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.
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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
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Men’s Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness
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
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Men’s Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness
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
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Men’s Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness
No. 11 Texas vs. No. 2 Purdue Purdue: Braden Smith
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Men’s Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness
No. 9 Iowa vs. No. 4 Nebraska Iowa: Bennett Stirtz
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Men’s Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness
No. 9 Iowa vs. No. 4 Nebraska Nebraska: Pryce Sandfort
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Men’s Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness
No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 1 Arizona Arkansas: Darius Acuff Jr.
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Men’s Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness
No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 1 Arizona Arizona: Brayden Burries
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Men’s Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness
No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 2 Houston Illinois: Keaton Wagler
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Men’s Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness
No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 2 Houston Houston: Emanuel Sharp
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Men’s Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness
No. 5 St. John’s vs. No. 1 Duke St. John’s: Zuby Ejiofor
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Men’s Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness
No. 5 St. John’s vs. No. 1 Duke Duke: Cameron Boozer
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Men’s Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness
No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 Michigan Alabama: Labaron Philon Jr.
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Men’s Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness
No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 Michigan Michigan: Yaxel Lendeborg
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Men’s Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness
No. 3 Michgan State vs. No. 2 UConn Michigan State: Jeremy Fears Jr. (1)
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Men’s Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness
No. 3 Michgan State vs. No. 2 UConn UConn: Alex Karaban
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Men’s Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness
No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 2 Iowa State Tennessee: Ja’Kobi Gillespie (0)
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Men’s Sweet 16 players to watch during March Madness
No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 2 Iowa State Iowa State: Milan Momcilovic
Grading our March Madness bracket predictions: Our best, worst picks
Blake Toppmeyer (full bracket)
Sweet 16: Has 11 teams left
Elite Eight: Has 5 teams left
Final Four: Has all 4 teams left
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)
Worst pick: Hurt most by Florida’s second round exit. Matt had the Gators reaching the Final Four.
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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)
Sweet 16: Has 9 teams left
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.
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March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
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.
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March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
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.
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March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
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.
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March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
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.
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March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
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.
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March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
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.
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March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
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.
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March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
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.
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March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
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.
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March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
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.
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March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
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.
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March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
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.
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March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
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.
Paul Myerberg (full bracket)
Sweet 16: Has 13 teams left
Elite Eight: Has 7 teams left
Final Four: Has all 4 teams
Brent Schrotenboer (full bracket)
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Sweet 16: Has 11 teams left
Elite Eight: Has 6 teams left
Final Four: has 3 teams left
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)
Final Four: Has all four left
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)
Sweet 16: Has 13 teams left
Elite Eight: Has 7 teams left
Final Four: Has 3 teams left
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.
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Worst pick: Craig was doing so well. But then the Gators bit him in the butt.
Eddie Timanus (full bracket)
Sweet 16: Has 9 teams left
Elite Eight: Has 7 teams left
Worst pick: Had Wisconsin going to the Sweet 16. Tough break. Nearly every other Big Ten team made it.
Matt Glenesk (full bracket)
Sweet 16: Has 11 teams left
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.
THURSDAY, MARCH 26
7:10 p.m.: No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 11 Texas (West), CBS
