We made it! March Madness ideas off at the moment with 12 hours of nonstop hoops, beginning with No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 9 TCU at 12:15 p.m. ET. Stuck at work all day? Don’t fear, we’ve bought you lined.
Our NBC News crew will likely be live-blogging all of the video games at the moment and tomorrow, protecting you knowledgeable on all of the upset alerts, nail-biter endings and enjoyable storylines. Click here to follow.
Before the video games start, we checked in with Steve Kornacki, NBC News’ chief information analyst, who predicted this 12 months’s “Cinderella” and champion. Our reporters additionally picked their favourite video games on at the moment’s slate and a few storylines to look at by March. For extra protection, as at all times, go to NBC News.
Kornacki’s Cinderella and Champ
Who may very well be this 12 months’s “Cinderella”?
Last 12 months it was No. 10-seeded Arkansas. Two years in the past, it was No. 11 seed NC State. If a brand new period is dawning, this can be the kind of March magic we now should accept — groups who completed within the backside half of energy conferences getting on a roll when it actually counts.
This 12 months, I’m pondering it may be Texas A&M, the No. 10 seed within the South area. The Aggies play “Bucky Ball,” the relentless, up-tempo type that has develop into the trademark of their first-year coach, Bucky McMillan, and that may flummox foes. Previously, McMillan was at Samford, which he almost led to an upset of Kansas within the 2024 event.
As for my 2026 nationwide championship choose … that is how my earlier 5 predicted champs have fared:
2021: Illinois misplaced in Round of 32
2022: Villanova misplaced in Final Four
2023: Duke misplaced in Round of 32
2024: Auburn misplaced in Round of 64
2025: St. John’s misplaced in Round of 32
That is solely atrocious, to the purpose that I’m questioning if by selecting a staff I’m really conjuring some sort of mystical pressure to thwart them.
Given this distinct risk, I can’t in good conscience select the staff that I wish to win all of it and that, deep inside, I feel may make an actual run (I gained’t say the identify, nevertheless it rhymes with “St. Bohn’s”). So as an alternative, I’ll go along with the depth and steadiness of long-overdue Arizona. Wildcat followers, I’m sorry to do that to you.
Click here for the remainder of Kornacki’s 2026 March Madness breakdown.
Final Four Picks
The “NBA Showtime” crew agrees with Steve Kornacki. Three NBA legends made their Final Four picks for NBC Sports, and all three predicted Houston vs. Arizona within the last, with the Wildcats reducing down the nets. Here are their full picks:
Vince Carter
Semifinal: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 2 Houston
Semifinal: No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 1 Michigan
Final: Houston vs. Arizona
Champ: Arizona
Tracy McGrady
Semifinal: No. 2 UConn vs. No. 2 Houston
Semifinal: No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 1 Michigan
Final: Houston vs. Arizona
Champ: Arizona
Carmelo Anthony
Semifinal: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 2 Houston
Semifinal: No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 1 Michigan
Final: Houston vs. Arizona
Champ: Arizona
Today’s Games to Watch:
Here’s what we’re watching throughout at the moment’s slate:
Tim Rohan: I’m curious to see dynamic guard Darius Acuff Jr. and No. 4 Arkansas tackle No. 13 Hawaii. Acuff averages almost 23 factors per sport, 44.5% from 3-point vary, and performs with poise past his years. He’s coach John Calipari’s newest and best freshman guard.
Andrew Greif: Perhaps no different fan base enters the event carrying as a lot nervousness as Nebraska’s. At 0-8 all time, the No. 4-seeded Huskers are the last power conference team but to win within the event. Now, 40 years after this system’s first March Madness look, they might present a complete lot of catharsis with a win in opposition to No. 13 seed Troy.
Greg Rosenstein: I’m excited to look at No. 6 BYU in opposition to No. 11 Texas. The Cougars boast arguably one of the best participant in America and a contender for the No. 1 NBA draft pick in AJ Dybantsa. He’s a do-it-all ahead that has skilled scouts salivating. But Texas has the superior protection on this matchup, and I might not be shocked to see an upset.
March Madness subplots
Here’s what our correspondents are searching for the remainder of March:
Tim Rohan: Will a singular star emerge through the girls’s event? Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers have graduated, and JuJu Watkins is injured. This tourney has a number of dominant groups with headliner gamers, however which is able to come by within the clutch? UConn’s Azzi Fudd or Sarah Strong? UCLA’s Lauren Betts? Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes? Curious to see who asserts themselves this March.
Andrew Greif: Twenty-three years after freshman Carmelo Anthony led Syracuse to a nationwide title in his lone collegiate season, I’m watching to see whether or not a brand new crop of likely one-and-done superstars can match that achievement.
Greg Rosenstein: Does Tom Izzo have sufficient magic to steer Michigan State to at least one extra nationwide championship? The Spartans are virtually at all times contenders however haven’t reduce down the nets since 2000. Izzo is 71 (and now coping with the ever-frustrating NIL world), and this may be his final finest shot.
What We’re Watching
The NCAA Tournament first spherical ideas off at the moment! Follow alongside as our NBC News staff live-blogs all the action. We’re overlaying all of the video games, and here’s the full slate, however listed below are just a few key ones to look at.
Can Nebraska acquire its first-ever March Madness win? How will prime NBA prospects AJ Dybantsa and Darius Acuff Jr. look of their event debuts? Can Virginia Commonwealth upset North Carolina, who’s enjoying with out injured star ahead Caleb Wilson?
All occasions are Eastern:
- 12:40 p.m.: No. 4 seed Nebraska vs. No. 13 Troy, on TruTV
- 4:25 p.m.: No. 4 seed Arkansas vs. No. 13 Hawai’i, on TBS
- 6:50 p.m.: No. 6 seed North Carolina vs. No. 11 VCU, on TNT
- 7:25 p.m.: No. 6 seed BYU vs. No. 11 Texas, on TBS
That’s it for now! We’ll be again tomorrow.