Michigan has earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, with Iowa State emerging as a significant winner in the bracket preview. The tournament begins with the First Four on March 17 in Dayton, Ohio, followed by the first and second rounds across eight sites starting March 19. The regional rounds will be held in Houston, San Jose, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., from March 26-29. The Final Four and championship game are scheduled for April 4 and 6 in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium. Selection Sunday, when the 68-team field is announced, is on March 15 at 5 p.m. Central time, broadcast on CBS and Paramount+. Projected top seeds include Michigan, Duke, Arizona, and Iowa State, with Michigan and Iowa State notably securing No. 1 seeds. The bracketology considers recent wins, strength of schedule, and key injuries, such as Texas Tech’s JT Toppin tearing his ACL. Iowa State, coached by TJ Otzelberger and featuring leading scorer Milan Momcilovic, is projected as a No. 1 seed despite some losses, due to high-end victories over teams like Kansas and Houston. The NCAA selection committee is also evaluating teams like UConn, Houston, and Florida, with the latter being the reigning champion and a projected No. 3 seed. The tournament features 68 teams, with 31 automatic qualifiers from conference tournament winners and 37 at-large selections. The bracket will be seeded and placed in four regions, with the field including top teams from the Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, and other conferences. Ticket sales are ongoing for all sites, with sessions sold separately for early rounds and packages for Final Four and finals. Expert projections and bracketology continue to evolve as the season progresses, with the committee considering recent results, injuries, and team performances to finalize the seedings and matchups for March Madness 2026.