Duke’s 76-61 win over North Carolina on Saturday provided some more clarity for the 2026 NCAA tournament picture.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi provided another bracketology update following the Blue Devils’ win, as they remained in possession of one of the four No. 1 seeds.
Michigan and Arizona also continued to be projected as the other No. 1 seeds, while the final top spot in the tournament belonged to Florida.
UConn was previously projected as a No. 1 seed, but the Huskies suffered a 68-62 loss to Marquette on Saturday and allowed St. John’s to win the Big East regular-season title outright.
Several teams remained on the bubble in Lunardi’s latest update, with Indiana, Virginia Tech, New Mexico and Cincinnati listed as the “first four out.”
Meanwhile, schools including VCU, Auburn, Santa Clara and SMU were listed as the “last four in” March Madness.
The Hoosiers sit at 18-13, but own a mere 9-11 mark in the Big Ten and have lost five of their past six games. They also suffered a 91-78 defeat at the hands of Ohio State on Saturday.
Cincinnati secured an upset victory over Kansas on Feb. 21, but immediately followed it up with a 12-point defeat against Texas Tech. The Bearcats’ 73-63 loss to TCU on Saturday also hurt their NCAA tournament chances.
Auburn has struggled to stay consistent throughout the season, dropping to 16-15 after falling to Alabama on Saturday. Still, the Tigers’ ability to navigate through a stretch of tough opponents could be enough for them to punch their ticket to the tournament.
Auburn owns the second-toughest strength of schedule in the country, per KenPom.
Santa Clara could also be one of the final teams to earn a March Madness bid, currently sitting at 24-7 with a 15-3 mark in the West Coast Conference. The Broncos’ NCAA tournament hopes may hinge on their success in the WCC tournament, as they’re set to compete in the quarterfinal round on Sunday.
