Ladies and gentlemen, the best time of year has graciously returned to us.
From my incredibly biased perspective, the month of March is defined by one thing, and one thing only: the NCAA Tournament.
Because at the end of the day, nothing is more beautiful than a 68-team nationwide bracket that features mascots such as the Billikens, Vandals, Quakers, Rainbow Warriors and yes, even the famed Zips of Akron.
March Madness encapsulates everything that makes college athletics special, and I would be remiss as a sports editor if I did not provide a primer for residents to reference when crafting their bracket selections.
Unfortunately, after North Pike fans watched Alijah Martin and Florida win the National Championship in 2025, the well is fairly dry when it comes to local ties in the 2026 field.
Despite Cinderella-like runs in their respective conference tournaments, Ole Miss and Southern Miss fell just short of reaching the big dance, while Mississippi State, Jackson State and Alcorn State struggled throughout the season.
And in Louisiana, McNeese was the only team from the neighboring state to earn an invite to the field, the second straight year the Cowboys accomplished such a feat.
But regardless of where your allegiances lie, everybody can enjoy the beauty of the bracket.
Thus, I’ll be analyzing the notable players, coaches, matchups and upsets to note within each region while also providing some picks to help locals make their selections.
*An image of the full bracket is linked here and included at the bottom of the article.*
Duke forward Cameron Boozer looks to drive Saturday, March 14, in Charlotte. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
East Region
The East is headlined by the top overall seed, Duke.
Generally, the Blue Devils’ dominant efforts during the season would be rewarded with an overly favorable draw.
But while that may be true when it comes to location, Duke is somehow staring at an absolute gauntlet in terms of potential opponents.
Fourth-seeded Kansas and fifth-seeded St. John’s are each led by Hall of Fame coaches and have the talent, depth and experience to go toe-to-toe with the Blue Devils.
And those are just the contenders from the top half of the region. Michigan State and March maestro Tom Izzo await as the three seed in the bottom, while No. 6 Louisville and No. 7 UCLA have been hot of late and figure to be healthier than they’ve been in weeks.
But likely the greatest threat to another Final Four berth for Duke is No. 2 UConn.
Back-to-back champs in 2023 and 2024, Dan Hurley’s Huskies have shown flashes of being a national title contender but are fresh off a disappointing 72-54 loss to St. John’s in the Big East Championship Game.
Still, the Blue Devils would remain the safest pick in this loaded region if it weren’t for their current injury status. Veteran point guard Caleb Foster is expected to miss all of the tournament with a foot injury, while reliable center Patrick Ngongba’s status is up in the air with an injured knee.
Those ailments, combined with the fact that Duke is joined by a quartet of other Final Four contenders in the East, have caused me to stray away from Jon Scheyer’s team.
The winner of St. John’s-Kansas is fully capable of springing the upset, and even if Duke survives that Sweet 16 bout, an Elite 8 date with a determined Michigan State squad or an angry UConn side would be too much to overcome for this short-handed group.
When it comes to small schools to watch out for, No. 12 Northern Iowa boasts the nation’s top scoring defense and will clash with the aforementioned Red Storm (No. 5).
No. 11 South Florida is also a trendy pick, as the American champions have plenty of offensive firepower to take into a date with the Cardinals (No. 6).
Upset To Watch: No. 11 South Florida over No. 6 Louisville
Dark Horse To Watch: No. 7 UCLA
Player To Watch: Darryn Peterson (PG, Kansas)
Elite 8 Projection: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 2 UConn (Winner)
Florida forward Alex Condon drives Friday, March 13, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
South Region
No region is more impacted by geography and location than the South.
Florida is the top seed, and with the Gators travelling to Tampa for their first-weekend games, most would assume that this is a great draw for them.
But Houstin is the two seed within this group, and the Cougars pulled some strings to set up a dream scenario for themselves.
Prior to the 2025-2026 season beginning, the city of Houston was set to host the South’s Sweet 16 and Elite 8. As UH was set to be the host institution, it was barred from playing in games scheduled there.
But an under-the-radar move saw the University of Rice take on the official job of hosting, thus freeing the Cougars to play the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 right in their own backyard.
That preseason work is paying dividends now, because if Kelvin Sampson’s team can survive the opening weekend, it will likely get to face the winner of No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 6 North Carolina and subsequently Florida in de facto home games.
Thus, Houston has become a trendy pick, and I’ll subscribe to that notion as well.
Florida is the favorite for a reason, but streaky guard play has plagued the Gators all season, and they showed some unforeseen weaknesses in their SEC Tournament loss to Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Elsewhere, the Fighting Illini and Tar Heels are both talented enough to take down UH, but they will be hard-pressed to contend with the Cougars’ physicality and athleticism.
In focusing on the smaller schools, No. 12 McNeese resides within the South and will face No. 5 Vanderbilt in the opening round. The Cowboys are another popular upset pick thanks to their tournament experience and offensive pedigree.
Upset To Watch: No. 12 McNeese over No. 5 Vanderbilt
Dark Horse To Watch: No. 6 North Carolina
Player To Watch: Kingston Flemings (PG, Houston)
Elite 8 Projection: No. 1 Florida vs. No. 2 Houston (Winner)
Arizona players celebrate Saturday, March 14, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
West Region
As one of the more dominant teams of the 2025-2026 campaign, Arizona has been pegged for the top seed in the West for weeks now.
And frankly, the Wildcats can also argue that they are the most complete squad in the nation, as whether it’s experience, athleticism, size, shooting, ball-handling or defense, U of A has it figured out.
Taking Arizona down on the West Coast will be difficult, but there are a handful of teams that have what it takes.
The top half of the bracket features perhaps the most intriguing 4 vs. 5 matchup of the entire tournament, with the dynamic backcourts of Wisconsin and Arkansas appearing to be on a collision course.
The winner of that game could certainly give Arizona a run for its money in the Sweet 16, and I actually like the Razorbacks to spring the upset thanks to more heroics from freshman phenom Darius Acuff Jr.
And with this being the second strongest region in my eyes, the bottom half of the West is full of contenders as well.
Sixth-seeded BYU boasts perhaps the best player in the tournament with potential first-overall draft pick AJ Dybantsa averaging over 24 points per game, and he may be set to face third-seeded Gonzaga in a blockbuster second-round clash.
And while I’d love to also highlight my alma mater (Missouri) playing a first-round game in its home state, the main story in St. Louis will likely be Purdue. The preseason No. 1 team hit a couple of rough patches during the year but rallied to win the Big Ten Tournament in dominant fashion last week, making the Boilermakers another trendy pick to reach the Final Four as a two seed.
With Purdue’s Braden Smith set to become the NCAA’s all-time assists leader, I’ll back Matt Painter’s bunch to come out of the West after surviving scares from BYU and Arkansas.
Looking at the underdogs, No. 12 High Point is a 30-win team that scores plenty of points and could give Wisconsin some early trouble.
Upset To Watch: No. 12 High Point over No. 5 Wisconsin
Dark Horse To Watch: No. 6 BYU
Player To Watch: Darius Acuff Jr. (PG, Arkansas)
Elite 8 Projection: No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 2 Purdue (Winner)
Michigan center Aday Mara, left, and forward Yaxel Lendeborg react Sunday, March 15, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Midwest Region
Rounding out my bracket breakdown is what I’ve dubbed the weakest overall region, but that doesn’t mean it lacks intrigue.
The Midwest is spearheaded by Michigan, which finished with a 31-3 record while navigating through perhaps the toughest league in the nation.
At first glance, the Wolverines’ pathway to the Elite 8 seems to be a fairly clear one. The victor of No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 9 Saint Louis should cause little trouble, and between a banged up No. 5 Texas Tech side and a fourth-seeded Alabama team that is dealing with legal troubles and defensive struggles, Michigan should cruise past the Sweet 16.
Meeting the Wolverines in the Elite 8 could be a host of options. Second-seeded Iowa State pushed Arizona to the brink in the Big 12 Tournament and has arguably the most veteran and balanced roster in the country.
Virginia is the No. 3 seed in the Midwest and has been one of the surprises of the season, as first-year head coach Ryan Odom led the Cavaliers to a 30-win campaign while producing one of the nation’s most efficient offensive attacks.
And in addition to those contenders, SEC powerhouses Tennessee (6) and Kentucky (7) are sure to have an impact on how the bottom half of the region plays out.
But in the end, even with Michigan missing the services of guard LJ Cason, the Wolverines are the lone one seed that I’m picking to reach the Final Four.
With Texas Tech and Alabama both without key pieces as well, keep an eye on Akron or Hofstra to pull off a respective first-round upset.
Upset To Watch: No. 12 Akron over No. 5 Texas Tech
Dark Horse To Watch: No. 6 Tennessee
Player To Watch: Joshua Jefferson (PF, Iowa State)
Elite 8 Projection: No. 1 Michigan (Winner) vs. No. 2 Iowa State
Houston Cougars guard Kingston Flemings drives Wednesday, Dec 10, in Houston. (AP Photo/Maria Lysaker)
Final Four
In the end, while it would be the smart and fairly obvious choice to select all the top seeds to reach the Final Four (like they did last year), I wanted to stray from the norm a bit.
With Duke and Michigan being impacted by injuries, Florida coming off a head-scratching loss and Arizona notoriously struggling in March, I’m willing to bet that at least two of those squads will see their seasons end before the Final Four commences in early April.
And in turn, some abnormally strong two seeds will be the benefactors.
My first Final Four matchup pits UConn vs. Houston, a game that would come down to a coin flip for me. The Huskies are going to come out fired up to silence their doubters, while the Cougars are looking to finish the job after reaching the title game last year.
I’ll side with Kelvin Sampson and UH to get it done in large part thanks to freshman point guard Kingston Flemings, who I believe is primed for a legendary run over the coming weeks.
My other Final Four matchup features red-hot Purdue in a Big Ten Championship rematch with Michigan, as the Boilermakers just beat the Wolverines 80-72 on Sunday.
The revenge factor will be alive and well for UM in this one, and they’ll be the ones to own the painted area this time around on their way to a win.
That leads us to a hypothetical national championship of Houston vs. Michigan, and I’m going to again go with the underdog. After Sampson’s team got oh-so-close in ’25, the Cougars will finish the job in ’26 thanks to their stingy defense, giving their legendary head coach his long-awaited first title.
So with all that being said, it’s time to dive head-first into the madness.
With the First Four play-in having spanned across Tuesday and Wednesday, the First and Second Rounds take place Thursday-Sunday and represent four of the best days on the sports calendar.
Games are set to tip off at 11:15 a.m. on Thursday, so sit back and enjoy the wild ride this bracket will surely take us on over the coming weeks.
The 2026 NCAA Tournament field.
