With the first- and second-round games finished, the 2026 NCAA Tournament March Madness bracket has been set for the Sweet Sixteen, where 16 teams will battle to claim the illustrious title of being the best college basketball team in the country.

In the tournament, each team is given a seed, with No.1 going to the four best teams in the country, No.2 to the next four best teams, and so on. This year’s sixteen-team field is stacked, consisting of three No.1 seeds – Arizona, Michigan, and Duke – all four No.2 seeds – Purdue, UConn, Iowa State, and Houston – two No.3 seeds – Illinois and Michigan State –two No.4 seeds – Alabama and Nebraska – as well as No.5 St. John’s, No.6 Tennessee, No.9 Iowa, and  No.11 Texas.

Although many thought this would be a “chalky” tournament, in which the higher-seeded teams win most games with few upsets, it has been far from that. Two incredible storylines have emerged, involving the eleven-seeded Texas Longhorns and the nine-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes. These “Cinderella teams” reached the sweet sixteen after being huge underdogs going into the tournament.

Only six teams have ever reached the Sweet Sixteen after playing in the First Four – the play-in games – and on Saturday, Texas became one of them, led by guards Jordan Pope and Dailyn Swain. The Longhorns knocked off No. 6 seed BYU in the first round as a 2.5-point underdog and then just two days later beat No. 3 seed Gonzaga as 6.5-point underdogs. Their next game will be against the Purdue Boilermakers, where once again, they will be 6.5-point underdogs. Will Texas remain unfazed, or will they fold under the pressure in San Jose?

As crazy as Texas’s run has been, I would argue the Iowa Hawkeyes have had the more impressive journey to the Sweet Sixteen. After dominating Clemson in the first round, a game in which the Hawkeyes never trailed, Iowa faced the defending national champion Florida Gators in a thriller. With just eight seconds left in the game, down by two, Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz found forward Alvaro Folguieras in the corner for a game-winning three, giving the Hawkeyes their first Sweet Sixteen in 27 years. Iowa will face its rival, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, in what is sure to be a loud, exciting game.

Other key matchups include Illinois vs. Houston and Arizona vs. Arkansas. Illinois vs. Houston features Jesuit alumnus Andrej Stojakovic ’23, who will be coming off the bench for the Fighting Illini. Illinois has one of the best offenses in the country, while Houston has one of the best defenses in the country, making the matchup even more intriguing. Arizona vs. Arkansas is a game loaded with talent, including Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr., who has been the star of the tournament, scoring a freshman record 60 points in the first two rounds for Arkansas.

The final two fascinating matchups are both in the East Region, with Michigan State taking on UConn and Duke taking on St. John’s. Point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. and high-flyer Coen Carr will look to take on UConn’s star-studded frontcourt with Tarris Reed Jr. and Alex Karaban. Naismith Player of the Year frontrunner Cameron Boozer and Duke will face Big East Player of the Year and Big East Defensive Player of the Year Zubi Ejiofor and the St. John’s Red Storm.

The race to the Final Four in Indianapolis is on: sixteen teams, four spots, one champion. Tune in on Thursday to see who will rise to the occasion and who will stumble on the big stage.