March Madness Round of 32 Predictions
- Zak Drapeau
- 7 minutes ago
- 3 min read
by Zak Drapeau
Sportz Nation - 3/21/2026
1Duke vs 9TCU
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.
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6Louisville vs 3Michigan St
Prediction: Michigan St
Michigan State has been one of my favorite teams for this tournament and I see no reason to change course now. After Louisville struggled against South Florida, the Spartans should roll.
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4Vanderbilt vs 5Nebraska
Prediction: Nebraska
Nebraska looked elite against Troy on Thursday but obviously have a step up in Vanderbilt. I love their defense and think they hold Vandy to under 60 to inch out a close win.
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11VCU vs 3Illinois
Prediction: Illinois
VCU stunned UNC with the largest comeback in tournament history on Thursday but I can't see them repeating it. Illinois is a much more sound basketball team and once they have VCU down, they'll keep them there.
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10Texas A&M vs 2Houston
Prediction: Houston
TAMU played solid against Saint Mary's but there's a reason Houston is consistently in the Sweet 16 and further. Their defense and rebounding, led by freshman Chris Cenac will make this one a wash.
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12High Point vs 4Arkansas
Prediction: Arkansas
I loved High Point's game against Wisconsin and how Chris Johnston lit it up at the end of that game but they're facing Calipari next. The Razorbacks are a sound team and better at guarding the perimeter which could make for a very quiet night for the Underdogs.
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11Texas vs 3Gonzaga
Prediction: Texas
This is my lone upset pick today and It's for two reasons. Texas has a lot of momentum after the First Four then upsetting BYU plus Texas Center Max Vokietaitis has been on fire and Gonzaga doesn't have any bigs I see neutralizing him.
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1Michigan vs 9Saint Louis
Prediction: Michigan
Saint Louis has a good bunch of guys that play beautifully when they come together but... come on. Michigan's gonna roll and might put up 100 points here.
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Round of 64's Biggest Stars
Tarris Reed Jr.
Connecticut - Center
31 points, 27 rebounds including 11 offensive, and 3 assists. Reed was all about effort and passion and you saw his emotion every time he tipped the ball back to the arc or got an and-1. Truly an inspirational performance to keep the Huskies in the game and probably the reason they held on at the end.
AJ Dybantsa
BYU - Forward
BYU might have been outclassed and upset by Texas but Dybantsa showed why they were even a 6-seed and that's because of him. He may have shot 1-7 from 3, but his 35 points and 10 rebounds will likely be the best effort from anyone on a losing team this postseason.
Otega Oweh
Kentucky - Guard
If you haven't seen the last 15 seconds of Kentucky-Santa Clara just go and watch it then come back. Oweh's game-winner wnded his night with 35-8-7 and also included the basket before the game winner, concluding the game with 5 of the most clutch points you'll see all tournament.
Terrence Hill Jr.
VCU - Guard
One of if not the biggest reason for VCU's upset comeback on UNC was Hill who put up a monstrous 34 points and added 5 boards and 5 assists.
Cameron Boozer
Duke - Forward
Duke had a scare against Siena but Boozer played like the future NBA star we've seen all year. 22 and 13 may not look too impressive but he was clearly the best player on the court and willed the Blue Devils past what would have been an embarrassing loss in the second half.
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-Z.D.