2026 March Madness Bracket Live: Selection Sunday Reactions & Betting Lines

Leaving Oklahoma out of the NCAA Tournament is both hard to argue with AND a breath of relief for the corresponding 6-seed that the Sooners likely would have faced.

Losing nine straight games in January is not going to leave you any margin for error, and that has ultimately cost Oklahoma. But also realize the Sooners have been the No. 16 team since Feb. 5, with the No. 5 offensive efficiency rating in the country.

They could have made some March Madness noise.

Dear every corporate loudmouth who bemoans James Madison making the College Football Playoff despite getting blown out and never winces at the Steelers and Chargers combining to score nine points in the NFL playoffs.

No one cares if you think Miami (OH) should have been left out of the NCAA Tournament. You already clearly hate fun. You would rather vanilla entertainment than reward someone for going 31-1.

Please keep your participation trophy culture to yourself until the NFL returns in September. The rest of us would rather reward winning.

Sincerely,

College Sports Fans.

Texas can thank a change in selection committee emphasis. We all remember the days where how a team finished a season was a genuine metric in picking 68 teams.

That line of thinking has been diminished to emphasize non-conference performance, an understandable change and one that helped that the Longhorns as they went 1-5 in the last three weeks, losing four of those five games by double digits.

Going 1-6 ATS in the last month should give you a strong lean on fading Texas this week.

I am betting Duke to win it all, available at +340 at bet365 before the bracket was released.

I suppose if the Blue Devils draw Houston as the No. 2 seed, I might fret, simply out of deference to Kelvin Sampson. And Iowa State should ruin someone’s March. But neither of those thoughts is actually going to keep me from heavily investing in a moneyline rollover on Duke.

At some point, someone else will start seeing the 2005 North Carolina/Sean May comparisons in Duke and Cameron Boozer. A dominant rebounding team with a high eFG% led by three players in the same class, particularly a 6-foot-9 post player very capable of playing as a hub despite his own offensive dominance?

If you scoff at this comparison, you do not remember how thoroughly May dominated that national championship game against Luther Head, Deron Williams and Dee Brown. 26 points and 10 rebounds on 10-of-11 shooting is a performance that we would be wise to remember.

The responsibility of selecting the teams for the NCAA Tournament falls to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament Selection Committee. This group is composed of 12 members, including athletic directors, conference commissioners, and other basketball experts, all of whom have extensive knowledge and experience in college hoops.

Each member represents different conferences or regions of the country, ensuring a broad and diverse perspective when selecting and ranking teams. These committee members are appointed by the NCAA and work together throughout the season to evaluate teams and ultimately decide which 68 teams will make the tournament field.

This year’s committee is chaired by Keith Gill, who is the Commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference and is currently serving his fifth and final year on the 12-member committee.

During the selection process, the committee engages in discussions and deliberations, where they carefully review each team’s performance based on a variety of criteria, such as win-loss records, strength of schedule, and metrics like the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET). They also consider factors like conference championships, injuries, and head-to-head matchups.

The committee members then give automatic bids to teams that win their conference tournaments and debate which teams deserve at-large bids based on their overall body of work.

After much deliberation, the committee finalizes the bracket, assigning seedings and regional placements, before revealing it to the public today on Selection Sunday.

Not every school has to sweat out the Selection Sunday broadcast. The following teams have officially secured their spots by winning their respective conference tournaments:

Bubble teams like SMU and Texas were both rooting for VCU, which downed Dayton today in the Atlantic 10 Championship.

SMU struggled towards the end of the season, but it's worth noting that the committee takes injuries into account. Mustangs two-way stud BJ Freeman (12.7 ppg, 4.9 apg, 2.3 spg) has been out since February 25 which led to their slide.

He's expected back for the NCAA Tournament which will be factored in. And while Texas had the tougher schedule with two more wins against Quad 1 foes, SMU has the far better Quad 2 record (5-4 compared to 1-4 for the Longhorns) and the higher NET rating.

Field of 68 pick: In

Selection Sunday is a pivotal day for basketball fans and sports bettors alike as it marks the reveal of the 68-team field for the men’s NCAA Tournament. On this day, the Selection Committee announces the bracket, detailing the matchups, seedings, and locations for the first round. It’s a thrilling moment, as fans start filling out their brackets, hoping for the perfect upset or Cinderella story to unfold.

The anticipation surrounding Selection Sunday lies in the drama of the committee’s decisions. Fans debate which teams made the cut, which ones were snubbed, and where the most intriguing storylines are. It’s the official kickoff to March Madness, and an evening full of excitement from beginning to end.

The SEC is projected to get nine at-large bids which puts Texas  on the cusp with Auburn, and Oklahoma the closest competitors. The Tigers played one of the toughest schedules in the country but a 4-13 record in Quad 1 games and being just one game above .500 won't get them in. No matter how much Bruce Pearl whines about Miami of Ohio.

Likewise, the Sooners sit slightly behind the Longhorns in every criteria the committee uses; NET ranking, strength of schedule, KPI, Quad 1 wins, Wins Above Bubble, and KenPom.

Texas' chance of making the Tourney became even better earlier today when VCU beat Dayton 70-62. Lock in the Longhorns now.

Field of 68 pick: In 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year to be a college basketball fan! Two weeks of frenzied conference tournament play have led us to Selection Sunday and the grand unveiling of this year’s March Madness field. We’re just moments away from discovering which teams will land coveted No. 1 seeds, which squads will sneak into the First Four, and which programs will be snubbed altogether. 

Join Covers college basketball experts Jason Logan, Rohit Ponnaiya, and Douglas Farmer as they make sense of the selections, report on the latest March Madness odds movement, and offer their early leans on the first week’s most enticing matchups.  

Whether you’re looking for your next big upset pick, scoping out future bets, or just hoping to see how your favorite team fares, we’ve got you covered.