By the time Selection Sunday arrives, there will have been plenty of movement in the projected field of 68 for the 2026 NCAA tournament regarding the teams that are in, as well as those looking to get in.
While our Tuesday and Friday Bracketology updates allow us to look at the race to March Madness holistically in a week, results every day matter and can affect teams — whether they’re playing or not.
Men’s Bracketologist Joe Lunardi is tracking every relevant game every night — and why shouldn’t you?
Here, we provide an inside look at the headlines and upcoming matchups that inform Joey Brackets’ calculations on any given night, as he projects the teams that could have their names called on Selection Sunday (March 15).
A couple of housekeeping things: This page will update every day around lunchtime, between Tuesday and Saturday to start — with a few exceptions. Games are listed in order of importance to the bracket changes. A team’s projection on that day is listed in parentheses if not otherwise noted.
Scores available here. All times Eastern
Projected field of 68 |
NCAA tournament details
Monday
WEEKEND RECAP
-
The big story: Illinois moves from No. 11 overall (3-seed) to No. 6 (2-seed), after Saturday’s high-end road win at Purdue.
-
Honorable mention: Auburn, with an impressive and unexpected win at Florida, jumped two full seed lines, to a 7-seed.
-
Bubble update: Texas moved back into the field — replacing Seton Hall as a 10-seed — with its fourth Quad 1 victory of the year, a 20-point thumping Saturday of 8-seed Georgia.
HEADLINES
-
Top seeds at stake: Duke, now No. 2 overall, could conceivably reach the top of the seed list tonight with a convincing win over Louisville, along with a loss by undefeated Arizona at BYU.
-
Big Ten dominates the top of the bracket: The conference now has four of the top seven teams on the seed list (Michigan at No. 3 overall, Nebraska at No. 5, Illinois at No. 6 and Michigan State at No. 7) and five of the top 10, along with 10 bids overall.
-
Teams that rose after the weekend: Illinois, Michigan State, Iowa State, Texas Tech, Kansas, Tennessee, Auburn, Saint Louis, Texas A&M, NC State, UCLA, Texas.
-
Teams that dropped after the weekend: Gonzaga, Purdue, Houston, BYU, Virginia, Villanova, SMU, Georgia, Iowa, Wisconsin, Seton Hall.
GAMES THAT COULD AFFECT THE BRACKET
-
(6) Louisville at (1) Duke. In addition to potentially helping Duke get to the No. 1 overall spot, this game might be the last chance for anyone (i.e., the Cardinals) to make it a race at the top of the ACC. 7 p.m., ESPN
-
(1) Arizona at (4) BYU. Can the Wildcats remain unbeaten? Three of their next four are on the road. 9 p.m., ESPN
-
Penn State at (10) Ohio State. As part of the “Last Four Byes” group, the Buckeyes do not have a lot of wiggle room and cannot lose this one. 7 p.m., FS1
