A brand new males’s school basketball season has lastly arrived. With it comes inevitable questions, each apparent and arcane, about gamers, groups and, most significantly, what’s going to occur 5½ months from now. Under are simply a few of what your intrepid ESPN Bracketologist might be watching within the 19 weeks between now and Choice Sunday.
The primary in-season projections of the 2026 March Insanity subject of 68 will launch Nov. 11.
1. Who will safe the 4 No. 1 seeds on March 15?
Our season-opening projection lists Houston, Purdue, Florida and Duke on the highest line of the bracket. Historical past suggests we’ll be solely half proper, so I am nominating Purdue and Florida as almost definitely to deceive. The explanations are that the Massive Ten (in Purdue’s case) and the SEC (in Florida’s) have extra contenders to chase the respective league favorites. Finally, Bracketology is a prisoner of likelihood, and it is merely extra possible that Houston and Duke experience the wave of their respective conferences to a No. 1 seed.
2. Who can we like within the rising UConn-St. John’s rivalry?
The Massive East has wanted a grudge match like this because the finish of Villanova’s hegemony within the convention. Each the Huskies and Johnnies are No. 2 seeds on our board to open the season, however we like the previous to win the regular-season crown and the latter to chop down the nets on the Massive East event. The foremost distinction comes later in March, when Rick Pitino leads St. John’s to the Elite Eight and UConn falls within the second spherical in its chase for Dan Hurley’s third NCAA title.
3. Can the Massive Ten actually finish a quarter-century of NCAA event frustration?
Sure. However I do not suppose will probably be preseason favourite Purdue that takes the convention’s first nationwide championship since 2000. I’ve pushed my chips to the middle of the desk on Michigan.
4. Are there sensible issues already figuring out the 2026 NCAA bracket?
Greater than standard. Houston stepping again as host of the South regional means the Cougars can play of their dwelling city within the Candy 16 and Elite Eight. Depend on this after a gap weekend task in Oklahoma Metropolis. One other Massive 12 entry, BYU, appears pretty locked on a West area placement and much more sure to open NCAA play in Portland (a Thursday-Saturday website) due to the college’s ban on Sunday competitors.
On the opposite facet of the nation, UConn and St. John’s determine to have simple bus rides (to Philadelphia) when the bracket is revealed. Villanova might additionally play in Philly, having solely three regular-season video games scheduled for Xfinity Cell Enviornment, however could be blissful to see its identify anyplace after three straight NCAA misses.
Different faculties whose followers must be snug reserving opening-round inns: Florida (Tampa), Duke (Greenville, South Carolina), UCLA (San Diego) and Gonzaga (Portland). These and different journey suggestions can be found for no further cost for longtime Bracketology readers.
5. Which energy convention will get essentially the most bids …
The SEC ought to as soon as once more paved the way with the very best variety of NCAA bids, though the Massive Ten might be inside placing distance. What the SEC is not going to do is match its file bid whole (14) from final season. A dozen bids looks like a extra lifelike quantity this time round, because it took an ideal storm of metrics and mediocre groups in different multibid conferences for the SEC to hit the mom lode eight months in the past.
6. … and which will get the fewest?
As soon as once more, the ACC is listed for this dishonorable point out. The convention’s multiyear decline must be a factor of the previous, nonetheless, with a wholesome variety of potential bubble groups that might elevate the league’s bid quantity nicely above the half-dozen projected at this level, in a push towards double figures.
7. What are the opposite multibid conferences?
Final season, solely the Mountain West (New Mexico, Utah State, San Diego State, Colorado State) and WCC (Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s) snagged further bids outdoors the Energy 4-Massive East cluster. The American and Atlantic 10 sunk to one-bid standing principally because of poor nonconference outcomes. This season, the American’s greatest hope is for a group apart from Memphis to win its computerized bid. Within the A-10, a number of groups — VCU, Saint Louis, Dayton, Loyola Chicago and sleeper George Washington — have put collectively rosters adequate to be within the at-large dialog.
8. If ESPN put me accountable for programming, what would the “Faculty GameDay” schedule appear like?
With the caveat that this isn’t really the “Faculty GameDay” schedule.
Jan. 24: Houston at Texas Tech
May very nicely be the sport of the yr within the Massive 12, and in addition double the inhabitants of Lubbock for the weekend.
Jan. 31: Kentucky at Arkansas
It is a no-brainer in 12 months 2 of the post-John Calipari period at Kentucky. Keep in mind, the Razorbacks pulled the upset at Rupp Enviornment a yr in the past.
Feb. 7: Boise State at New Mexico
Let’s department out a bit and go to The Pit in Albuquerque for the primary time in perpetually.
Feb. 14: UCLA at Michigan
If my hunch on the Wolverines is an efficient one, this could be a colossal showdown of old-school vs. new-school Massive Ten.
Feb. 21: Tennessee at Vanderbilt
Let’s flip the set 90 levels at Memorial Gymnasium and take a look at Rece & Co. sideways (won’t be a nasty factor …). Additionally, there have not been sufficient seasons wherein the Vols and ‘Dores have been this good on the similar time.
Feb. 28: Gonzaga at Saint Mary’s
The top of the most effective and longest rivalry within the historical past of the West Coast Convention.
March 7: North Carolina at Duke
I’ve to make Cameron Indoor the season’s closing cease.