March Madness refers to the electric college basketball postseason tournament that brings tens of millions of fans together. It is a staple of American sports culture, and is most notably known for its bracket contests. Throughout all of late February into March, teams battle in their conference playoffs for an auto-bid to the tournament, but even if your team loses its conference, there is still hope on Selection Sunday. Selection Sunday is the Sunday before the tournament, and is where the official bracket is released for fans to make their predictions. Every year between 60 and 100 million brackets are filled out, yet none have ever been perfect. The odds of a perfect bracket are 1 in 9.2 quintillion, and the closest someone has ever become is Gregg Nigl in 2019 who picked 49 in a row until Purdue beat Tennessee in the Elite Eight. While chasing a perfect bracket might be a fool’s errand, picking a winner doesn’t have to be. Before the first whistle blows, several teams have already separated themselves from the pack as the clear frontrunners to cut down the nets in April.

The Front-Runners for the Final Four

This year’s dominant forces—the 1 seeds—are Duke, Arizona, Michigan, and Florida. While Duke has a very scary team as usual, Arizona and Michigan both have compelling rosters and odds, and Florida is making an attempt to go back to back. Let’s take a deep dive into each team.

Duke:

• • Record: 32-2
  • Biggest Win: Vs. Florida, 67-66, Dec. 2nd 
  • Key Players: Cameron Boozer, Isaiah Evans, Patrick Ngongba II
  • Seed #: 1
  • First Round Opponent: Siena

Led by the projected #1 overall NBA pick, Cameron Boozer, Duke has had a very impressive season, going 32-2 and winning the ACC tournament. They enter as the overall one seed and favorite to win the tournament. Duke was in a similar situation in 2019 with Zion Williamson, before falling short of the title losing to Michigan State in the Elite Eight. Can Boozer lead his team to their first March Madness win since 2015?

Arizona:

• Record: 32-2
• Biggest Win: Vs. Houston, 79-74, Mar. 14
• Key Players: Brayden Burries, Koa Peat, Jayden Bradley
• Seed #: 1
• First Round Opponent: Long Island

Even though Arizona is a one seed, I think they are sneaky good, and is my personal favorite to win it all. They have a solid overall roster, and just came off of a Big 12 championship after beating Houston. I’ve been following Koa Peat’s career since he was in high school, and know that he has what it takes to help his team get far if not win it all.

Michigan:

• Record: 31-3
• Biggest Win: @ Michigan State, 83-71, Jan 30
• Key Players: Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr., Elliot Cadeau
• Seed #: 1
• First Round Opponent: Howard

Two years ago Michigan had a school program worst 24 losses, but the National Head Coach of the Year Dusty May has been able to flip this team around from the worst to the best as the Wolverines cruised to an impressive 31-3 season. Michigan has quickly become the bullies of the Big 10 due to their blowout victories against many teams that are competing in the tournament. 7’3 Center Yaxel Lendeborg is a star in the making and has been who has been relied on all season, especially when the Wolverines went 3-0 against their rival and 3-seed Michigan State.

Florida:

• • Record: 26-7
  • Biggest Win: Vs. Arkansas, 111-77, Feb. 28
  • Key Players: Thomas Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon
  • Seed #: 1
  • First Round Opponent: Prairie View A&M

After going all the way in March last year, this Florida team is not the same. Yes, they are still very talented, but they are more susceptible to an upset earlier on compared to the other three teams. Their record scares me, and their blowout loss to Vanderbilt in the SEC semifinal scares me even more. However, they are still ranked top 10 nationally in both offensive and defensive efficiency. This team will fight hard to go back to back though.

Midnight Strikes: This Year’s Cinderella Candidates

There is always a Cinderella Story in March Madness, it’s what creates the “madness” that the fans are so drawn to. The best Cinderella Story was in 2018 when 11 seed Loyola Chicago kept winning games in the very last second until losing in the Final Four to Michigan State. Loyola Chicago embraced what it means to be an underdog, and the nation loved it. Everyone was rooting for the Ramblers and Sister Jean, their 98 year old team chaplain. Sadly, Sister Jean passed away at the age of 106 in October of 2025, but she will always be remembered as a hero for the 2018 Loyola Chicago run. Another big underdog was Oakland in 2024 when Jack Gohlke made 16 threes in two games setting a NCAA tournament record over a two game span. Oakland was able to beat Kentucky in the first round before being eliminated in the second round by NC State. In my opinion there are 4 teams who have the potential to reach this historic status plus one team that I think can pull off the biggest upset of the first round. 

Saint Louis:

• Record: 28-5
• Biggest Win: @ VCU, 71-62, Jan. 7
• Key Players: Robbie Avila, Trey Green, Dion Brown
• Seed #: 9 
• First Round Opponent: Georgia

The Billikens are the definition of a “modern” offense. They finished the season with a staggering 28–5 record and are led by the internet’s favorite star, Robbie Avila. Saint Louis is dangerous due to the fact that they don’t just win, they shoot the roof down. They rank in the top 10 nationally in three-point percentage (40.1%) and effective field goal percentage. Saint Louis has better offensive and defensive efficiency than Georgia, and the #9 seeds have historically won more games in the first round then the #8 seeds. What gets tricky is when they play Michigan in the round of 32, but because Saint Louis plays a similar high-IQ, high-passing style to Michigan, they are the rare 9-seed that could actually pull off a second-round shocker.

Santa Clara 

• Record: 26-8
• Biggest Win: Vs. Saint Mary’s, 76-71, Mar. 9
• Key Players: Christian Hammond, Elijah Mahi, Allen Graves
• Seed #: 10
• First Round Opponent: Kentucky

Santa Clara is an offensive powerhouse, and went toe to toe with Gonzaga in the WCC championship game. Although this is the Broncos first appearance in March since the ‘90s, they earned it. Kentucky has been inconsistent this year, and if Santa Clara finds their groove behind the arc (they shoot 45% of their shots from 3), they have a chance to pull out an upset for a date with Iowa State in round 2.

Akron:

• Record: 29-5
• Biggest Win: Vs. Saint Mary’s, 76-71, Mar. 9
• Key Players: Tavari Johnson, Amani Lyles, Evan Mahaffey
• Seed #: 12
• First Round Opponent: Texas Tech

Akron is hot right now, they have won 10 straight and three-peated the MAC championship. The Zips are a disciplined team ready to be the infamous 12-5 upset of the year against Texas Tech. Texas Tech is without their star player JT Toppin for the tournament due to injury, and the Zips slow and methodical offensive strategy is ready to take full advantage. 

High Point:

• Record: 30-4
• Biggest Win: Vs. Winthrop, 91-76, Mar. 8
• Key Players: Terry Anderson, Rob Martin, Cam’Ron Fletcher
• Seed #: 12
• First Round Opponent: Wisconsin

The High Point Panthers are the first team in Big South history to surpass 30 wins in a season. After they lost most of their players from last season due to their head coach going to Creighton, first year Head Coach Flynn Clayman has gotten this team even better. High Point is an offensive juggernaut averaging 90 points per game which is 3rd in the country, and they enter the tournament with a 14 game win streak. Although Wisconsin is a defensively disciplined team, the Panthers are very fast paced with the athletes to compete with power four teams.

Queens (N.C):

• Record: 21-13
• Biggest Win: Vs. Central Arkansas, 98-93, Mar. 8
• Key Players: Nasir Mann, Chris Ashby, Jordan Watford
• Seed #: 15
• First Round Opponent: Purdue

This is the Royals’ first season of March Madness eligibility after moving up to being a Division I school. Queens has a very fast paced offense which is perfect for a first round upset if they can stay hot. Chris Ashby hit 10 threes and had 34 points in their OT win against Central Arkansas for the ASUN championship. Purdue has been very on and off this season, and they historically cannot keep up with the fast paced offensive style of a mid-major school with nothing to lose.

More Than a Game: Narratives to Watch

March is where history is made, every year there are storylines that are unveiled. Here are three that you have to look out for.

Duke’s Injury Crisis:

The Blue Devils are the overall #1 seed in the tournament, but they are far from full strength. Starter Caleb Foster is out for the tournament with a fractured foot he sustained during the ACC Championship against UNC. Patrick Ngongba II is listed as a game time decision with a persistent foot injury. Although the 6’11 center is expected to play, he may be on a minute restriction or not be able to play at 100%. Will Cameron Boozer be able to put the team on his back to win a National Title?

New Assist Record??

Purdue’s senior point guard, Braden Smith, is one assist away from tying the legendary Bobby Hurley’s record at 1,076 assists for all-time NCAA career assists. The star from Purdue is expected to tie and break the record against Queens (N.C) in the first round on Friday, March 20, at 7:35pm. Hurley’s record was set in 1993 and was thought to be unbeatable, but with it now soon to be broken, Smith is more focused on getting redemption after losing in the championship last year.

The Big 10’s 26-Year Drought:

The Big 10 has been cursed for 26 years, and fans have begun to notice. Teams representing the Big 10 have come close year after year, but haven’t gotten to cut down the net yet. However, this year could be different, Michigan is a one seed this year and realistically has the best chance for breaking this drought. Purdue and Illinois are both top contenders representing the Big 10 too, but is it finally the year for the quarter-century curse to be lifted?