The 2026 NCAA Tournament officially gets underway on Tuesday, March 17, with the start of the First Four at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio. The final teams to enter the 68-team March Madness field will be competing to earn their spots in the Round of 64.
Ahead of the First Four, ESPN analyst Jay Bilas shared his annual predictions for the tournament.
Bilas gave his thoughts on the tournament field and which teams will punch their tickets to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for the Final Four and national championship game.
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Last year, Bilas went with the chalk picks and was 4-for-4. This year, however, Bilas has only one No. 1 seed navigating the road to Indianapolis.
Mar 14, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; The Arizona Wildcats celebrate after defeating the Houston Cougars during the men’s Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images
Bilas has the Arizona Wildcats as the lone top seed in the Final Four, while the other top seeds fall in the Elite Eight. He predicts No. 3 seed Michigan State will topple the tournament’s No. 1 overall seeded Duke Blue Devils, Michigan will fall to No. 2 seed Iowa State, and No. 3 Illinois knocks off Florida.
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Jay Bilas’ Final Four Predictions
Jay Bilas in the KFC Yum Center before the Louisville versus Kentucky game. November 11, 2025
EAST: Michigan State Spartans (3)
WEST: Arizona Wildcats (1)
MIDWEST: Iowa State Cyclones (2)
SOUTH: Illinois Fighting Illini (3)
Bilas then has Michigan State and Arizona advancing, with the Wildcats claiming their second national championship.
“In the battle of droughts, the West will be won: Arizona wins its first championship in nearly 20 years,” Bilas writes. Arizona last won the national championship in 1997.
The first round kicks off on Thursday, March 19, with the national championship game set for Monday, April 6, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on TBS.
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