Following championship Sunday with five conference title games, the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed on CBS at 6:00 p.m. ET.
The bubble watch usually leads Selection Sunday talks. Who will sneak in or fall short of the 68-team tournament? Getting official matchups and seedings sparks our never-ending bracket research, too.
With that said, let’s make a few Selection Sunday predictions before the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket is released.
PrizePicks Team Picks continues to offer a wide array of payouts for college basketball and the 2026 NCAA Tournament, including who will earn Round of 64 bids.
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Selection Sunday Predictions – 3/15/26
The bubble watch is especially interesting this year, as Miami (OH) was upset in the MAC Tournament following a 31-0 regular-season record.
Plus, the SEC is likely competing with the Big Ten for the most bids in the NCAA Tournament. Several bubble teams will likely decide this race, as Texas A&M, Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma, and Auburn form a large list of SEC squads knocking on the door.
Indiana is on the bubble for the Big Ten, but it holds a concerning 14.28x payout to earn a Round of 64 bid, via PrizePicks Team Picks, where you can earn money with your picks in 35 states.
There isn’t much debate around the No. 1 seeds this year, as Duke, Michigan, and Arizona all seem locked in. Following Saturday’s 91-74 loss vs. Vanderbilt, Florida still features a 1.02x payout to secure a No. 1 seed for the 2026 NCAA Tournament, per PrizePicks Team Picks.
Among Sunday’s storylines, let’s make three Selection Sunday predictions for college basketball picks.
Team Picks data is live as of writing and is subject to change.
Virginia Earns No. 3 Seed in 2026 NCAA Tournament?
On Saturday night in the ACC Tournament title game, the Virginia Cavaliers (29-5) fell short in a 74-70 loss vs. the Duke Blue Devils (32-2).
While this likely left a sour taste in the Cavaliers’ mouth, they proved their doubters wrong. KenPom has the Cavaliers 273rd in non-conference strength of schedule ranking, and Virginia was thumped in a 77-51 loss on the road vs. Duke on February 28.
They contended down to the last seconds vs. the Blue Devils on Saturday, who are tied with Michigan for the shortest payout to win the CBB national championship (4.34x) on PrizePicks Team Picks. Furthermore, Virginia defeated likely tournament teams in NC State and Miami (FL) during the ACC Tournament.
In short, the Cavaliers pass the eye test by ranking 13th in KenPom’s efficiency metric and 12th in the NCAA NET Rankings, supported by an impressive 8-4 quadrant 1 record. Paired with Nebraska falling in a 16-point loss vs. Purdue on Friday, the Cavaliers have a case for a No. 3 seed.
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Bubble Watch: SMU Mustangs
Sticking with ACC teams, the SMU Mustangs (20-13) are firmly on the bubble thanks to a 1-5 record over their last six games.
SMU may have been comfortable in the field with a win over Louisville in the second round of the ACC Tournament but fell short in the 62-58 final. The Mustangs boosted their chances by defeating Syracuse, 86-69, in the first round of the tournament.
This could come down to how the selection views the ACC. SMU sports a brutal 4-9 quadrant 1 mark, but it played in a tough conference. Joe Lunardi of ESPN currently has the ACC in line for eight bids. The Mustangs are among his last four teams in the field.
Bracket Matrix features a long list of projected brackets all in one place. The consensus seems to be SMU in the field as an No. 11 seed.
PrizePicks Team Picks gives the Mustangs a 1.92x payout to earn a Round of 64 bid, though this excludes SMU’s chances of playing in the First Four.
Bubble Watch: Auburn Tigers
Bracket Matrix doesn’t look as favorable for the Auburn Tigers (17-16), as only a handful of CBB projections have the SEC squad in the field as an No. 11 seed.
Auburn ranks 38th in NCAA NET Rankings, only one spot behind SMU. However, the Tigers are 4-13 in quadrant 1 games (.235 win rate), compared to the Mustangs’ .308 win rate in those matchups.
Finishing 25th in KenPom’s non-conference strength of schedule metric has likely come back to bite Auburn. The Tigers dropped non-con matchups vs. Houston, Michigan, Arizona, and Purdue.
Since January 31, Auburn is 3-9. Following a 77-61 win vs. Mississippi State in the first round of the SEC Tournament, the Tigers’ second-round 72-62 loss vs. Tennessee may have ended any NCAA Tournament aspirations.
Auburn features a 5.55x payout to make the Round of 64 in the 2026 NCAA Tournament — once again excluding a potential First Four game, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
Make 2026 NCAA Tournament Picks on PrizePicks
Selection Sunday will be the first benchmark for spending countless hours making all your NCAA Tournament predictions.
Tap in to our printable 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket and schedule, and stay tuned for plenty of postseason college basketball coverage on the Playbook.
Your NCAA Tournament bracket picks can translate to college basketball predictions on PrizePicks Team Picks, where you can make predictions on winners, spread, and over/unders — now available in 35 states. Team Picks also offers futures, including payouts for the national championship and teams to advance to each round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Keep tabs on the Playbook for continued college basketball predictions, picks, and news all the way through the NCAA Tournament.
