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NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments Progress Through Sweet 16 Rounds

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The 2026 NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments have concluded their initial rounds, with the fields narrowing to the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. The men's tournament featured Duke, Michigan, Arizona, and Florida as No. 1 seeds, while the women's tournament showcased dominant performances from top seeds, culminating in UCLA's national championship victory. Both divisions were marked by key upsets and standout team and player performances.

Men's NCAA Tournament

Bracket Reveal and Seeding

On Selection Sunday, Duke was named the No. 1 overall seed, leading the East Region. Arizona secured a No. 1 seed in the West, Michigan in the Midwest, and Florida in the South. Florida, the reigning national champion, received a No. 1 seed despite a conference tournament loss. Michigan's seeding was adjusted to No. 3 overall, behind Arizona, after losing to Purdue in the Big Ten championship game, while Purdue's seeding improved to No. 2.

The final four teams selected for at-large bids were NC State, Texas, SMU, and Miami (Ohio). Miami (Ohio), with an impressive 31-1 regular season record, received an at-large No. 11 seed. Teams that narrowly missed selection included Oklahoma, Auburn, San Diego State, and Indiana.

Multi-bid conferences demonstrated significant depth: The SEC led with 10 bids, followed by the Big Ten with 9, and the ACC and Big 12 each with 8. The West Coast Conference secured 3 bids, while the Atlantic 10 and Mid-American Conference each received 2.

First Four Results

The First Four games, held in Dayton, Ohio, delivered early excitement:

  • No. 11 seed Texas defeated No. 11 seed NC State 68-66, with Texas securing the winning shot in the final second.
  • No. 16 seed Howard defeated No. 16 seed UMBC 86-83, marking Howard's first NCAA Tournament win.
  • No. 11 seed Miami (Ohio) secured an 89-79 victory over No. 11 seed SMU.
  • No. 16 seed Prairie View A&M defeated No. 16 seed Lehigh 67-55, also achieving its first NCAA Tournament win.

Round of 64 Results

The Round of 64 featured several compelling outcomes:

  • No. 1 Duke overcame a 13-point second-half deficit to defeat No. 16 Siena 71-65.
  • No. 9 TCU upset No. 8 Ohio State 66-64.
  • No. 11 VCU forced overtime and defeated No. 6 North Carolina 82-78.
  • No. 4 Nebraska made 14 three-pointers in a dominant 76-47 victory over No. 13 Troy.
  • No. 12 High Point rallied to defeat No. 5 Wisconsin 83-82.
  • No. 11 Texas advanced past No. 6 BYU 79-71.
  • No. 9 Saint Louis dominated No. 8 Georgia 102-77 with an 18-0 run after halftime.

Round of 32 Results and Sweet 16 Field

The Round of 32 concluded, establishing the Sweet 16 field. Nine teams from the previous year's Sweet 16 returned, the highest number since 2003. This year's field included only one double-digit seed, No. 11 Texas, and no mid-major teams advanced for the second consecutive year.

The Sweet 16 teams were:

  • From Saturday's games: Michigan, Michigan State, Duke, Texas, Houston, Illinois, Nebraska, Arkansas.
  • From Sunday's games: Purdue, Iowa State, St. John’s, Tennessee, Iowa, Arizona, UConn, Alabama.

Notable Round of 32 results included:

  • No. 2 Purdue defeated No. 7 Miami 79-69.
  • No. 2 Iowa State defeated No. 7 Kentucky 82-63.
  • No. 5 St. John’s defeated No. 4 Kansas 67-65 with a last-second shot, reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999.
  • No. 6 Tennessee defeated No. 3 Virginia 79-72, marking their fourth consecutive Sweet 16 appearance.
  • No. 9 Iowa upset No. 1 Florida 73-72, also reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999.
  • No. 1 Arizona defeated No. 9 Utah State 78-66.
  • No. 2 UConn defeated No. 7 UCLA 73-57.
  • No. 4 Alabama defeated No. 5 Texas Tech 90-65.
  • No. 11 VCU, a First Four participant, defeated No. 3 Illinois.
  • No. 11 Texas, also a First Four participant, defeated No. 3 Gonzaga 73-71.

Sweet 16 Matchups and Results

The Sweet 16 games were played on Thursday and Friday.

Thursday's Results:

  • No. 2 Purdue defeated No. 11 Texas.
  • No. 9 Iowa secured a win against No. 4 Nebraska.
  • No. 3 Illinois overcame No. 2 Houston.
  • No. 1 Arizona defeated No. 4 Arkansas.

Friday's Results:

  • Michigan advanced to the Elite Eight.
  • No. 2 UConn defeated No. 3 Michigan State.
  • No. 5 St. John's delivered a significant upset, defeating No. 1 Duke.

Conference Performance

The Big Ten conference demonstrated a strong showing, with six teams (Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Iowa) advancing to the Sweet 16, tying for the second-highest representation by a single conference in tournament history. For the first time since 2018, three Big Ten teams (Illinois, Nebraska, Iowa) were in the same regional Sweet 16 (South Region).

Conversely, the ACC saw only one of its eight teams, No. 1 overall seed Duke, advance to the Sweet 16.

Team and Player Highlights

  • Nebraska (4): Made its first-ever Sweet 16 appearance after securing two NCAA Tournament wins within a week.
  • Iowa (9): Reached its first Sweet 16 since 1999.
  • Texas (11): As the only remaining double-digit seed, Texas was the sixth team ever to advance from the First Four to the Sweet 16.
  • Houston (2): Holds the longest active streak, advancing past the first weekend in seven consecutive tournaments.
  • Duke (1): Features Cameron Boozer, who averages 22.4 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists.
  • UConn (2): Coach Dan Hurley's Huskies have an opportunity to win three national titles in four seasons.
  • Arkansas (4): Guard Darius Acuff Jr. set a freshman record with 60 points in his first two NCAA Tournament games.
  • Michigan State (3): Forward Coen Carr averaged a career-high 12 points per game and is noted for his dunks.
  • Illinois (3): Making its second Sweet 16 appearance in three years, attributed to elite depth.

Elite Eight Projections (Men's)

Projections for the Elite Eight included:

  • East: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 2 UConn
  • South: No. 9 Iowa vs. No. 2 Houston
  • West: No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 2 Purdue
  • Midwest: No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 2 Iowa State

Women's NCAA Tournament

Sweet 16 Field and Notable Upsets

The NCAA Women's Basketball Sweet 16 featured all four No. 1 seeds and three No. 2 seeds, alongside unexpected participants such as No. 10 seed Virginia and No. 4 seed Minnesota.

Several upsets occurred in the second round:

  • No. 10 seed Virginia defeated No. 2 seed Iowa 83-75 in double overtime, advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 26 years. Virginia became the first No. 10 seed to reach the regional rounds in four years and subsequently played No. 3 seed TCU.
  • No. 6 seed Notre Dame secured an 83-73 win against No. 3 seed Ohio State. Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo recorded 26 points, 13 rebounds, and eight steals, propelling Notre Dame to its fifth consecutive Sweet 16.
  • No. 3 seed Louisville defeated No. 6 seed Alabama 69-68, reaching the Sweet 16 for the 13th time under Coach Jeff Walz. Louisville was slated to face No. 2 seed Michigan.
  • Notre Dame later upset Vanderbilt in the Sweet 16, climbing in the final AP Poll.

Elite Eight Matchups

Elite Eight matchups included:

  • No. 1 UConn vs. No. 6 Notre Dame: UConn entered with a 53-game winning streak. Notre Dame had an 11-2 record since senior guard KK Bransford rejoined the lineup.
  • No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 3 Duke: Duke entered after an 87-85 Sweet 16 victory against LSU. UCLA had previously defeated Duke 89-59 in November.
  • No. 1 Texas vs. No. 2 Michigan: Texas aimed for its second straight Final Four. Michigan sought its first.
  • No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 3 TCU: South Carolina made its sixth consecutive Elite Eight appearance. TCU made its second straight.

Championship Outcome and Final Rankings

UCLA finished the season as the No. 1 team in The Associated Press women's basketball Top 25 poll after their victory over South Carolina in the NCAA championship. The Bruins received unanimous votes from the 31-member national media panel, marking their first time ending a season as the top choice. Their initial No. 1 ranking occurred after a November 2024 win against South Carolina.

South Carolina finished second in the poll. Final Four participants UConn and Texas secured third and fourth places, respectively. UConn extended its streak of finishing in the top 10 of the final poll to 33 consecutive years.

Other teams in the top ten included No. 5 Duke, No. 6 TCU, No. 7 Michigan, No. 8 LSU, No. 9 Notre Dame, and No. 10 Vanderbilt. Virginia achieved its first ranking since 2011, reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time in 26 years and becoming the first team from the First Four to advance to the regional semifinals.

The SEC and Big Ten conferences each had eight teams featured in the final Top 25 poll of the season. The ACC had five teams, the Big 12 had three, and the Big East had one.

Tournament Dynamics

Analysis of tournament projections indicated a stark difference in anticipated top-seed dominance between the men's and women's tournaments. For the men's tournament, No. 1 seeds collectively held a 57 percent chance of winning the national title.

In contrast, for the women's tournament, No. 1 seeds collectively held a remarkable 93 percent chance of winning. Historically, only three teams seeded below No. 2 have won the women's tournament since 1982, all being No. 3 seeds. This year's projections showed a substantial gap between the top four seeds and other teams in the women's tournament, with No. 2 seed LSU being a notable exception.