March Madness 2026: The 68 things to know to get you ready for conference tournaments and the Big Dance

It is March. The most beautiful month of the year. The magic, the hope, the betrayal. This month has everything, including a full order of “onions!” calls from Bill Raftery. We’ve long said that the best way to gear up for the best month of the year is with a grab-bag of lists.

Let’s dive into 68 things you need to know ahead of March Madness, beginning with the four most likely teams to win the national championship and their average height rankings. They happen to be the four best defensive teams, too. 

It ain’t a coincidence.

The big dawgs, literally and figuratively

1. Michigan (27-2, 30th-tallest team): Dusty May has built a special defensive club. Michigan’s guards are strong and fast. Michigan’s bigs are enormous and mobile. Yaxel Lendeborg is the ultimate problem-solver, who can pick up opposing point guards for all 94 feet at 6-foot-9. If Michigan wins the title, the defense will be the catalyst.

2. Duke (27-2, second-tallest team): Jon Scheyer has this Blue Devils group humming. Cameron Boozer is running away with National Player of the Year honors, and this Duke defense has turned a corner from a good unit into a nasty outfit. 

3. Arizona (27-2, eighth-tallest team): Big people move little people, and Arizona has some maulers. 7-foot-2 center Motiejus Krivas is one of the best defensive players in college basketball, but Tommy Lloyd’s crew has big, strong, physical dudes all over the floor. Freshman Ivan Kharchenkov is a 6-foot-7, 230-pound TANK on the wing.

4. Florida (23-6, 13th-tallest team): The Gators have won 18 of 20. They believe they have the best frontcourt in America, and it’s hard to argue with the type of ball Tommy Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu bring to the floor every night. Florida utterly dominates teams on the glass and in the paint. Now that it’s gotten a jolt of shot-making from its embattled guards, Florida has transformed into a game-wrecker.

Popular Final Four contenders, with a flaw or two

5. Houston (24-5): Houston’s guard play is as good as it gets with Kingston Flemings, Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan, plus this is still a Kelvin Sampson defense. But the depth isn’t special, and Houston’s offense has to take a million jumpers.

6. UConn (27-3): Dan Hurley has tons of shooting on this squad, and Tarris Reed can be a monster in the paint. When UConn limits the turnovers and executes the gameplan defensively, it’s nasty.

7. Illinois (22-7): Freshman guard Keaton Wagler has been a revelation, booming into a lottery-pick talent. Illinois is jam-packed with size and shooting, so when it can find a mismatch, you’re in for a long night. Illinois’ front line is skilled, but can it be tough enough to out-muscle some of the gargantuan frontcourts that could be in the path? That’s the concern.

8. Iowa State (24-5): Joshua Jefferson, Milan Momcilovic and Tamin Lipsey are staples for this Iowa State club, but the role players are like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get. 

9. Michigan State (23-5): Jeremy Fears Jr. is one of the smartest point guards in the land, Coen Carr dunks the ever-living cover off the rock, Carson Cooper is so much better in the paint, and Tom Izzo’s kind of good at winning games in March. 

Capable and talented, but the draw is everything

10. Alabama (22-7): When it’s humming, Alabama’s offense can scoot. Labaron Philon can cook anybody, especially when he’s surrounded by sharpshooters like Labaron Philon, Amari Allen and Latrell Wrightsell Jr., who can all make it rain. But Alabama can’t rebound to save its life. That’s going to be a problem.

11. Purdue (22-6): When Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn are cooking, Purdue feels inevitable. You’re just praying to the basketball Gods for a miss. But Purdue isn’t athletic enough on the perimeter, and it doesn’t make anyone uncomfortable. That’s nerve-wracking heading into March.

12. Kansas (21-8): KU is a tall team, but it doesn’t have a ton of bricks in its britches. Both Cincinnati and Arizona have big-boy’d Kansas in paint during the last seven days alone. If Kansas can avoid a dynamic front-line, it will have a shot. Do you really want to play Darryn Peterson, Melvin Council, Flory Bidunga and Bill Self in March? Yeah, me neither.

The freshmen shall lead them

13. There are currently 33 Division I freshmen averaging at least 15 points. It’s on pace to be the most in any season in Division I history. The current record is 26 diaper dandies in the 2017-18 campaign.

14. There are 10 teams in the current AP Poll with a freshman as its leading scorer, the most in any single AP Poll since at least 2002-03.

15. If Arizona and Duke earn a No. 1 seed, this will be the first NCAA Tournament ever with multiple No. 1 seeds that have a freshman operating as the leading scorer. Boozer is the head honcho for Duke. Brayden Burries is leading the way for Arizona at 15.5 points per game.

16. Only three freshmen have ever led a National Championship-winning team in scoring: Duke’s Jahlil Okafor, Kentucky’s Anthony Davis and Syracuse’s Carmelo Anthony. That is firmly within reach this year.

17. Duke’s Cameron Boozer is averaging 22.7 points, 10.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He’d become the first underclassman since Larry Bird to eclipse the 20-10-4 threshold.

18. BYU’s AJ Dybantsa (25.1 points per game) is on pace to become the third Division I freshman to lead the country in scoring.

19. Arkansas’ Darius Acuff is tracking to become the second high-major player to average 22 points and six assists. The other? Former Oklahoma star Trae Young.

20. A freshman has never won Big Ten Player of the Year. Illinois’ Keaton Wagler is firmly in the race. He’s on pace to be just the fifth Big Ten freshman guard to average at least 17 points, four rebounds and four assists, joining Magic Johnson, Jalen Rose, D’Angelo Russell and Dylan Harper.

March could be miserable or miraculous

21. Ohio State’s Jake Diebler: The Buckeyes are smack dab on the bubble, and Diebler’s job could be at stake if Ohio State doesn’t make the Big Dance. It’s pretty self-explanatory how this will work in the next few weeks.

22. UCLA’s Mick Cronin: You can’t miss the tournament after going big-game hunting in the portal for Donovan Dent and retaining Tyler Bilodeau, Skyy Clark and Eric Dailey. UCLA is on the right side of the cut-line for now, but it’s not going to be a stress-free next few weeks. This UCLA defense could use some real-deal rim protection. 

23. Auburn’s Steven Pearl: Auburn has collapsed, losing seven of its last eight, punctuated by Saturday’s crippling home loss to bottom-feeder Ole Miss. Pearl was already under the microscope after taking over the Pearl Family Business. He was given (and helped build) a mercurial roster. He also had to endure one of the toughest schedules in the country. But this Tigers’ club has underwhelmed, and Auburn’s margin for error for an at-large bid is objectively gone. Going from the Final Four in 2025 to being on the outside looking in one year later is firmly on the table.

24. Indiana’s Darian DeVries: IU spent real money last spring to try to get back into the NCAA Tournament right away. It’s going to be razor-tight margins down the stretch for DeVries and Co. IU is smack dab on the bubble by every metric. Every possession feels enormous. 

25. Cincinnati’s Wes Miller: Here’s another potential hot seat candidate, who has somehow gotten his club back off the mat. The Bearcats have won five of their last six games, including a massive road win over Kansas on Feb. 21. Stack a few more dubs, and Miller could return to Cincinnati for Year 6.

Backcourt tiers, NCAA Tournament version

Florida won the National Championship in 2025 with arguably the best all-around backcourt in the country in Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin, Will Richard and Denzel Aberdeen. UConn won the National Championship in 2024 with arguably the best all-around backcourt in the country in Tristen Newton, Steph Castle, Cam Spencer and Hassan Diarra. Who has the best overall backcourt this time around?

Plus, one word to describe each unit.

Tier 1, the elite: 

26. Houston’s Kingston Flemings, Milos Uzan, Emanuel Sharp = fearless

27. Arizona’s Jaden Bradley, Brayden Burries, Ivan Kharchenkov, Anthony Dell’Orso = relentless

28. Arkansas’ Darius Acuff, Meleek Thomas, Billy Richmond, DJ Wagner = explosive

29. Alabama’s Labaron Philon, Aden Holloway, Amari Allen, Latrell Wrightsell Jr. = dynamic

Tier 2, very good:

30. UConn’s Silas Demary Jr., Solo Ball, Braylon Mullins, Malachi Smith = snipers

31. Purdue’s Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, CJ Cox, Omer Mayer, Gicarri Harris = PG1 

32. Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson, Donovan Atwell, Jaylen Petty, Tyeree Bryan = assassins 

33. Wisconsin’s Nick Boyd, John Blackwell, Braeden Carrington, Andrew Rohde = complementary 

34. Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, Melvin Council, Tre White, Jamari McDowell, Elmarko Jackson = dawgs

35. Illinois’ Keaton Wagler, Kylan Boswell, Andrej Stojakovic, Jake Davis = smooooth 

36. Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner, Duke Miles, Tyler Nickel, Chandler Bing = slippery 

37. Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr., Kur Teng, Jordan Scott, Trey Fort, Denham Wojcik = gritty 

38. Kentucky’s Denzel Aberdeen, Collin Chandler, Otega Oweh, Jasper Johnson = coalescing

39. Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr., Ryan Conwell, Adrian Wooley, Isaac McKneely = burners

Top mid-major outfits

40. Belmont (26-4): Arch Madness will be a zoo, but Belmont is the top-shelf team in the Missouri Valley. Big man Drew Scharnowski hammers dunks left and right, and there’s size and shooting everywhere. Belmont’s offense ranks No. 1 in effective field goal percentage, and this is one of the best shot-blocking teams that coach Casey Alexander has ever had.

41. South Florida (20-8): South Florida has it rolling. Wes Enis and Joseph Pinion have combined for 180 treys. Big man Izaiyah Nelson is a warrior and a potential pro. The Bulls are the Alabama of the AAC. They play fast. They shoot a ton of 3s. This defense has been nails for nearly two months. 

42. Saint Louis (26-3): Josh Schertz has a dangerous club. The spurtability of Saint Louis is scary. The Billikens have a deep nine-man rotation, and anybody can get the ball rolling as advantage creators. Saint Louis has to avoid turning it over and clean things up on the defensive end, but this group has rangy wings, a big man who can stretch the floor in Robbie Avila and exceptional depth. 

43. Miami (Ohio) (29-0): The Redhawks’ chase for a perfect season has been one of the best stories of the year. Miami’s combination of ball movement, cutting and shooting galore is gorgeous on the eyes. This offense can hum. Will the rim defense hold up in March? That’s the biggest question. Top-200 clubs shoot 62% at the rim against Travis Steele’s team.

44. Utah State (24-5): Jerrod Calhoun is wired to win ballgames. He’s cobbled together a nine-man rotation at Utah State, headlined by Mason Falslev and MJ Collins, who can go toe-to-toe with any backcourt out there. Freshman wing Adlan Elamin has popped lately as a potential NBA prospect down the road, too. This is the Mountain West’s best team.

45. Saint Mary’s (27-4): Saint Mary’s just keeps its identity year after year, even with new faces. The Gaels are monsters on the boards, and they are huge up front with Paulius Murauskas, Dillan Shaw, Andrew McKeever (he’s 7-foot-3) and Harry Wessels (he’s only 7-foot-1). The guard play has ticked up lately, as well. Joshua Dent has shined taking over the PG1 duties, and Mikey Lewis is a dangerous shot-maker who can really get it rolling. This isn’t Randy Bennett’s best team, but the Gaels will have another bite at the apple. 

Potential bid thieves

46. New Mexico (22-7): Jake Hall. Know the name. The Lobos have one of the best freshmen guards in the country. 

47. San Diego State (19-9): The Aztecs need a strong showing in the Mountain West Tournament to feel good on Selection Sunday. The defense is stout, and Brian Dutcher’s crew has a ton of depth. But this halfcourt offense is not good enough and could be what keeps the Aztecs out of the dance for the first time since 2019.

48. Santa Clara (24-7): Santa Clara has a ton on the line in the WCC Tournament. This group has great size and positional versatility. The Broncos haven’t made the NCAA Tournament since 1996, but if they make the WCC Tournament championship game, they’ll have a real shot win or lose. 

49. Akron (24-5): John Groce has Akron zipping along. Akron owns a deep backcourt that can really get it going from 3-point range, and it has switchable forwards like brothers Eric and Evan Mahaffey, who can help snuff out advantages. Akron versus Miami University in the MAC Tournament title game would be insanely interesting.

50. VCU (22-7): First-year coach Phil Martelli Jr. has done a fabulous job with this VCU team. Lazar Djokovic is a skilled big man who can step out and drain triples. That helps open up the paint for a host of VCU guards to get downhill. Terrence Hill is one of the elite sixth men in the sport, but it can be anybody’s night for Martelli’s boys. Saint Louis is on pace to earn an at-large bid, but VCU would love to eliminate the waiting game and just tear through the A-10 Tournament to snag the automatic bid.

Latest fallout from key injuries

51. Texas Tech won’t have All-American big man JT Toppin due to a season-ending knee injury, so it’s leaning even more on its guards to deliver in the shot-making department. Texas Tech basically has to make double-digit treys if it wants to survive without Toppin. So far, so good. 

52. BYU’s offense is about 10 points per 100 possessions worse against top-50 competition without Richie Saunders, who will miss the rest of the year with a knee injury. BYU misses his offensive rebounding and his off-movement shooting in the worst way. 

53. Michigan’s LJ Cason has been arguably the best backup point guard in the sport, but the onus shifts to Elliot Cadeau to play even cleaner basketball on both ends now that Cason has suffered a season-ending knee injury. There have been multiple moments where it’s felt like Michigan was at its best with Cason, not Cadeau, on the floor. Look for even more usage to be shifted toward Yaxel Lendeborg in Cason’s absence. They need his decision-making to be on point.

54. Gonzaga forward Braden Huff — the Zags’ second-best offensive weapon — is trying to return at some point this season from a left knee injury, but the timing is not looking ideal. It’s forced the Zags to lean even more on this defense. Emmanuel Innocenti, Tyon Grant-Foster and Jalen Warley are three heat-you-up wings who can guard multiple positions. It’s a little odd to trust Gonzaga’s defense more than its offense, but that feels like the reality these days without Huff.

55. Tennessee’s Nate Ament got his leg rolled up against Alabama on Saturday. Make no mistake, Tennessee’s bid for a second-weekend appearance is null and void if Ament can’t get rolling. Tennessee just doesn’t have enough offensive juice behind Ja’Kobi Gillespie.

56. North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson is trying to heal up as fast as possible after a left-hand injury. UNC is hopeful to get its lottery-pick forward back by the NCAA Tournament. UNC has treaded water without him, but there’s no question that the Tar Heels’ defense and rebounding ticks up in a major way when Wilson is rolling.

Scariest team on each of the top-12 seed lines

57. 1 seed: Michigan. The size is just overwhelming. Michigan’s second-half defense has been the best in America because it consistently wears teams out.

58. 2 seed: Florida.  If the Gators land on the 2-line, that’s a problem. They’re so big, so electric in transition and a stone-walling rim defense. It feels like each guy in Todd Golden’s eight-man rotation is playing their best basketball of the season at the right time.

59. 3 seed: Nebraska. The Huskers are such a tough scout. They are a connected, tough, hard-nosed club with great shooting. Nebraska executes its no-middle defense at an extremely high level, and Fred Hoiberg’s offense is just a headache to handle with all the cutting and off-ball screening actions. Pryce Sandfort is a professional net-shredder, too.

60. 4 seed: Alabama. The guard play is electric. Labaron Phlion is a pro. Amari Allen is a pro. Nate Oats is really good at what he does. No, thank you.

61. 5 seed: Arkansas: Mercurial group. The highs are high. The lows are low. Darius Acuff, Meleek Thomas, Trevon Brazile and Billy Richmond is just a quartet I’d rather not have to face with my season on the line.

62. 6 seed: St. John’s. The Johnnies just make teams uncomfortable with the relentless full-court pressure and a front-line that can hit you in waves. When St. John’s is dialed in, it is a menace.

63. 7 seed: Wisconsin. John Blackwell and Nick Boyd are paint-touch machines, and the Badgers’ frontcourt can space the floor at a high level. When Wisconsin’s bigs are making 3s, it can beat anyone over a 40-minute span.

64. 8 seed: Miami. Malik Reneau and Tre Donaldson are proven high-major bucket-getters. Ernest Udeh Jr. and Tru Washington are excellent defenders for their respective positions. Shelton Henderson is a freakshow freshman. I’m way good on playing Jai Lucas’ crew.

65. 9 seed: Clemson. This Tigers club doesn’t seem like a fun one to back as a favorite, but as an underdog? They will scrap, claw and fight you for 40 minutes. Clemson has a massive front line and will shrink the floor and the game into a halfcourt rockfight. 

66. 10 seed: Texas. This is a dangerous team because the offense is legitimately unstoppable when it’s rolling. Dailyn Swain is playing like an NBA player. Tramon Mark makes the toughest shots known to man. Big man Matas Vokietaitis is a load. 

67. 11 seed: Auburn. Sure, Auburn is a mess right now. But would you willingly want to have to stop Tahaad Pettiford and Keyshawn Hall in a single-elimination game? 

68. 12 seed: Belmont. This mid-major roster doesn’t look like a typical mid-major roster. Too big. Too much shooting. Too many real players.