And then there were 16. After 52 games across four days, there are 16 teams left in the NCAA Tournament — including many of the best teams in college basketball. Each team just needs two more games to win their region and advance to the Round of Four.
Twelve of the 16 top-four seeds advanced to the Round of 16, with only No. 1 Florida, No. 3 Virginia, No. 3 Gonzaga, and No. 4 Vanderbilt missing the next weekend.
Instead, No. 11 Texas, No. 9 Iowa, No. 6 Tennessee, and No. 5 St. John’s take their place in the Regional Weekend.
Will one of those win their regional this weekend to continue to the Round of Four, or will the top seeds prevail as they did last year? Three No. 1 seeds remain in Arizona, Duke, and Michigan, and all are favored to advance to the last four teams in Indianapolis.
Let's break down college basketball futures on teams to win each NCAA Tournament regional, including predictions and picks for this weekend’s bollege basketball games for PrizePicks Team Picks. Make your CBB picks on teams and players on PrizePicks and earn real money if you’re right, including on futures, game winners, and more!
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2026 NCAA Tournament East Region Pick, Payouts To Win
In a region stacked with notable coaches, can Tom Izzo or Rick Pitino knock off Duke in Washington, D.C.? Here are the payouts for each team to win the 2026 NCAA Tournament East Region, via PrizePicks Team Picks,
Payouts to Win East Region on PrizePicks
Duke – 1.85x ($100 pays out $185)
UConn – 4.54x
Michigan State – 5.26x
St. John’s – 5.88x
CBB futures payouts are live as of publishing, but are subject to change.
Why Will the Michigan State Spartans win the East Regional?
Michigan State Reach National Semifinals: Yes 5.26x | No 1.16x
Michigan State Championship Winner Payout: Yes 22.22x
- Michigan State has been as impressive as any of the teams in this region, blowing out 15-seed North Dakota State in the first round, then using a strong second half to beat a tough Louisville team in the second round.
- Sparty is ranked ninth overall in KenPom, with both offense and defensive efficiency in the top 25 — offense is 22nd, and defense ranks 13th.
- The Spartans are battle-tested, with wins over Arkansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Purdue, and Illinois, and now get a UConn team that has shown some weaknesses over the last few weeks
- Guard Jeremy Fears Jr. leads the nation in assists at 9.4 per game. Fears had a combined 27 assists and only nine turnovers in the two Tournament wins.
- Duke is the top team in college basketball, and the favorite to win the region, but it's had 10 minutes of good basketball over the last two weeks. The No. 1 team that was rolling everyone in-season won its three ACC Tournament games by 1, 12, and 4, barely beat 16-seed Sienna, and struggled for 30 minutes vs. TCU.
- Duke runs into Rick Pitino and St. John’s first, who very well can beat them, with the eighth-best defensive rating, per KenPom.
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2026 NCAA Tournament West Region Pick, Payouts To Win
The West region is the only one left with a double-digit seed, with Texas advancing. Can Texas, Arkansas, or Purdue knock off the No. 1-seeded Arizona Wildcats? Here are the payouts to win the 2026 NCAA Tournament West Region in San Jose, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
Payouts to Win West Region on PrizePicks
Arizona – 1.66x ($100 pays out $166)
Purdue – 2.94x
Arkansas – 7.14x
Texas – 12.5x
CBB futures payouts are live as of publishing, but are subject to change.
Why Will the Arizona Wildcats win the West Regional?
Arizona Reach National Semifinals: Yes 1.66x | No 2.17x
Arizona Championship Winner Payout: Yes 4.16x | 1.23x
- Arizona is the No. 1 overall team on KenPom, rated fourth in offense and third in defense, joining Michigan as the only two teams with top-five rankings in both.
- The Wildcats are incredibly deep, with seven players averaging at least 8.8 points a game.
- Big 12 Player of the Year Jaden Bradley and freshman Brayden Burries can win any game for this squad. They combined for 59 points in the first two games.
- Arizona won the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles, and has wins over Florida, UConn, Alabama, Houston, Iowa State, and Kansas this season.
- This has the makings of another 1 vs. 2 regional final with Arizona and Purdue dispatching Arkansas and Texas, with Arizona getting to the National Semifinals for the first time since 2001.
2026 NCAA Tournament Midwest Region Picks, Payouts To Win
Three teams advanced to Chicago with two blowouts, and Tennessee shocking Virginia in the Round of 32. Who will advance from the Midwest region? Here are the payouts to win the 2026 NCAA Tournament Midwest Region in Chicago, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
Payouts to Win Midwest Region on PrizePicks
Michigan – 1.61x
Iowa State – 3.84x
Tennessee - 8.33x
Alabama - 11.11x
CBB futures payouts are live as of publishing, but are subject to change.
Why Will the Iowa State Cyclones win the Midwest Regional?
Iowa State Reach National Semifinals: Yes 3.84x | No 1.26x
Iowa State Championship Winner Payout: Yes 14.28x | 1.02x
- Iowa State was the pick in the NCAA Tournament preview picks column, and no reason to change that now.
- The health of Joshua Jefferson vs. Tennessee will be a major factor in whether this team can win two games in Chicago.
- The Cyclones are as battle-tested as it gets and destroyed Kentucky with a relentless second half without Jefferson.
- Iowa State finished third in the Big 12, behind two of the top-5 teams in the nation in Arizona and Houston.
- The Cyclones completed non-conference play undefeated, and five of the Cyclones' seven losses were to ranked teams.
- They have wins over St. John’s (a No. 5 seed), Purdue (a No. 2 seed), which was the top-ranked team in the country before the game, Houston (a No. 2 seed), and Kansas (a No. 4 seed).
- The Cyclones are ranked seventh in the nation, per KenPom, with the fifth-best defense in the land.
- Michigan has earned the No. 1 seed and has done nothing to dissuade anyone, minus the first half against Howard, and will be favored in the Round of 8 vs. either team if it advances.
2026 NCAA Tournament South Region Picks, Payouts To Win
No. 9 seed Iowa shocked the tournament, knocking off defending champion Florida. Can the run continue in Houston, possibly vs. Houston in a road environment? ? Here are the payouts to win the 2026 NCAA Tournament South Region in Houston, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
Payouts to Win South Region on PrizePicks
Houston – 2.12x
Illinois – 3.03x
Nebraska – 5x
Iowa – 8.33x
CBB futures payouts are live as of publishing, but are subject to change.
Why Will the Houston Cougars win the South Regional?
Houston Reach National Semifinals: Yes 2.12x | No 1.76x
Houston Championship Winner Payout: Yes 7.69x | 1.08x
- Houston gets the home regional as the No. 2 seed, which might’ve been an issue if the Cougars had to go through defending national champion Florida, but the Gators were eliminated in the Round of 32.
- Houston not only is the best team remaining in this regional, but they may be the best in the country, especially the way they are playing, winning each of their NCAA Tournament games by 31 points.
- The Cougars have six losses on their resume, all vs. top-20 teams, and all but one by seven points or less.
- No. 3 Illinois will be a challenge on Thursday night, but Houston will play the winner of the Big Ten battle between Iowa and Nebraska if they both.
- A good story for both the Hawkeyes (haven’t been to the Round of 16 since 1999) and Cornhuskers (never won a tournament game before this season), but the run very well may end in Houston to the hometown Cougs, who get a chance for revenge after losing in last year’s title game.
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Make NCAA Tournament Championship Futures, Picks on PrizePicks
Who will advance from the four regions and secure their spot in the national semifinals in Indianapolis?
There are three No. 1 seeds and all four No. 2 seeds left heading into the second weekend, all currently favorites in their respective regions.
You can make your 2026 NCAA Tournament Championship future picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money, including on teams to win their regional an the National Championship.
On PrizePicks, you can also pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you’re correct. With Team Picks, make your predictions on winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 35 states.
Keep tabs on the Playbook for continued college basketball predictions, picks, and news.
