SportsLine's model nailed 12 of the teams in the Sweet 16 last season and simulated the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket 10,000 times
By Owen OBrien Mar 18, 2026 at 9:58 am ET • 3 min read 
Imagn Images It's possible that a preview of the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket title game has already been played, and on a neutral court. Michigan and Duke, top seeds on opposite sides of the 2026 NCAA bracket, met in Washington D.C. on Feb. 21. Duke came out on top, 68-63, on the strength of a double-double by star freshman Cameron Boozer.
Will that rematch play out in the national championship game of March Madness 2026, or will epic 2026 March Madness upsets derail it? 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 Cinderella teams to watch out for
One potential 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket buster is the Akron Zips. The 12th-seeded Zips, who have very strong guard play, certainly have the pieces to make some noise in the March Madness bracket. Their bracket draw also helps their case. They get No. 5 Texas Tech in the first round, and the Red Raiders have been trending down since losing star JT Toppin (knee) for the season. They went just 3-4 in the seven games since that injury, and they enter the NCAA Tournament 2026 off a non-competitive 75-53 loss to Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament. Looking a bit ahead, Akron could draw No. 4 Alabama, a team dealing with legal uncertainty surrounding second-leading scorer Aden Holloway, in the second round, opening a clear path to the second weekend for the Zips.
Another potential double-digit darling for 2026 March Madness is No. 14 High Point. The Panthers haven't lost in over two months they wrapped up a 30-4 campaign (15-1 Big South) with a convincing win against Winthrop in the Big South Tournament title game to punch their ticket. True to its name, High Point scores at an impressive rate, averaging 90 points per game, which ranks fifth nationally. The Panthers, however, don't just thrive on the offensive end. They allowed only 70.3 points per game, demonstrating a well-rounded profile. Their first-round opponent, Wisconsin, had an up-and-down year, and losses to teams like Oregon and USC show vulnerability for the Badgers.
Another Cinderella team to watch for is the California Baptist Lancers. The No. 13 seed from the East Region enters March Madness as one of the hottest teams in the nation, going 15-2 over its last 17 games and as the Western Athletic Conference champions. California Baptist is in just its eighth year as a Division I program, and the Lancers have only had one losing season during that time. Dominique Daniels Jr., a 5-foot-10 senior guard, is fifth in the nation in scoring at 23.2 points per game, and when a dynamic guard gets hot at the right time, a Cinderella team can emerge. Check out more of the model's 2026 Cinderella picks and full 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.
So what's the optimal NCAA Tournament 2026 bracket? And which NCAA Tournament Cinderella teams will shock college basketball? Visit SportsLine now to see which double-digit seeds you can back with confidence, all from the model that called all four Final Four teams in 2025.
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