As college basketball fans approach March Madness, they are met with the stress of completing countless brackets, predicting upsets and crowning the correct champion. While fans anxiously await dark horse teams and buzzer beaters, here are the Review’s 2026 March Madness predictions.
National Championship Contenders:
Duke Blue Devils: The Blue Devils are the number one overall seed this year for good reason. Going into the playoffs, Duke holds a record 11 wins against ranked teams. Despite having one of the hardest schedules nationally, the Blue Devils only lost two games by a combined four points. While injuries to their starting point guard and center put doubt in their ability to perform well, the Blue Devils swept their opponents en route to winning the ACC championship. Even though they are in an exceptionally tough East region, the Blue Devils have the talent, especially with National Player of the Year contender Cameron Boozer.
Arizona Wildcats: The Big 12 championship winners have one of the top offenses in the country with stars like Jaden Bradley and Koa Peat. With a clear path to the Final Four from their West region, the Wildcats have the depth to beat competitive teams like Purdue and Gonzaga. Boasting a 32-2 record in a difficult Big 12 conference, the Wildcats have beaten fellow top teams like Houston, Florida, UConn and Iowa State, and can continue to do so in the tournament.
These two teams are some of the strongest in all of college basketball. Other championship contenders include Michigan, Houston, UConn, Iowa State and Gonzaga.
Dark Horse Teams:
VCU: While many brackets rule VCU out because they’re an 11th seed, they have an easier path than most to make the Sweet Sixteen. Beating a North Carolina team without Caleb Wilson can be easily achieved, and the Rams would go on to face the Illinois Fighting Illini, who just came off a loss in the Big Ten tournament. A win there would put them in the Sweet 16, where they would face the defensively tough Houston Cougars. While the three teams they would be facing are extremely difficult, the Rams have quick guards and less pressure to win, giving them a chance to win.
Gonzaga Bulldogs: With very few ranked wins this season, the Bulldogs combat any doubt with only 3 losses, a West Coast conference championship, and a talented roster led by star forward Graham Ike, who was recently named a third-team AP All-American. While the Bulldogs remain a third seed, they are led by legendary coach Mark Few, who can formulate game plans to win against harder teams like Arizona, Purdue and Arkansas.
Arkansas Razorbacks: The Razorbacks are one of the most underrated teams in all of college basketball. After going on a hot streak to win one of the toughest conference tournaments, the SEC tournament, Arkansas looks to ride this streak into the NCAA tournament. The Razorbacks’ star guard Darius Acuff Jr. was named SEC Player of the Year, SEC Rookie of the Year and is a part of the AP All-American First Team. Led by one of the greatest head coaches of all time, John Calipari, the Razorbacks are clearly one of the better teams in college basketball right now, especially as a No. 4 seed.
Other dark horse teams include Louisville, Tennessee, UCLA and Georgia.
Early Exits:
North Carolina: While the Tar Heels only lost eight games this season, they are at a clear loss with superstar Caleb Wilson out for the tournament with a broken thumb; the Second Team AP All-American led the team in averaging nearly every statistic, including points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. Facing dark horse team VCU in the first round will be no light feat, and if UNC wins, they would face tough No. 3 seed Illinois in the second round. Without Caleb Wilson, I don’t see this team going as far as past years.
Texas Tech Red Raiders: It’s hard to put Texas Tech in a specific group here. While the Red Raiders handed Duke and Arizona one of their very few losses, they have lost to multiple unranked teams in the past few weeks after losing First Team AP All–American JT Toppin. While they have Third Team All-American Christian Anderson, the Red Raiders have not been able to replicate the success they had with Toppin. As a No. 5 seed, they would face No. 4 seeded Alabama in the second round where an upset would be difficult.
Other early exit teams include Kansas, Alabama, and Wisconsin.
