemson after their recent cold stretch. 

    The 5-12 matchup in this region is between No. 5 seed Vanderbilt and No. 12 seed McNeese. Vanderbilt is 26-8 on the season, and they finished in a tie for fourth in the SEC regular season standings. They went on a run to the SEC Tournament Championship Game before losing to Arkansas, picking up quality wins over Tennessee and Florida in the process. Other than that, their best wins are at home against Alabama, at Tennessee, and at home against Kentucky. They are a hot team right now, but they will be challenged against an extremely strong McNeese team. McNeese is making their third straight NCAA Tournament, including a win over Clemson last year. They are 28-5 on the year, beating Stephen F. Austin in the Southland Conference Tournament Championship Game to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. They have won 10 games in a row. They are one of the stronger mid-majors, making this game against Vanderbilt very interesting. 

    The 4-13 game in this region is between No. 4 seed Nebraska and No. 13 seed Troy, and it has some significant historical implications. Nebraska is the only Power Five program to have never won a NCAA Tournament game, and this is one of their best opportunities to do so in program history. They were actually one of the last remaining undefeated teams in the country; however, they haven't been looking as good lately. They are only 7-6 in their last 13 games, though all six losses came against tournament teams. The worst loss in that stretch loss was a road loss at Iowa. Still, it is worth noting that they have struggled lately. Their best wins are at Illinois and at home against Michigan State. Troy, meanwhile, is in their second straight NCAA Tournament, having won the Sun Belt for the second straight year. They are 22-11 overall, and have won four games in a row. They haven't played anybody of Nebraska's caliber, so it will fascinating to see how they perform. 

    In the bottom half of this region, the 6-11 matchup is between No. 6 North Carolina and No. 11 VCU. North Carolina is an interesting team because, like Texas Tech, they will be missing their best player for the tournament. Star freshman Caleb Wilson broke his hand in practice in late February, after having missed the previous few games with an injury in his other hand. North Carolina has been up and down without him, beating Louisville but also getting blown out by North Carolina State. Overall, the Tar Heels are 24-8, finishing in a tie for third in the ACC regular season standings. They did lose their first ACC Tournament game to Clemson, though. VCU, on the other hand, has been very hot recently. They are 27-7 overall, and they have won 16 of their last 17 games. Their only loss in that stretch was a road loss to St. Louis, in a game that they were leading much of the way before letting it get away from them at the end. Even though the Rams haven't beaten anyone of North Carolina's caliber, the Tar Heels will have to turn on the jets without their best player in order to win this game. 

    The matchup between the No. 3 seed and the No. 14 seed in this region is between No. 3 seed Illinois and No. 14 seed Penn. The Fighting Ilini are an interesting team right now. The computer numbers say that they have the best offense in the country; however, they aren't a great defensive team. They are 24-8 overall, but they are only 4-5 in their last nine games, including losing their first Big Ten Tournament game to Wisconsin. They do have good wins like Texas Tech, Tennessee, Nebraska and Purdue, but their recent struggles are concerning. Penn, meanwhile, is 18-11 on the season. They beat Yale in a crazy overtime thriller to win the Ivy League Tournament Championship and punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. They will have their hands full against Illinois, though, even with the Fighting Illini's recent struggles. 

    No. 7 seed Saint Mary's will battle No. 10 seed Texas A&M in the 7-10 matchup in this region. The Gaels are 27-8 on the year, finishing second in the West Coast Conference regular season standings. They lost to Santa Clara in the West Coast Conference Tournament semifinals. Their best wins are against Gonzaga and Santa Clara. Texas A&M, meanwhile, is 21-11 overall, and finished in a tie for fourth in the SEC regular season standings. They lost to Oklahoma in their first SEC Tournament game. The Aggies have been cold recently, going 4-7 in their final eleven games entering March Madness. Their best win is against Kentucky at home, so they are somewhat lacking in quality wins. They are out to get another one against Saint Mary's here. 

    At the very bottom of this bracket is the 2-15 matchup between the No. 2 seed Houston Cougars and the No. 15 seed Idaho Vandals. Houston, the defending national runners-up, is 28-6 this year, and they finished second in the Big 12 regular season standings. Prior to a close 79-74 loss to Arizona in the Big 12 Conference Championship Game, they had won five straight games. Their best wins are against Texas Tech, Iowa State, and Kansas. Idaho, who finished seventh in the Big Sky regular season standings, is 21-14 this season. They have won five straight games, but they will need a lot of things to go their way in order to upset Houston here. 

    My projected Sweet 16 in this region is Florida-Vanderbilt and Houston-VCU. I actually have Troy over Nebraska, as the Cornhuskers have been struggling lately. I then think that Vanderbilt will take care of Troy to set up a rematch with the Gators in the Sweet 16. I also have VCU over Illinois in the second round. Illinois has been struggling lately, while the Rams are red hot. I think that there is a good opportunity for an upset there. In the Sweet 16, I think that Florida will get their revenge on the Vanderbilt to go to the Elite Eight. I think that Houston will end VCU's run, setting up a rematch of last year's National Championship Game between Florida and Houston. I think that Houston will get their revenge, knock out the defending national champions, and go back to the Final Four. 

    South Region Champion: Houston

        Final Four Picks

    So, my two Final Four matchups are St. Johns-Houston and Arizona-Michigan. In the first game, I think that St. Johns' run will finally come to an end here. Houston is the more experienced team, and I think that they will outlast St. Johns to advance to their second straight National Championship Game. The other game is very 50-50. Arizona and Michigan may be the two best teams in the country right now, and they meet up here in the Final Four. It's going to be very close, but I lean Arizona here, just because they have been the slightly hotter team lately. That sets up an all-Big 12 National Championship Game between Arizona and Houston. We have already seen this matchup twice before, with Arizona winning both times. I think that we get the same result here. Arizona will win this game, Houston will lose in the National Championship Game for the second year in a row, and Arizona will win their first National Championship since 1997. 

    Projected National Champion: Arizona