NCAA bracket predictions: Model reveals surprising March Madness 2026 tournament picks to target
Several schools will consider their first trip to the Final Four in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, including Nebraska, Tennessee and BYU. The Cornhuskers have never won a game in March Madness, but they earned fourth place this season. BYU has the most appearances (33) in the Big Dance without a Final Four, while Tennessee has the fourth most appearances (27) without one. Are these three teams to avoid with your picks for March Madness 2026?
Meanwhile, No. 1 seed Florida is the defending national champion, while No. 2 seed UConn won both titles heading into the Gators’ championship. The Gators and Huskies could be among the most popular picks in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, joining Duke, Michigan and Arizona. Before making any March Madness 2026 bracket predictions, be sure to check out the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket picks from SportsLine’s proven computer model.
Their proven projection model has simulated every tournament match 10,000 times. He recently completely crushed his March Madness picks, beating more than 91 percent of all CBS Sports brackets in four of the last seven tournaments. It was everywhere in UConn’s championship run two years ago and won 12 teams in the Sweet 16 last year. He also correctly predicted all four Final Four teams in 2025.
He also knows how to spot an upheaval. The same model has produced brackets that have pulled off 25 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds since its inception in 2016.
Now, with the reveal of the 2026 NCAA bracket, the model simulates the matchups and its results are available. You can only see it on SportsLine.
Three March Madness 2026 bracket games to watch
One of the most intriguing March Madness 2026 matchups to watch: No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 9 TCU in the East Region. Ohio State is 4-0 against TCU, and this year’s Buckeyes rely heavily on their starters. Nearly 86 percent of their points come from the starting five, which is the third-highest percentage among NCAA tournament teams. TCU, meanwhile, has quite the track record with wins against No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Iowa State. He also has depth that Ohio State lacks as Jamie Dixon’s team has seven players averaging 8.0 points or more, including David Punch, who has scored more than 24 points in consecutive games.
Another 2026 NCAA Tournament game to watch is No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 UCF in the East Region. UCLA is participating in the Big Dance for the 54th time, which ties it for third all-time. The Bruins have the sixth-most experienced team in college basketball and are led by head coach Mick Cronin, who took them to the 2021 Final Four as a No. 11 seed. UCF is just 1-5 in NCAA Tournament games all-time, with its only win coming against VCU in the Round of 32 in 2019.
Another March Madness 2026 game to watch: No. 6 Louisville vs. No. 11 South Florida in the East Region. The Cardinals can build on a 29-4 all-time record against USF, but Louisville HC Pat Kelsey is also 0-5 all-time in the round of 16. The status of star Mikel Brown Jr. (back) is important as he has missed the last four games, and UofL is 16-5 with him compared to 7-5 without him. As for South Florida, it won the U.S. regular season and tournament titles and is riding an 11-game winning streak. The Bulls also have five players averaging over 11 points per game, which is tied for the most in Division I. You can only see picks from the 2026 NCAA model here.
How to make 2026 NCAA bracket predictions
Who wins each tournament-defining match? And which teams will make surprising runs through the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket? With the model’s track record of making upset calls, you’ll want to see which stunners he calls this year before locking in the 2026 NCAA bracket picks.
So, what is the optimal bracket for the 2026 NCAA Tournament? And which NCAA Cinderella Tournament teams will shock college basketball? Visit SportsLine now to see which double-digit seeds you can confidently back, all from the model that called all four Final Four teams in 2025.
