by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 4/6/2026 Graphic by Hoops HQ Tonight will crown another National Champion in College Basketball between the Michigan Wolverines and Connecticut Huskies. The Wolverines are 7-point favorites as of the morning of the game even though the Huskies will be competing for their 3rd Championship in the last 4 years; having won in 2023 and 2024. Michigan Michigan has been rolling since the First Round and all the way through the Final Four when they beat

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 3/30/2026 Photo by Patrick Smith/ Getty Imgaes UConn vs Illinois (Ill -130) After one of the greatest buzzer beaters in NCAA Tournament history, (And that's saying something...) the Connecticut Huskies are making their 3rd Final Four appearance in 4 years to face Illinois. Illinois is making their first Final Four appearance since 2005 when they lost in the National Championship. They are also in the middle of their 6th straight Tournament run

Photo credit to Sports Seriously via USA Today With the first two rounds of the 2026 NCAAWB Tournament in the books, we have had our fair share of dominance as well as upsets. Intriguing matchups fill the brackets, with the unpredictability of each game shining through in its own unique way. Yet, who are the biggest teams to watch? Who is on upset alert? Here are the five teams I will be watching closely with a trip to the Elite 8 on the line. Virginia Cavaliers Photo credi

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 3/25/2026 Photo by Mark J. Terrill/ Associated Press 1 Duke vs 5 St. John's Prediction: Duke Duke has been underwhelming at best this tournament and now come head-to-head with their toughest opponent. St John's struggled against Darryn Peterson and Kansas on Sunday and now will have to contend with an even better offense headlined by Cameron Boozer who's averaging 21 and 12 so far in the tournament. Duke is favored by 6.5 which I'd love to bet

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 3/22/2026 Photo by Christine Tannous/ IndyStar 2 Miami vs 7 Purdue Prediction: Purdue Purdue is still my favorite to make it out of the West and after rolling on Queens in the first round and Miami barely making it past Missouri, this one should be in the 90-70 range for the Boilermakers. 2 Iowa State vs 7 Kentucky Prediction: Iowa State The Cyclones had an easy First Round but will have to deal with Otega Oweh and Mouhamed Dioubate this time

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 3/21/2026 Photo by Brynn Anderson/ Associated Press 1 Duke vs 9 TCU Prediction: Duke Duke may have came out flat against Siena but they came out in the 2nd half and looked like they have all year. Watch for them to come out against TCU on fire. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6 Louisville vs 3 Michigan St   Prediction: Michigan St Michigan State has been one of my favorite teams for this tournament and I see no reason to change cour

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 3/19/26 We're FINALLY here! Before the first round starts today at 12:15 between Ohio State and TCU lets dive into the bracket as a whole and even some of the more exciting matchups! The tightest matchups are of course between the closest seeds, with 8 Utah State - 9 Villanova and 7 Miami - 10 Missouri having the closest spreads with Utah State -1.5. In total, 3 of the 8-9 matchups, 3 of the 7-10 matchups and 2 of the 6-11 matchups have a sprea

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 3/18/26 All odds courtesy of Caesar's Sportsbook as of 3/17 Photo by Ethan Hymen/ Yahoo Sports To Win NCAA Championship : 1. Duke +300 2. Arizona +350 3. Michigan +370 4. Florida +700 5. Houston +1100 6. Iowa State +1600 7. Purdue +2000 8. Illinois +2200 9. UConn +2200 I have Duke winning this year and by a comfortable margin. I really like Houston, Purdue and Arizona as well after their runs in their respective confer

by Joel Piton Sportz Nation - 3/17/26 Photo: Devin Stewart/AP It's that time. March Madness is gearing up, and we've got a lofty list of combo guards ready to sway fans and analysts alike. From elite shot creators to lockdown perimeter defenders, the two-guard spot is stacked this year with talent capable of swinging games in a nanosecond. Headlining the group is phenom Darryn Peterson, whose scoring ability, confidence, and NBA-ready offensive arsenal have scouts ready to t

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 3/17/26 Photo by Jarod C. Tilton/ Getty Images 16 UMBC vs 16 Howard to face 1 Michigan Tuesday at 6:40 pm One of the only 2 teams to ever win a March Madness game with a #16-ranking, UMBC faces off against Howard in the first First Four game. As a slight favorite vs Howard, UMBC is led by their back court pairing of Jah'Likai King and Ace Valentine who together average 27-7.5-5.5 on 44% shooting. Together with some great role playing from forwar

By Elias Meredith Sportz Nation - 3/13/26 Photo by Nell Redmond/AP Photo Thursday night, the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils traveled 141 miles southwest to face the Florida State Seminoles at the Spectrum to kick off ACC Tournament play. A game where Duke were 16 point favorites came down to the last shot. Senior guard Robert McCray V missed a game-winning three point attempt as time expired, as Duke escaped with an 80-79 win. The first half was filled with ties and lead changes. Bot

Photo: Jessica Hill/AP March Madness makes or breaks your reputation—and this year, frontcourt talent is hard to ignore. The number of talented power forwards across the country has flooded mock drafts and the 2026 NBA Draft is shaping up to feature an influx of forward-wing hybrids projected to land in the lottery, and the depth at the position is noticeable. Many of the names on this list are carrying their programs and proving they can thrive under pressure. In a college l