March Madness is here, a time of the year for college basketball fans to fill out brackets and pull for their favorite teams to survive and advance.
With the field of 68 set, South Region No. 1 seed Florida basketball will begin defense of its national title on Friday, March 20, in Tampa against the winner of the First Four matchup between 16 seeds Lehigh and Prairie View A&M (9:25 p.m., TNT).
The Florida Gators enter the 2026 Men’s Tournament as one of a handful of national title contenders.
Last season, all four No. 1 seeds advanced to the Final Four before UF upended Houston 65-63 to secure its third basketball national title in school history. This season, more surprises could emerge in a balanced field that includes 10 SEC teams, nine Big Ten teams, eight Big 12 teams and eight ACC teams.
BUY FLORIDA BASKETBALL NCAA TOURNAMENT TICKETS
Here are our staff predictions for the 2026 Men’s NCAA Tournament:
March Madness Final Four predictions
Kevin Brockway, Gainesville Sun: Houston, Duke, Arizona, Michigan
Explanation: Vanderbilt will upset Florida again in the Sweet 16, opening the path for Houston to win the South Region in its host city and advance to the Final Four for the third time in the last six seasons under head coach Kelvin Sampson. Arizona will breeze through the West Region and Michigan will get though the Midwest Region, securing a second-career Final Four trip for former UF assistant and current Michigan coach Dusty May. In the East Region, Duke will regain its health as the tournament progresses and will make it back to the Final Four for a second straight year.
Noah Ram, Gainesville Sun: Michigan State, Arizona, Michigan, Houston
Explanation: I don’t think Florida is the worst of the No. 1 seeds, but the draw is the difference. Having to play Houston in its home city will be too much to overcome. If Todd Golden’s old boss, Randy Bennett, can upset the Cougars in the Round of 32, Florida is in a good spot for the Final Four. Elsewhere, Michigan State will benefit from UCLA’s upset of UConn in the Round of 32 and surprise Duke to give Tom Izzo another Final Four appearance. Nice draws will send the Wildcats and Wolverines to Indianapolis.
Andrew Abadie, Gainesville Sun: Duke, Arizona, Houston, Iowa State
Explanation: Florida has a tough draw with Houston, and the Gators will likely have to face Vanderbilt in the Sweet 16. Of the No. 1 seeds, Duke and Arizona are seemingly playing the best and both should make their way to the Final Four.
National championship prediction
Kevin Brockway, Gainesville Sun: Duke
Explanation: Duke will avenge its Final Four loss to Houston from a year ago as Cameron Boozer will do what Cooper Flagg failed to do by delivering in big moments. From there, the Blue Devils will upend Arizona to claim its sixth national title in school history and first under head coach Jon Scheyer.
Noah Ram, Gainesville Sun: Arizona
Explanation: Koa Peat is one of the nation’s best freshmen, and the Wildcats will end the west coast’s National Championship drought with the program’s second ever title and hand Houston its second consecutive national championship game loss in a rematch of the Big 12 Tournament Final.
Andrew Abadie, Gainesville Sun: Arizona
Explanation: The Wildcats have one of the best players in the country with Koa Peat. It was hard to not be impressed by Arizona when Florida lost to them in the season-opener and the Wildcats have proven to look the part as the favorite for the national title.
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Who will win March Madness? NCAA tournament bracket predictions, Final Four picks
Reporting by Kevin Brockway, Noah Ram and Andrew Abadie, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
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