NCAA Tournament 2026 bracket: Top-rated simulation predicts surprising upsets, March Madness picks, sleepers When does the March Madness 2026 schedule start, and when are 2026 NCAA Tournament brackets due? The 2026 March Madness bracket begins on Thursday, March 19 By Owen OBrien Mar 15, 2026 at 8:44 pm ET • 3 min read Imagn Images It has been seven years since the Saint Louis Billikens last made the NCAA Tournament bracket. That drought will end when the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament champions and regular-season co-champs take the court in the first round of the 2026 March Madness bracket. The Billikens have made a dramatic turnaround under Coach Josh Schertz. After going 13-20 in 2023-24, Schertz guided Saint Louis to a 19-15 mark a year ago and could be one of the 2026 March Madness Cinderellas to watch. Saint Louis (28-5) enters 2026 March Madness as a No. 9 seed against No. 8 Georgia on Thursday. How far should you have the Billikens in your 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket picks? Before you make your 2026 NCAA Tournament predictions, see the 2026 March Madness bracket picks from the proven computer model at SportsLine . Two years ago, SportsLine's computer simulation nailed massive upsets, including huge wins by No. 11 Oregon over No. 6 South Carolina, No. 11 NC State over No. 6 Texas Tech, No. 10 Colorado over No. 7 Florida. Last year, SportsLine's computer simulation nailed massive upsets, including calling both 9-seeds that advanced in the first round, No. 12 Colorado State over No. 5 Memphis, and No. 6 BYU advancing to the Sweet 16. The model has beaten over 91 percent of all CBS Sports bracket players in four of the past seven tournaments. This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, has nailed 25 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds since its inception in 2016 and nailed UConn's championship run in 2024. It nailed 12 teams in the Sweet 16 and correctly predicted all four Final Four teams a year ago. The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered conference tournament week on a sizzling 14-2 run on its top-rated over/under college basketball picks dating back to last season, and is on a 28-21 run on top-rated CBB side picks. You shouldn't even think about making a pick without seeing what their model has to say . Top 2026 March Madness bracket upset picks One South Region surprise the model has identified: No. 9 Iowa defeats No. 8 Clemson in the first round. Iowa stumbled late, but for understandable reasons with top-10 losses to Michigan and Nebraska among its final four games, going 1-3 over that span. Iowa is 21-12 and is more battle-tested in the Big Ten than Clemson (24-10) in the ACC. Iowa is 19-4 against unranked teams this season, and Clemson isn't ranked entering the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Clemson is 4-6 over its last 10 games, and the program has only won an NCAA Tournament game in one of its previous seven seasons. Another South Region surprise the model has identified: No. 10 Texas A&M knocks off No. 7 Saint Mary's. The Aggies have won two of their last three games and are 21-11 overall and 11-7 in the SEC this season. They've been tested nightly in the SEC, whereas Saint Mary's plays in a top-heavy conference in the West Coast Conference. Still, Saint Mary's was upset by Santa Clara, 76-71, in the WCC semifinal. Saint Mary's makes the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight year, but this is its lowest seed for any of those seasons, and none of those four teams even made the Sweet 16. Texas A&M has won an NCAA Tournament game in back-to-back years, and the model projects that to continue this year. See which other 2026 March Madness upsets and matchups to target here . How to make 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket predictions Who wins every tournament-defining matchup? And which teams will make surprising runs through the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket? With the model's track record of calling bracket-busting upsets, you'll want to see which stunners it's calling this year before locking in any 2026 NCAA bracket picks . So what's the optimal NCAA Tournament 2026 bracket? And which NCAA Tournament Cinderella teams will shock college basketball? Visit SportsLine now to see which region features two mammoth upsets in the first round, including one by a No. 14 seed, and see which 6-seed makes the Sweet 16, all from the model that's nailed 25 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds . Join the Conversation comments