Overview
- The opening games feature No. 16 Howard vs. No. 16 UMBC and No. 11 NC State vs. No. 11 Texas, with both airing Tuesday on TruTV and winners advancing to face Michigan and BYU.
- UMBC reached Dayton after a flight delay and its athletics account drew notice for a jab at a Steelers fan while confirming the team was ready to play.
- Texas returns to the play-in as a No. 11 seed for the second straight year after last season’s First Four loss that preceded Rodney Terry’s exit and Sean Miller’s hire.
- Injury and availability updates are shaping brackets, with UCLA’s Donovan Dent and Tyler Bilodeau described as good to go for the tournament by coach Mick Cronin.
- Major outlets frame 2026 as top-weighted toward favorites such as Duke, Arizona, Michigan, Florida, Iowa State and UConn, even as analysts and AI models float upset and dark-horse picks including VCU, South Florida, Northern Iowa and North Dakota State.