Believe it or not, Selection Sunday in men’s college basketball is March 15.
Programs are jockeying for position in their conference races while also working to strengthen their seeding for the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Bubble teams, meanwhile, are fighting to move safely inside projections for the 68-team field.
The regular season has delivered — from marquee nonconference matchups to the grind of league play. Now the hope is that the Big Dance proves just as compelling.
Here are five bold predictions for March Madness (Records and statistics are through Tuesday.)
The Big Ten’s title drought will continue
Not since 2000, when Michigan State cut down the nets, has a Big Ten Conference team won the NCAA Tournament. This season, the Big Ten has five teams that will earn high seeds in March Madness: No. 2 Michigan (22-1), No. 7 Nebraska (21-3), No. 8 Illinois (20-5), No. 10 Michigan State (20-4) and No. 13 Purdue (20-4). All are Final Four contenders, but none of them has the overall talent to win the whole thing. The big prize will go to No. 1 Arizona, No. 4 Duke or No. 6 UConn.
The ACC will double its bids from last year
The Atlantic Coast Conference has been on a downward spiral in recent seasons, culminating with just four NCAA Tournament bids in the 2025 Big Dance. This spring, look for the ACC to secure at least eight bids, and perhaps even more than that. Teams vying for berths include Duke (22-2), No. 11 North Carolina (19-5),
No. 15 Virginia (21-3), No. 20 Clemson (20-4), No. 24 Louisville (18-6), N.C. State (18-7), Miami (19-5), SMU (17-7), Virginia Tech (16-8) and California (17-7).
Undefeated Miami (Ohio) will flame out early
One of the best stories of the 2025-26 campaign is Mid-Amertican Mid-American Conference member Miami (Ohio). The No. 23 RedHawks are 24-0 — the last remaining undefeated team in Division I men’s hoops. Miami has a relatively manageable path to finish the regular season undefeated.
If it wins the MAC postseason tournament, it would be a juicy storyline for the 2026 Big Dance. But this feel-good narrative won’t last long in the NCAA Tournament.
The RedHawks average a nation-best 92.7 points, but they’ve faced weak competition this season, with only a pair of quadrant two wins and no opportunities thus far in quadrant one. Defense wins championships; Miami (Ohio) is just No. 146 nationwide in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom.
Don’t look now, but Kansas is on a heater
On Monday night at home, the Jayhawks handed top-ranked Arizona its first defeat this season, 82-78. Kansas has won eight consecutive games, improving its overall record to 19-5 and jumping to No. 9 in the Associated Press Top 25. During that victory streak, the Jayhawks crushed then-No. 2 Iowa State and conquered ranked foes BYU and Texas Tech.
Freshman guard Darryn Peterson, a likely top-three pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, has only suited up in 13 games in 2025-26, but that hasn’t slowed Kansas.
The Jayhawks have games left against Iowa State (21-3, Feb. 14), Arizona (23-1, Feb. 23) and No. 3 Houston (22-2, March 3). Kansas can control its own destiny to a Big 12 Conference championship with wins in those games and play its way into the No. 1 seed conversation for March Madness.
The SEC won’t dominate as it did last season
The Southeastern Conference made history in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, earning a record 14 bids. The league placed seven teams in the Sweet 16 and two in the Final Four (Auburn and Florida), with the Gators capturing the national title. The SEC is expected to send eight to 10 teams to the Big Dance this year, but Florida will likely be its highest-seeded squad at No. 3.
The conference’s depth remains undeniable, but the SEC may not be as dominant in 2026. Florida (17-6), eyeing consecutive national titles like it achieved in 2006 and 2007, should make a solid run this March. However, the Gators will fall short of a repeat championship.
