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2026 tournament · final

The 2026 tournament.

The champion, the runs nobody saw coming, the upsets and the numbers behind all 68 teams.

Play the 2026 bracketHistory & trends

How 2026 ended

Full results

Semifinal 71–62 · UConn advanced

MICMichiganBeat UConn 69–63

Semifinal 91–73 · Michigan advanced

Featured matchup

Championship · April 6, 2026

MIC

Michigan

1Midwest · 31–3 entering

National champion

69Final63
UC

UConn

2East · 29–5 entering

How they got here

Verified
94.4
Points per game before the final
73.2
72.8
Points allowed per game
65.0
+21.6
Average winning margin
+8.2
13-point win
Closest call on the way
1-point win

Model and market

Model (hero-v1)
Michigan 75%-7.8
Market, no-vig
Michigan 73%-6.5

The model only saw games played before the tournament. Market is the consensus closing line from CollegeBasketballData.com.

Open this matchup in the Lab

How the field played out

Contenders ranked by the committee's overall seed list, the runs nobody saw coming and the first-round upsets — all from verified results.

Title contenders

Top of the committee's 1–68 seed list

  1. 1DUKEDuke1East · 32–2 · Elite Eight#1
  2. 2ARIArizona1West · 32–2 · Final Four#2
  3. 3MICMichigan1Midwest · 31–3 · Champion#3
  4. 4FLOFlorida1South · 26–7 · Out in Round of 32#4
  5. 5HOUHouston2South · 28–6 · Sweet 16#5
  6. 6UCUConn2East · 29–5 · Runner-up#6
See all teams

Cinderella runs

Wins beyond what the seed line predicted

  1. 1IOWAIowa99-seed reached the Elite Eight+3
  2. 2TEXTexas1111-seed reached the Sweet 16+2
  3. 3TENTennessee66-seed reached the Elite Eight+2
  4. 4ILLIllinois33-seed reached the Final Four+2
  5. 5UCUConn22-seed reached the Championship+2

Biggest first-round upsets

Winners seeded three or more lines lower

  1. 1HPUHigh Point12Beat 5-seed Wisconsin 83–8212 › 5
  2. 2VCUVCU11Beat 6-seed North Carolina 82–78 (OT)11 › 6
  3. 3TEXTexas11Beat 6-seed BYU 79–7111 › 6
  4. 4A&MTexas A&M10Beat 7-seed Saint Mary's 63–5010 › 7

Efficiency leaders

Adjusted efficiency, points per 100 possessions.

Highest-rated offenses

Live data
  1. 1ILLIllinois3Big Ten · offensive efficiency133.4
  2. 2PURPurdue2Big Ten · offensive efficiency132.9
  3. 3MICMichigan1Big Ten · offensive efficiency130.6
  4. 4DUKEDuke1ACC · offensive efficiency129.2
  5. 5ALAAlabama4SEC · offensive efficiency129.1

Best defenses

Fewest points allowed per 100 possessions

Live data
  1. 1DUKEDuke1ACC · defensive efficiency88.7
  2. 2MICMichigan1Big Ten · defensive efficiency88.8
  3. 3ARIArizona1Big 12 · defensive efficiency88.9
  4. 4HOUHouston2Big 12 · defensive efficiency89.2
  5. 5GONGonzaga3WCC · defensive efficiency90.9

Fun discoveries

Odd, delightful and occasionally useful facts about the field.

Sort the field yourself

Shortest trip to Indianapolis

Reference
PUR

61 mi

Purdue is the closest campus to the Final Four.

Longest trip

Reference
HAW

4,336 mi

Hawaiʻi traveled farther than anyone to reach Indianapolis.

Cat country

Reference

12 felines

Wildcats, Tigers, Cougars and Panthers: the most common mascot family in the field. Arizona reached the Elite Eight.

Most banners in the field

Reference
UCLA

11 titles

UCLA last won it all in 1995.

Best at the line

Live data
SMC

79.8%

Highest free throw percentage in the field.

Most three-point dependent

Live data
ALA

54.4%

Share of shots taken from three.