March Madness 2026 has not failed to impress. From Texas over Gonzaga, to Iowa’s insane upset over the Defending Champs, this tournament has clearly lived up to the hype, and the name.
(1) Duke Blue Devils VS (5) St. John’s Red Storm
79-72 St. John’s. Cameron Boozer does his thing, but the top overall seed cannot hold off the Red Storm.
(2) UCONN Huskies VS (3) Michigan State Spartans
68-64 Michigan State. The Tom Izzo special sends MSU into a bullfight with St. John’s.
(4) Nebraska Cornhuskers vs (9) Iowa Hawkeyes
65-58 Nebraska. Iowa’s Cinderella is cut short as Nebraska husks them away. Nebraska leads in both rebounds and assists, a big factor in their win.
(2) Houston Cougars vs (3) Illinois Fighting Illini
73-70 Houston. Kingston Flemings continues to do his thing, and Houston’s defense continues to rake, narrowly leading them past the really tough, fast-paced play and onto the Elite 8.
(1) Arizona Wildcats Vs (4) Arkansas Razorbacks
81-72 Arizona. Although Darius Acuff Jr. and Arkansas pose a real threat, they are competing against the team that many call the best in the nation. Koa Peat and this incredible Wildcats team will navigate their way to the next round.
(2) Purdue Boilermakers Vs (11) Texas Longhorns
77-73 Texas. The Longhorn Cinderella will continue from the First Four to the Elite 8. Braden Smith and the Boilermakers’ ride will, unfortunately, be cut short of a National Title for another year.
(1) Michigan Wolverines Vs (4) Alabama Crimson Tide
75-62 Michigan. With Yaxel Lendeborg’s red-hot Second Round and Morez Johnson Jr always being consistent, Michigan will face their hardest competition so far, and prevail.
(2) Iowa State Cyclones Vs (6) Tennessee Volunteers
65-64 Iowa State. This is my pick to be the game of the Tournament. Joshua Jefferson and the Cyclones will win an absolute nail-biter against the tenacious Volunteers.
REST OF TOURNEY
(5) St John’s Red Storm vs (3) Michigan State Spartans 67-61
(2) Houston Cougars vs (4) Nebraska Cornhuskers 72-57
(1) Arizona Wildcats vs (11) Texas Longhorns 72-73
(1) Michigan Wolverines vs (2) Iowa State Cyclones 77-73
FINAL FOUR
(5) St. John’s Red Storm vs (2) Houston Cougars 63-68
(1) Michigan Wolverines vs (11) Texas Longhorns 79-70
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
(1) Michigan Wolverines vs (2) Houston Cougars 66-70
Kingston Flemings and the Cougars get it done. The incredible defense and the Win-now mentality after losing in the finals last year pays off, and the 2-seed Houston gets to cut down the net. Every round, I will make and change my predictions so we will see how these tune out.