Our best, worst NCAA picks: Grading our March Madness bracket predictions

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Our best, worst NCAA picks: Grading our March Madness bracket predictions

Our best, worst NCAA picks: Grading our March Madness bracket predictions

Matthew Glenesk, USA TODAY · USA TODAY Sports

Tue, Mar 24, 2026 ·

4 min read

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Picking NCAA Tournament brackets are hard. Usually they end up in the trash can by the end of the first weekend.

Iowa's upset over Florida wiped out a large portion of the field. And Tennessee's win over No. 3 Virginia in the second round claimed the final last perfect bracket of the more than 35 million submitted in the major online challenges, including USA TODAY's .

So keep that in mind when taking a look at how our staff fared through March Madness' first two rounds.

March Madness bracket hot takes: From Sweet 16 upsets to Final Four predictions

Sweet 16 predictions: Experts pick who will advance in March Madness bracket

How sweet it is. Sixteen teams remain in the March Madness 2026 tournament. Here are some top players and matchups to watch.
**No. 11 Texas vs. No. 2 Purdue**Texas: Matas Vokietaitis

(Troy Wayrynen, Imagn Images)

**No. 11 Texas vs. No. 2**Purdue Purdue: Braden Smith

(Christine Tannous, IndyStar via USA TODAY NETWORK)

**No. 9 Iowa vs. No. 4 Nebraska**Iowa: Bennett Stirtz

(Matt Pendleton, Imagn Images)

**No. 9 Iowa vs. No. 4 Nebraska**Nebraska: Pryce Sandfort

(BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN via USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

**No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 1 Arizona**Arkansas: Darius Acuff Jr.

(Troy Wayrynen, Imagn Images)

**No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 1 Arizona**Arizona: Brayden Burries

(Kirby Lee, Imagn Images)

**No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 2 Houston**Illinois: Keaton Wagler

(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)

**No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 2 Houston**Houston: Emanuel Sharp

(Alonzo Adams, Imagn Images)

**No. 5 St. John's vs. No. 1 Duke**St. John's: Zuby Ejiofor

(Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images)

**No. 5 St. John's vs. No. 1 Duke**Duke: Cameron Boozer

(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)

**No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 Michigan**Alabama: Labaron Philon Jr.

(Matt Pendleton, Imagn Images)

**No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 Michigan**Michigan: Yaxel Lendeborg

(Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press via USA TODAY NETWORK)

**No. 3 Michgan State vs. No. 2 UConn**Michigan State: Jeremy Fears Jr. (1)

(Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press via USA TODAY NETWORK)

**No. 3 Michgan State vs. No. 2 UConn**UConn: Alex Karaban

(Bill Streicher, Imagn Images)

**No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 2 Iowa State**Tennessee: Ja’Kobi Gillespie (0)

(Saul Young, News Sentinel via USA TODAY NETWORK)

**No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 2 Iowa State**Iowa State: Milan Momcilovic

(William Purnell, Imagn Images)

Grading our March Madness bracket predictions: Our best, worst picks

Blake Toppmeyer( full bracket )

Round 1:23 of 32
Round 2:11 of 16
Sweet 16:Has 11 teams left
Elite Eight:Has 5 teams left
Final Four:Has all 4 teams left
Champion:Arizona

Worst pick:He had BYU going to the Elite Eight. The Cougars didn't get out of the first round. We get it, AJ Dybantsa is really good. But he needed help.

Best pick:Called the VCU upset of North Carolina.

Matt Hayes( full bracket )

Round 1:24 of 32
Round 2:13 of 16
Sweet 16:13 teams left
Elite Eight:Has 7 left
Final Four:Has 3 left
Champion:Arizona

Worst pick:Hurt most by Florida's second round exit. Matt had the Gators reaching the Final Four.

Worst pick II:Took a chance on McNeese as a sleeper Sweet 16 pick. The Cowboys lost to Vanderbilt in the first round.

Best pick:Had the High Point upset of Wisconsin.

Jordan Mendoza( full bracket )

Round 1:23 of 32
Round 2:9 of 16
Sweet 16:Has 9 teams left
Elite Eight:Has 6 left
Final Four:Has 3 left
Champion:Arizona

Worst pick:Picked Wisconsin to reach the Sweet 16. Badgers lost to High Point, so this was Jordan's low point.

Worst pick II:Took a chance on Akron as a sleeper Sweet 16 pick. Texas Tech zipped that up by 20.

Worst pick III:Swear we're not picking on Jordan, but he lost three Sweet 16 teams in the first round. He was a believer in AJ Dybantsa and BYU.

North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar reacts after losing to the VCU Rams in overtime of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.

(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)

Brendan Coyle #21 of the Siena Saints reacts after the game against the Duke Blue Devils in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC. The Duke Blue Devils defeated the Siena Saints 71-65.
(Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images)

Head coach Kelvin Sampson of the Houston Cougars shakes hands with members of the Idaho Vandals following the first round game of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
(Stacy Revere, Getty Images)

McNeese Cowboys guard Tyshawn Archie (8) walks off the court after losing to the Vanderbilt Commodores during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Centeron March 19, 2026 in Oklahoma City.

(William Purnell, Imagn Images)

Riley Saunders #13 and Andy Stefonowicz #5 of the North Dakota State Bison high five after being defeated by the Michigan State Spartans in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at KeyBank Center on March 19, 2026 in Buffalo, New York.
(Ishika Samant, Getty Images)

Wisconsin Badgers guard Braeden Carrington (0) and guard John Blackwell (25) react during the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the High Point Panthers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Or.

(Troy Wayrynen, Imagn Images)

Thomas Dowd of the Troy Trojans reacts after coming out of the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Okla.

(Stacy Revere, Getty Images)

Ohio State Buckeyes forward Amare Bynum (1) and Ohio State Buckeyes forward Brandon Noel (14) react after losing to Texas Christian University Horned Frogs during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)

Texas Christian University Horned Frogs forward Xavier Edmonds (24) reacts after defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)

Lehigh Mountain Hawks huddle together after being defeated by the Prairie View A&M Panthers during a first four game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at University of Dayton Arena on March 18, 2026.
(Rick Osentoski, Imagn Images)

SMU Mustangs guard Boopie Miller (2) and SMU Mustangs center Jaden Toombs (10) leave the court after being defeated by the Miami (OH) RedHawks during a first four game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at University of Dayton Arena on March 18, 2026.
(Rick Osentoski, Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images)

Trevon Blassingame #1 and Seth Joba #21 of the Idaho Vandals react after the defeat against the Houston Cougars in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
(Stacy Revere, Getty Images)

Paul Myerberg( full bracket )

Round 1:25 of 32
Round 2:13 of 16
Sweet 16:Has 13 teams left
Elite Eight:Has 7 teams left
Final Four:Has all 4 teams
Champion:St. John's

Brent Schrotenboer( full bracket )

Round 1:25 of 32
Round 2:11 of 16
Sweet 16:Has 11 teams left
Elite Eight:Has 6 teams left
Final Four:has 3 teams left
Champion:Florida

Worst pick:Lost his champion in the second round. Gator baited.

Worst pick II:Had UNC going to the Sweet 16. That looked good until Tar Heels blew 19-point lead in first round loss to VCU.

Worst pick III:Took a chance on Texas Tech. Shot himself in the foot.

John Brice( full bracket )

Round 1:26 of 32
Round 2:12 of 16
Sweet 16:Has 12 left
Elite Eight:Has 6 left
Final Four:Has all four left
Champion:Arizona

Best pick:The entire East Region. He got it all right.

Worst pick:Gonzaga to the Elite Eight. Not the first to be stung by the Zags.

Craig Meyer( full bracket )

Round 1:30 of 32
Round 2:13 of 16
Sweet 16:Has 13 teams left
Elite Eight:Has 7 teams left
Final Four:Has 3 teams left
Champion:Florida

Best pick:The entire top half of the bracket. Got every pick right so far in the East and West regions. That includes the High Point upset and Texas making the Sweet 16.

Worst pick:Craig was doing so well. But then the Gators bit him in the butt.

Eddie Timanus( full bracket )

Round 1:23 of 32
Round 2:9 of 16
Sweet 16:Has 9 teams left
Elite Eight:Has 7 teams left
Final Four:Has 3 left
Champion:Arizona

Worst pick:Had Wisconsin going to the Sweet 16. Tough break. Nearly every other Big Ten team made it .

Matt Glenesk( full bracket )

Round 1:24 of 32
Round 2:11 of 16
Sweet 16:Has 11 teams left
Elite Eight:Has 6 left
Final Four:Has 3 left
Champion:Florida

Worst pick:Florida winning it all? Ugh.

Worst pick II:Had Miami (Fla.) going to the Elite Eight. This Floridian got burned twice by Sunshine State.

Sweet 16 schedule , game tip times, dates

THURSDAY, MARCH 26

7:10 p.m.:No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 11 Texas (West), CBS
7:30 p.m.:No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Iowa (South), TBS/truTV
9:45 p.m.:No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 4 Arkansas (West), CBS
10:05 p.m.:No. 2 Houston vs. No. 3 Illinois (South), TBS/truTV

FRIDAY, MARCH 27

7:10 p.m.:No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 St. John's (East), CBS
7:35 p.m.:No 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 Michigan (Midwest), TBS/truTV
9:45 p.m.:No. 2 UConn vs. No. 3 Michigan State (East), CBS
10:10 p.m.:No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 6 Tennessee (Midwest), TBS/truTV

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness predictions: How'd we do? Grading our NCAA brackets so far

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F1 São Paulo GP 2026 – Practice 3

Our best, worst NCAA picks: Grading our March Madness bracket predictions

Men's Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness

Men's Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness

Men's Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness

Men's Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness

Men's Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness

Men's Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness

Men's Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness

Men's Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness

Men's Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness

Men's Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness

Men's Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness

Men's Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness

Men's Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness

Men's Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness

Men's Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness

Men's Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness

Men's Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness

Grading our March Madness bracket predictions: Our best, worst picks

March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

Sweet 16 schedule , game tip times, dates