March Madness has officially begun, with several conference tournaments already underway. They will all lead up to the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, with the matchups getting locked down on Selection Sunday. Before March 15 rolls around, though, it’s prime Bracketology season, when the entire college basketball world makes their picks for who will play who.
Taking the consensus bracketologist projections, NET rankings, our own prognostication and other factors into account, here is how DraftKings currently thinks the bracket will shape up:
East Regional (Washington DC)
- Duke vs. 16. Merrimack
8. UCLA vs. 9. TCU
5. Vanderbilt vs. 12. SF Austin
4. Virginia vs. 13. UNC Wilmington
6. Wisconsin vs. 11. VCU / Missouri
3. Iowa State vs. 14. North Dakota State
7. Louisville vs. 10. Texas
2. Illinois vs. 15. Wright State
Midwest Regional (Chicago)
- Michigan vs. 16. Howard / UMBC
8. St. Louis vs. 9. Clemson
5. St. John’s vs. 12. Yale
4. Kansas vs. 13. Liberty
6. Kentucky vs. 11. SMU
3. Purdue vs. 14. Troy
7. Villanova vs. 10. Miami (OH)
2. Houston vs. 15. Austin Peay
South Regional (Houston)
- UConn vs. 16. Long Island / Bethune Cookman
8. Georgia vs. 9. Iowa
5. Arkansas vs. 12. South Florida
4. Texas Tech vs. 13. Utah Valley
6. Tennessee vs. 11. Santa Clara / Indiana
3. Nebraska vs. 14. Navy
7. St. Mary’s vs. 10. Ohio State
2. Florida vs. 15. East Tennessee State
West Regional (San Jose)
- Arizona vs. 16. Tennessee State
8. Utah State vs. 9. UCF
5. North Carolina vs. 12. Belmont
4. Alabama vs. 13. High Point
6. Miami (FL) vs. 11. Texas A&M
3. Gonzaga vs. 14. Hawai’i
7. BYU vs. 10. NC State
2. Michigan State vs. 15. Portland State
NCAA Tournament Bubble
Last Four Byes
- Texas A&M
- SMU
- Texas
- Ohio State
Last Four In
- Santa Clara
- Indiana
- VCU
- Missouri
First Four Out
- New Mexico
- California
- Seton Hall
- Auburn
