It’s time to dance.
The 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket has finally arrived, and it’s beautiful. While you ruminate on your picks over the next few days, Hoops HQ is here to guide you through the process.
Below is a breakdown of the Midwest Region, including players to watch, possible upsets, major storylines and my pick to advance to the Final Four.
Let the Madness begin….
Power Watch
Led by its stellar — and gigantic — frontcourt, top-seeded Michigan has been a juggernaut all season. Graduate Yaxel Lendeborg, a 6-foot-9 forward, was named the Big Ten Player of the Year with averages of 14.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals. The Wolverines rank in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, per KenPom. Unfortunately, they will be without 6-foot-2 guard L.J. Cason (8.4 points per game) in the Big Dance after the sophomore tore his ACL in February.
With a stout defense and loads of experience, Iowa State has the recipe to make it to the Final Four for just the second time in program history. The Cyclones are led by a lockdown 6-foot-1 guard in Tamin Lipsey, a do-it-all 6-foot-9 forward in Joshua Jefferson and a sharpshooting 6-foot-8 forward in Milan Momcilovic.
One of the top international stars in college basketball plays for Virginia: 6-foot-9 freshman forward Thijs De Ridder from Belgium (15.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game).
Under coach Nate Oats, Alabama has another top-five offense that pushes the tempo and launches a ton of threes. The engine is 6-foot-4 sophomore guard Labaron Philon, who’s averaging 21.7 points, 4.7 assists and 3.2 rebounds.
Texas Tech was on pace to be a higher seed in the Dance but National Player of the Year contender JT Toppin, a 6-foot-9 junior forward, suffered a torn ACL in mid-February. The Red Raiders still have an All-American candidate in 6-foot-3 sophomore guard Christian Anderson (18.9 points, 7.6 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game).
Tennessee has two All-SEC players in 6-foot-10 freshman forward Nate Ament and 6-foot senior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie.
Some NBA prospects to keep an eye on (all projected to be first-round picks in Hoops HQ’s latest mock draft): Ament, Philon, Lendeborg, Anderson, 7-foot-3 junior center Aday Mara (Michigan) and 6-foot-9 sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr. (Michigan)
South Region Preview: The Reigning Champs Are Hungry For More
Can the Gators repeat? Can Houston conquer its demons? Can Nebraska win its first-ever NCAA game?
Under the Radar
No. 12 seed Akron, which went 17-1 in league play and won the MAC Tournament, is making its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance under coach John Groce. This year’s team averages a staggering 88.7 points (seventh in the country) and shoots 37.9 percent from behind the arc. Five-foot-11 senior guard Tavari Johnson led the conference in scoring at 20.1 points per game. The matchup between him and Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson in the first round is must-see television.
With former NBA player Speedy Claxton at the helm, No. 13 seed Hofstra had a dramatic run through the CAA Tournament to punch its ticket to the Dance. The backcourt duo of 6-foot-3 junior Cruz Davis and 6-foot-1 freshman Preston Edmead has the ability to take over games.
No. 10 seed Santa Clara was on the bubble until it took down Saint Mary’s in the semifinals of the WCC Tournament. The Broncos are in the field for the first time in three decades. With tremendous size, a top-25 offense (per KenPom) and an excellent coach in Herb Sendek, Santa Clara could certainly advance.
It’s possible that we’ll see Miami (OH) in this region if it can get past SMU in the First Four on Wednesday. The RedHawks had a perfect 31-0 regular season before being upset in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament. Six players average double figures for coach Travis Steele’s team, which shoots the lights out (39.2 percent from three) and averages a whopping 90.7 points per game (second in Division I).
Matchups We Want To See
- Michigan vs. Saint Louis in the Round of 32. The Billikens have struggled a bit over the past few weeks, but they climbed as high as No. 18 in the AP poll in mid-February. They’d be a significant underdog in this one, but with the way they shoot the three (40.1 percent), anything is possible. Plus, it’d be awesome to see 6-foot-10 senior center Robbie Avila, aka Cream Abdul-Jabbar, battle with Michigan’s elite bigs.
- Give me Tennessee vs. Iowa State in the Sweet Sixteen. Two phenomenal coaches in Rick Barnes (Tennessee) and T.J. Otzelberger (Iowa State). Two exceptional defenses. A potential top-10 pick in Nate Ament against a Wooden Award candidate in Joshua Jefferson.
- And of course, Michigan vs. Iowa State in the Elite Eight. A clash of titans. We nearly got this matchup in the championship game of the Players Era Festival in late November, but the Cyclones’ point differential was slightly lower than that of Gonzaga. More on this possible meeting below.
Best Storyline
Can anyone stop Michigan? There was a brief stretch early in the season when it felt as though the Wolverines might go undefeated en route to a national title. They won 10 straight games from mid-November to early January by an average margin of 34.5 points! But they looked a bit shaky in the Big Ten Tournament, narrowly beating Ohio State and Wisconsin before losing to Purdue in the Final. Cason’s injury is obviously a major blow.
Bracket Buster
I like No. 12 Akron to upset No. 5 Texas Tech in the first round. The Zips have the firepower to contend with a Red Raiders team that’s begun to stumble without Toppin, who was averaging 21.8 points per game prior to his knee injury.
The Pick
Iowa State over Michigan in the Elite Eight. This is a bet on continuity, culture and experience. Two of Iowa State’s key players (Lipsey and Momcilovic) were on the 2023-24 team that went to the Sweet Sixteen, and Jefferson has been with the program for two seasons now. Most of Michigan’s core is composed of transfers and freshmen. In what would surely be a closely contested, highly physical, extremely intense game, I’d give the slight edge to the Cyclones.
Meet your guide
