By: BHS Sports Staff
March 19, 2026
It is the best sports time of the year, especially for college basketball fans. The 64-team March Madness tournament has arrived, so let us give a rundown of the favorites from each region, plus a Cinderella story from each region as well.
*South Region: The #1 seed is the reigning national champion, the Florida Gators, who went 26-7. The #2 seed is the Houston Cougars with a record of 28-6. Remember, the Cougars lost to the Gators in last year’s National Championship game. The #3 seed is from the Big 10, the Illinois Fighting Illini, who finished with a record of 24-8. The #4 seed, also from the Big 10, is the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who finished with a record of 26-6. The Cornhuskers are looking for their first tournament win in program history. Cinderella Team: Look for the Southland Conference champion and the #12 seeded McNeese State Cowboys to upset the #5 Vanderbilt Commodores.
*West Region: The #1 seed is the #2 overall team in college basketball, who finished with a record of 32-2, the Arizona Wildcats. The #2 seed is the Big 10 tournament champion, the Purdue Boilermakers, who finished with a record of 27-8. The #3 seed is the Gonzaga Bulldogs with a very solid season, who finished with a record of 30-3. The #4 seed is the Arkansas Razorbacks, SEC tournament champion, who finished with a record of 26-8. Cinderella Team: Look for the Big South Conference champion the High Point Panthers to upset the #5 Wisconsin Badgers.
*East Region: The #1 overall team in college basketball, the Duke Blue Devils, finished with a record of 32-2. The #2 seed is the UConn Huskies, who finished with a record of 29-5. The #3 seed is the Michigan State Spartans, who had a record of 25-7. Finally, the #4 seed is the Kansas Jayhawks with a record of 23-10. Cinderella Team: Look for a potential upset with the #11 South Florida Bulls over the #6 Louisville Cardinals.
*Midwest Region: The #1 seed and #3 overall team in college basketball is the Michigan Wolverines, who finished their season with a 31-3 record and won the Big 10 regular season title. The #2 seed belongs to the Iowa State Cyclones with a respectable 27-7 record. The #3 seed is the Virginia Cavaliers, who finished with a record of 29-5. Lastly, the #4 seed is the Alabama Crimson Tide with a record of 23-9. Cinderella Team: We can see a hometown upset with the #12 Akron Zips beating the #5 Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Now is the time you have all been waiting for: The Return of the Eye Sports Staff will make our “expert” Sweet 16 predictions. Mr. Urig, this year’s guest picker, along with Mr. Holko will make theirs, too.
*Nicolle: Hopefully, she spent more time on her bracket picks than with her recent court appearances.
- South: Florida, Nebraska, Illinois, Houston
- West: Arizona, Arkansas, Gonzaga, Miami
- East: Ohio State, Kansas, Michigan State, UConn
- Midwest: Michigan, Alabama, Virginia, Iowa State
*Reese: How can we really take her seriously when she believes that soccer is the best sport?
- South: Florida, Nebraska, Illinois, Houston
- West: Arizona, Arkansas, Gonzaga, Purdue
- East: Duke, Kansas, Michigan State, UConn
- Midwest: Michigan, Alabama, Virginia, Iowa State
*Jacob: Wild Fire’s picks can only go up from last year where he found himself in the basement of accuracy. He’s striving for more correct picks to match or surpass his current 33 mph fastball.
- South: Florida, McNeese State, Illinois, Houston
- West: Arizona, Arkansas, Gonzaga, Miami
- East: Duke, St. John’s, Michigan State, UCLA
- Midwest: Michigan, Alabama, Tennessee, Iowa State
*Mr. Urig: This “celebrity” guest picker has a tall task ahead of him in that he cannot lose to the students. If he does, he will never live it down, and his daily jokes will turn him into a joke.
- South: Florida, Nebraska, North Carolina, Houston
- West: Arizona, Arkansas, Gonzaga, Purdue
- East: Duke, St. John’s, Michigan State, UConn
- Midwest: Michigan, Alabama, Virginia, Iowa State
*Mr. Holko: Greatness, self-explanatory!
- South: Florida, Vanderbilt, Illinois, Houston
- West: Arizona, Arkansas, Gonzaga, Purdue
- East: Duke, St. John’s, Michigan State, UConn
- Midwest: Michigan, Akron, Virginia, Iowa State
The games tip-off today with #9 TCU taking on #8 Ohio State at 12:15.
Good luck to everyone with their brackets. As always, don’t overthink it because March Madness makes the smart people feel dumb. Leave a comment below with your Sweet 16 picks.
Below is the upcoming schedule for Brooklyn Hurricanes Athletics:
- March 21: Softball @ Ellet (1:00)
- March 28: Baseball @ Rhodes (10:00)
Go Canes!
{For up-to-date events and schedules, visit Brooklyn Hurricanes Athletics.}
THE RETURN OF THE EYE 