March Madness is in full effect with the full NCAA Tournament bracket released! NBC Sports is taking you region by region for all the best storylines, matchups and Cinderella picks in the 2026 field.
East Region breakdown
West Region breakdown
South Region breakdown
Midwest Region bracket
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 16 UMBC/Howard
No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 9 Saint Louis
No. 5 Texas Tech vs. No. 12 Akron
No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 13 Hofstra
No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 11 Miami (OH)/SMU
No. 3 Virginia vs. No. 14 Wright State
No. 7 Kentucky vs. No. 10 Santa Clara
No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 15 Tennessee State
Meet the No. 1 seed: Michigan
The Wolverines have not looked quite the same since guard L.J. Cason went down with a torn ACL. They were able to make it to the Big Ten Tournament final, but they didn’t blow teams out like they had earlier in the season. Ultimately, Purdue outexecuted them in that bid for a second consecutive conference title.
Still, the Wolverines will be the definitive favorite in this region. They still put out one of the biggest, scariest front lines in college basketball in Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara, the backbone of the nation’s top-ranked defense per KenPom. Even without Cason, Elliot Cadeau, Trey McKenney, Nimari Burnett and Roddy Gayle is a strong guard rotation.
Top challenger: No. 2 Iowa State
The Cyclones have a great defense in their own right, clocking in at fourth nationally. They are also one of eight teams with a Net Rating greater than 30 and were a clear candidate for the fourth 1-seed that went to Florida.
It would be fascinating to see a potential Elite Eight matchup between Iowa State and Michigan. The Cyclones are big and physical themselves, and they play a much slower pace than Michigan. If they could slow the game down and play it on their terms, they’d have a great shot at the Final Four.
Potential Cinderella: No. 10 Santa Clara
Despite playing in a weaker conference, Santa Clara actually has a higher-ranked offense than every team in the bottom half of this region except Iowa State — and then then, Santa Clara is only two spots behind (23rd vs. 21st). All of those teams can get bogged down offensively at times, and the Broncos can take advantage.
Ranking in the top 30 in both turnover margin and 3-pointers made means Santa Clara can win the math game in a way that’s necessary to bridge the gap against more talented teams. And the Broncos won’t be put off by facing elite opponents, given that they share a conference with Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s.
Storyline to watch: What comes from the Miami (OH) vs. SMU First Four game?
Miami (OH) has, of course, been one of the stories of the season. After going 31-0 in the regular season, the RedHawks fell in the first round of the MAC Tournament, adding to discourse around whether they should get in on an at-large bid.
They’re here now, and their reward is facing an SMU team that features one of the most impactful offensive players in the country in guard Boopie Miller. The NCAA Tournament regularly sees a First Four team make the Round of 32, and no matter which of these teams makes it out of Dayton, Tennessee will be on upset alert.
