The NCAA Tournament is going “Big” in 2026.
On Saturday, the selection committee for the upcoming men’s NCAA Tournament, which tips off with the First Four on March 17, revealed its current top 16 bracket, and two conferences ruled over everyone else.
The Big Ten and Big 12 combined for 10 of the 16 spots, with the Michigan Wolverines (25-1, 15-1 in Big Ten) named the top team in the field and the Arizona Wildcats (24-2, 11-2 in Big 12) and Iowa State Cyclones (23-3, 10-3 in Big 12) nabbing 1-seeds.
The Big Ten also landed the Purdue Boilermakers (22-5, 12-4 in Big Ten), Illinois Fighting Illini (13-3, 22-5 in Big Ten), Nebraska Cornhuskers (22-4, 11-4 in Big Ten) and Michigan State Spartans (21-5, 11-4 in Big Ten) in the top 16. The Big 12, meanwhile, was also represented by Kansas Jayhawks (20-6, 10-3 in Big 12), Texas Tech Red Raiders (19-7, 9-4 in Big 12) and the Houston Cougars (23-3, 11-2 in Big 12).
