March Madness: Broken hearts or broken brackets?

My dance with the Blue Devils – Nate Martin

When I choose my national champion, I stick to one rule: if you’ve burned me before, I won’t pick you again. Some of my champions have burned me badly. In 2018, I supported top-seeded Virginia to win it all. The Cavaliers became the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed, UMBC.

The next year, I predicted Virginia’s early elimination, but they ended up winning the championship. After COVID, I had No. 1 seed Illinois winning it all, but they fell to No. 8 seed Loyola Chicago. The following year, I backed No. 2 Kentucky, a perennial blue blood, but they were upset by No. 15 Saint Peter’s in overtime of the first round. You get the point.

The only school I seem willing to break that rule for is Duke.

There’s just something about the Blue Devils that feels right in March. I picked Duke in 2019 before they got eliminated by Michigan State in the Elite Eight. Advancing to the Elite Eight didn’t feel like a burn, so I picked Duke again last year. They lost to Houston in the Final Four after surrendering a 9-0 run in the last 33 seconds. Before this year’s tournament, I backed the Blue Devils again.

Looking back, this team was too similar to the two previous Duke teams that burned me. A top overall seed with a star freshman who might be the top overall pick in the NBA Draft.

This year felt different, though. The Blue Devils were dominant all year, and even without key contributors in the ACC tournament, they won their conference’s regular and postseason titles. Their only two losses were close games where Duke led by double digits in the second half.

Surely the Blue Devils wouldn’t blow a late lead again? Spoiler alert — they did.

That results in a Final Four of UConn, Illinois, Arizona and Michigan. If there’s one thing I won’t let happen, it’s another young team burning me. Illinois and Arizona’s top scorers are both freshmen. Plus, Illinois is on my “do not pick” list.

That leaves UConn and Michigan as my picks for national champions.

While Michigan has been one of the most consistent teams, it just feels like UConn is a team of destiny with their 19-point comeback and last-second game-winner against Duke.

Additionally, four of their five leading scorers are upperclassmen. Dan Hurley’s squad will cut down the nets in Indianapolis for their third banner in four years, and that will put the UConn head coach in some very interesting conversations. If it’s not obvious, you won’t see me picking Duke again…

That is, until they have another future top overall pick and claim the top seed.

The Big Ten’s bounce back – Ryan Randone

Some leagues excel at certain college sports, while others haven’t cracked the code. The Big Ten hasn’t won a national championship since Tom Izzo’s Michigan State took the title in 2000. That’s hard to believe for a league that has sent 14 teams to the Final Four and seven to national championship games during that span. Purdue was last to reach the title game in 2024, but the Boilermakers were outclassed by UConn, 75-60, en route to the Huskies’ second straight championship.

There’s a good chance that could change this season. The Big Ten has two teams in the Final Four, and while Illinois was a long shot to win its region behind No. 1 seed Florida and No. 2 seed Houston, Michigan has been a favorite to win the title all season.

The Wolverines lead the last four in title odds and have cruised to a 35-3 record this season. Every one of their tournament games has been decided by double digits, with the average margin of victory over 20 points.

Michigan will face its biggest test of the tournament on Saturday. The Wolverines will play an Arizona team that outlasted Purdue, 79-64, in the Elite Eight. Interestingly, Purdue handed the Wolverines their last loss of the season in the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game, 80-72.

Illinois’s run has been arguably just as impressive, though more surprising, than Michigan’s.

The Illini have also defeated each of their March Madness opponents by double digits. They will have to face a UConn team coming off one of the most stunning NCAA tournament wins in history against Duke in the Elite Eight. The two teams already faced off this season in November, with UConn winning 74-61 in Madison Square Garden.

Ultimately, there’s no guarantee the Big Ten will come out on top. The two teams remaining are just slight favorites in their Final Four matchups. But after years of disappointment and lack of success when it matters most, this feels like the perfect setup for the league.

If the Big Ten finally claims the ultimate prize, it will break nearly three decades of struggle for one of the most successful leagues in college athletics.

Got too Greedy this March Madness – Joe Kaplan

Step aside, Christian Laettner, we have a new iconic moment in March Madness history. Braylon Mullins’ 35-foot dagger didn’t just win a game—it altered the college basketball landscape, exposing just how fragile a No. 1 seed’s path can be. 

With the final four approaching, we now have two dominant one-seeds in Michigan and Arizona, a streaky Illinois squad, and the resilient UConn Huskies. 

Back when I started my bracket, I was too cute. I took a Vanderbilt squad that, while talented, lacked size and depth to the Final Four, as well as Arkansas, which had a great player in Darius Acuff Jr., but couldn’t withstand Arizona. 

For the championship game, I originally had Iowa State defeating Duke, which looked great on paper. But after guard Joshua Jefferson got hurt in the first round and was out for the rest of the tournament, my picks were not promising, and then we all know what happened to Duke. 

With a potential number one pick in the upcoming NBA draft in Cameron Boozer, Duke was up by as many as 19 against UConn, but gave up that lead, and Cameron’s brother, Cayden, mistakenly turned the ball over to UConn in the final seconds, leading to Mullin’s game-winner. 

So, with my original picks buried to the ground, it’s time to pick a new champion in this year’s tournament. 

After much thought, I believe UConn can hold off Illinois, and while it could lead to a close game, center Tarris Reed Jr.’s inside game will be too much for the Fighting Illini. In the battle of the one seeds, Michigan’s one-two punch of Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara will overmatch Arizona, leading the Wolverines to the title game. 

With a potential UConn-Michigan championship game matchup, it is best to look at the individual matchups. While both teams command a strong presence in the paint, this game will likely be decided by control of the ball on the offensive end, which I believe Lendeborg, guard Elliot Cadeau, and coach Dusty May will prioritize going into the final, leading the Michigan Wolverines to beat UConn and win the NCAA Tournament. 

Michigan has been dominant throughout the tournament, scoring over 90 in each game and winning by double digits. The Wolverines have made the title game in both 2013 and 2018, but have only won one championship in 1989, and could potentially add number two soon.

March Madness found its madness again – Cory Miller

For a moment, it looked like March had lost its madness.

The top seeds didn’t just win, they steamrolled. Florida hung 114 points on Prairie View A&M. Purdue dropped 104 on Queens. Across the board, favorites won by an average of 17.4 points. 

It was a round devoid of buzzer-beaters, bracket-busters or anything resembling drama. If you only watched those first two days, you’d think college basketball was sliding toward a new era of predictability.

Then the second round arrived, and thankfully, everything changed.

Nebraska–Vanderbilt was the first real jolt. On paper, a 4–5 matchup shouldn’t shake up the bracket, but it had all the drama the opening days lacked. Back-and-forth lead changes, a go-ahead layup from Braden Frager with two seconds left, and then Tyler Tanner’s half-court heave that hit the rim, spun and somehow popped out. From that moment forward, the tournament felt alive again.

Cal Baptist nearly erased a 26-point deficit against Kansas. Furman pushed UConn into uncomfortable territory. 11-seed Texas took Purdue deep into the final minutes in the Sweet 16. Even Duke–UConn, a showdown between two blueblood heavyweights, turned into an instant classic that reminded everyone why we love this tournament in the first place. The underdogs may not have made deep runs this year, but the games felt competitive. 

Now we’ve landed on a Final Four full of top seeds, but nothing about it is boring. Michigan and Arizona feel like they’ve been circling each other since November. Both teams crushed their regions. Michigan, led by Yaxel Lendeborg, has won every tournament game by more than 20 points and looks like the most physically imposing team left.

Arizona, meanwhile, hasn’t lost since mid-February and brings a perfect mix of shot creation, size and poise for how young their starting lineup is. It might feel like the true national title game, and I’ll give the slight edge to Arizona, deeper, steadier and a little more trustworthy late in games.

The other semifinal has its own intrigue. Illinois has the best offense remaining, and its defense has actually woken up at the right time. But UConn’s size and ability to control the tempo give them a real advantage, especially if Tarris Reed Jr. keeps playing like this. If they can make Keaton Wagler uncomfortable, the game tilts their way.

So that sets up the championship I’ve been expecting: Arizona vs. UConn. And with the way they’re playing, I’ll take Arizona to win it all. 

In the end, though, whether it’s Arizona, Michigan, UConn, or Illinois that cuts down the nets, these matchups are built to deliver close, high-level games. After the way the tournament started, that’s a win in itself.

Griffin and his terrible, horrible, no Good, very bad brackets – Griffin Blommstein

To say March Madness is one of the best sporting events of the year is an understatement. It has just about everything you could ask for in sports, wrapped up in less than a month. From the chaos and unpredictability of the first round to magical upsets and legendary unforgettable moments, March Madness brings it all. 

Historically, I am very good at picking my bracket… until the second weekend comes around.

I went 24-32 in the first round this year, but I had only two correct teams in the Elite Eight and zero in the Final Four. In the past four years, I have only selected one of the 16 Final Four teams: Duke in 2025. 

Does that mean I don’t know much about college basketball? No. It means that the best part of March Madness is that anyone can win, and it is so incredibly difficult to predict the correct outcome. 

This season, my national champion, Duke, lost in the Elite Eight because of a buzzer-beater. Last year, 2-seeded St. John’s was my pick to win it all, but fell to 10th-seeded Arkansas in the Round of 32. In 2024, my champion 1st-seeded North Carolina lost by two points to 4th-seeded Alabama in the Sweet Sixteen. Then in 2023, I picked Houston to go all the way. The top-seeded Cougars got eliminated by fifth-seeded Miami in the Sweet Sixteen. 

Safe to say, I have not had the greatest four-year stretch of March Madness picks. Even so, I am confident that, knowing the four teams up for the 2026 National Championship, the following picks will (hopefully) be accurate. 

If you had Illinois and UConn meeting up in the final four, congratulations, because I had the Fighting Illini losing in the first round and the Huskies not making it past the Sweet Sixteen. As much as I thought UConn didn’t have the team to go on the miraculous runs they did in both 2023 and 2024, the Huskies are my pick to make the National Championship. 

Head coach Dan Hurley might be one of those sports figures you just don’t pick against. Illinois is a great team, and credit to freshman guard Keaton Wagler for getting his squad to the Final Four, but I don’t think he’ll be able to do enough to beat UConn.

On the other side, it’s Arizona and Michigan. Both are one seeds that are explosive offensively and defensively, and the winner of this matchup has my vote to win March Madness, regardless. 

There’s one difference between the Wildcats and Wolverines, though, and that’s that Tom Brady went to Michigan. I never like to pick against Tom Brady, and that’s why Michigan will win March Madness.