Elite Projections for March Madness 2026 Reach Peak Performance!
The madness is almost here! If you are a veteran of watching the NCAA Tournament, you are well aware that something crazy happens in every single edition. Even last year, one of the chalkiest tournaments in recent memory, gave us 10-seed Arkansas in the Sweet 16, and even a Final Four of ALL one-seeds does feel a little crazy that it transpired that way.
So, let’s see if we can corral some of the madness this year. Here are our 5 bold predictions for the 2026 NCAA March Madness Tournament! MARCH MADNESS: Predicting March Madness upsets in the 2026 NCAA Tournament South Florida makes a run to the Sweet 16 Mar 5, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; South Florida Bulls head coach Bryan Hodgson talks to a referee during the second half against the Memphis Tigers at FedExForum.
Mandatory Credit: Wesley Hale-Imagn Images With head coach Bryan Hodgson, the South Florida Bulls are a very analytically-minded operation. They take a ton of 3-pointers and shots at the rim, they dominate the boards, and they play at an exceedingly fast tempo. Their roster was built with this in mind, with wall-to-wall athletes ready to execute the system.
The bracket also broke perfectly for the Bulls. Have you ever seen an 11-seed that’s going to be the more athletic team for both of their opening games? Me neither.
I’m backing them. Tennessee makes a run to the Elite 8 This Tennessee team has finally gotten healthy at the right time, as both JP Estrella and Nate Ament are back from injury. The Vols are a team that relies on the perimeter shotmaking of Ament and Ja’Kobi Gillespie, as well as the offensive rebounding of Estrella and Jaylen Carey.