NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments Progress to Elite Eight; Expansion Debated

The 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament has advanced to the Elite Eight round following the conclusion of the Sweet 16, with teams vying for spots in the Final Four in Indianapolis. The Women's Tournament, which saw brackets unveiled on Selection Sunday, is also underway, with top seeds and key player matchups highlighted. Meanwhile, discussions regarding potential expansion of the tournament field have surfaced, drawing varied opinions from college basketball figures.

Tournament Overview and Selection Sunday

The men's and women's NCAA tournament brackets were unveiled on Selection Sunday, initiating the annual 68-team competitions. For the men's tournament, Duke, Michigan, Arizona, and defending national champion Florida were anticipated as top seeds. The women's tournament projected UConn as the top overall seed, with UCLA, South Carolina, and Texas also contenders for No. 1 seeds.

Notable freshmen expected to make their tournament debuts and who are considered potential top NBA draft picks included Cameron Boozer (Duke), AJ Dybantsa (BYU), and Darryn Peterson (Kansas). Caleb Wilson of North Carolina was sidelined due to a right thumb injury. Bubble teams awaiting selection included Miami (Ohio), Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas, Missouri, and Virginia Commonwealth. Miami (OH) had a 31-1 record but faced scrutiny due to a weak strength of schedule. Nebraska, holding an all-time NCAA Tournament record of 0-8 entering the event, was seeking its first tournament victory.

The men's Final Four is scheduled for Indianapolis on April 6, with the championship two days later. The women's national semifinals are set for Phoenix on April 3, with the championship on April 5.

Men's Tournament Progression

The first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament commenced on Thursday with 16 games. A record 13 of the 68 teams featured a freshman as their leading scorer. Key matchups included No. 9 seed TCU versus No. 8 seed Ohio State, No. 4 seed Nebraska against No. 13 seed Troy, and No. 1 seed Duke facing No. 16 seed Siena. No. 11 seed Texas advanced to the first round after a 68-66 victory over NC State in a First Four game.

Nebraska secured its first NCAA Tournament victory by defeating Troy. McNeese's student manager, Amir "Aura" Khan, returned to the tournament after McNeese won the Southland conference championship.

The second round saw 32 teams compete for spots in the Sweet 16. Double-digit seeds such as No. 11 VCU, No. 12 High Point, No. 11 Texas, and No. 10 Texas A&M advanced to this stage.

Notable results from the second round included:

• No. 9 Iowa eliminated No. 1 seed Florida, the defending national champions, with a 73-72 victory. Iowa's Alvaro Folgueiras made a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final seconds.
• No. 5 St. John's defeated No. 4 Kansas 67-65, secured by a buzzer-beating layup from Dylan Darling. Kansas's Darryn Peterson scored 21 points in the loss.
• Nebraska advanced to the second round for the first time in program history.
• BYU's AJ Dybantsa scored 35 points in the team's first-round loss to Texas. Duke's Cameron Boozer remained in contention as Duke advanced.
• The Big Ten conference sent six teams (Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Iowa) to the Sweet 16, marking its most since 1975. The ACC, with eight teams in the tournament, had only Duke advance to the second weekend.
• The opening weekend featured fewer upsets than typical for both the men's and women's tournaments. For the men, seven of the top eight seeds advanced, with No. 11 Texas being the lowest seed remaining.

The Sweet 16 round took place on Thursday, March 26, and Friday, March 27.

Thursday, March 26:

• No. 2 seed Purdue defeated No. 11 seed Texas 79-77, with Trey Kaufman-Renn scoring the game-winning field goal with 0.7 seconds remaining. Purdue advanced to its seventh Elite Eight and second consecutive appearance.
• No. 9 seed Iowa defeated No. 4 seed Nebraska 77-71, marking Iowa's first Elite Eight appearance since 1987.
• No. 3 seed Illinois triumphed over No. 2 seed Houston 65-55, holding Houston to 34% shooting from the field. Illinois reached its second Elite Eight in three seasons.
• No. 1 seed Arizona defeated No. 4 seed Arkansas 109-88 in a high-scoring contest, with six Arizona players scoring in double digits. Arizona advanced to its 12th Elite Eight in program history and first under coach Tommy Lloyd.

Friday, March 27:

• No. 1 seed Duke defeated No. 5 seed St. John's 80-75. Duke's point guard Caleb Foster returned from injury.
• No. 1 seed Michigan defeated No. 4 seed Alabama 90-77. Michigan outscored Alabama 43-28 in the second half. Alabama played without Aden Holloway due to federal drug charges.
• No. 2 seed UConn advanced by defeating No. 3 seed Michigan State.
• No. 6 seed Tennessee advanced from the Midwest Region after defeating No. 2 seed Iowa State.

The Elite Eight matchups are set for Saturday, March 28, and Sunday, March 29.

Saturday, March 28 (All times ET):

• No. 9 Iowa vs. No. 3 Illinois (South Region Final) – 6:09 p.m.
• No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 1 Arizona (West Region Final) – 8:49 p.m.

Sunday, March 29 (All times ET):

• No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 1 Michigan (Midwest Region Final) – 2:15 p.m.
• No. 2 UConn vs. No. 1 Duke (East Region Final) – 5:05 p.m.

Women's Tournament

The 2026 women's NCAA tournament bracket was released, with UConn receiving the No. 1 overall seed. UConn is positioned as the favorite to win its 13th national championship, with DraftKings odds listing them at -265. UCLA (+550), Texas (+700), and South Carolina (+800) were also identified as strong contenders.

Potential key individual matchups include an Elite Eight clash between UConn's Sarah Strong and Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes, both considered National Player of the Year candidates.

Sarah Strong is described as a versatile player with high efficiency, while Mikayla Blakes is noted for her high-usage, high-efficiency performances. Other storylines include Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell facing scrutiny due to the team's recent performance, and a potential Sweet 16 rematch between LSU and Duke. Texas was identified as a peaking team after winning the SEC title with strong defensive play. UCLA, despite a 31-1 record, was noted to have a challenging path to the Final Four.

Tournament Expansion Debate

Discussions about expanding the NCAA Tournament field beyond 68 teams have been ongoing. NCAA President Charlie Baker has expressed support for expansion to potentially 72 or 76 teams, advocating for an increase in at-large bids while maintaining the 31 automatic qualifiers for conference champions. Baker indicated that expanding at-large opportunities could reduce pressure on including more good teams in the tournament.

Conversely, former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has stated his opposition to expansion. He believes that adding more teams could diminish the quality and unique appeal of March Madness. Krzyzewski argued that the current college sports environment, particularly with the transfer portal, poses a threat to traditional "Cinderella stories" by potentially drawing good freshman players from smaller programs to larger programs, leading to weaker teams in an expanded field. He also suggested the need for more centralized leadership in college basketball, operating similarly to a business like the NBA. Discussions regarding expansion were paused until after the 2026 tournament.