SportsLine's model nailed 12 of the teams in the Sweet 16 last season and simulated the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket 10,000 times


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The Purdue Boilermakers won the Big Ten Tournament and were rewarded with a No. 2 seed when the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket was revealed on Selection Sunday. Purdue beat Michigan, who earned a No. 1 seed, in the conference tournament and were sent to the West Region of the March Madness bracket 2026. The Arizona Wildcats are the No. 1 seed in the region and Purdue will begin March Madness 2026 against No. 15 seed Queens.

Boilermakers point guard Braden Smith dished out 11 assists in the win over the Wolverines and is now one assist behind former Duke guard Bobby Hurley for the all-time NCAA assists record. Smith helped lead Purdue to the national championship game two seasons ago but can you count on another deep run in your 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket picks? Before making any 2026 March Madness bracket predictions, be sure to check out the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket picks from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

Their proven projection model has simulated every game in the tournament 10,000 times. It has absolutely crushed its March Madness picks recently, beating over 91 percent of all CBS Sports brackets in four of the past seven tournaments. It was all over UConn's championship run two years ago and nailed 12 teams in the Sweet 16 last year. It also correctly predicted all four Final Four teams in 2025.

It knows how to spot an upset as well. The same model has produced brackets that have nailed 25 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds since its inception in 2016.

Now, with the 2026 NCAA bracket revealed, the model is simulating the matchups and its results are in. You can only see it over at SportsLine.

Three 2026 March Madness bracket games to watch
One of the most intriguing 2026 March Madness matchups to watch: No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 9 TCU in the East region. The Buckeyes hadn't made the NCAA Tournament since 2022, but Jake Diebler's sends Ohio State back to March Madness in his second season at the helm. Senior guard Bruce Thornton averaged 20.2 points per game to help lead the Buckeyes to a 21-12 record and a 12-8 mark in the Big Ten. Meanwhile, Jamie Dixon led the Horned Frogs to a 22-11 record overall and an 11-7 season in the Big 12. Sophomore forward David Punch led TCU in both scoring (14.3 points) and rebounding (6.7) this season.

Another 2026 NCAA Tournament matchup to keep an eye on is No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 UCF in the East Region. UCLA will be making its 54th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament and this is the fifth time in seven years that Mick Cronin has taken the Bruins dancing since taking over. UCLA went 23-11 overall this season and was 13-7 in the Big Ten while UCF went 21-11 and was 9-9 in the Big 12. Head coach Johnny Dawkins will be leading the Knights to just their second March Madness appearance in his 10th season at the helm in Orlando.

Another 2026 March Madness game to watch out for: No. 6 Louisville vs. No. 11 South Florida in the East Region. Pat Kelsey ended a five-year NCAA Tournament drought in his first season at the helm at Louisville last season and he's taking the Cardinals dancing once again. Louisville went 23-10 overall this season and was 11-7 in the ACC while South Florida went 25-8 overall and won the AAC regular-season and tournament titles. This is Bryan Hodgson's first season at the helm for the Bulls and the programs first tourney appearance since 2013. You can only see the model's 2026 NCAA bracket picks here.

How to make 2026 NCAA bracket predictions
Who wins every tournament-defining matchup? And which teams will make surprising runs through the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket? With the model's track record of calling bracket-busting upsets, you'll want to see which stunners it's calling this year before locking in any 2026 NCAA bracket picks.

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Posted by Temmy
Mon, March 16, 2026 3:13pm