By Joe Lunardi Updated: 12/16/2025 at 8 a.m. ETWelcome to the 2025-26 season! We’ll have updated Bracketology projections every Tuesday through the end of the calendar year, with twice-weekly updates beginning in early January.
MIDWEST (CHICAGO)Buffalo1 Michigan – aq16 Vermont – aq/ Lindenwood – aq8 Miami9 Seton HallOklahoma City5 Florida12 Belmont – aq4 Kansas13 Northern Colorado – aqGreenville6 St. John’s11 NC State/ UCF3 Vanderbilt – aq14 Liberty – aqPortland7 USC10 LSU2 Gonzaga – aq15 St. Thomas – aq
SOUTH (HOUSTON)St. Louis1 Iowa State16 Southern – aq/ Norfolk State – aq8 Clemson9 KentuckyTampa5 North Carolina12 Tulsa – aq4 Illinois13 High Point – aqBuffalo6 Tennessee11 Butler – aq3 Michigan State14 Siena – aqPortland7 Saint Mary’s10 UCLA2 BYU15 Youngstown State – aq
WEST (SAN JOSE)San Diego1aq – Arizona16aq – Long Island8 SMU9 IndianaSan Diego5 Texas Tech12aq – UNC Wilmington4 Arkansas13aq – Utah ValleyPhiladelphia6 Auburn11aq – Yale3 Louisville14aq – HawaiiSt. Louis7 Georgia10 Oklahoma State2 Purdue15aq – Stephen F. Austin
EAST (WASHINGTON D.C.)Greenville1aq – Duke16aq – Colgate8aq – Utah State9 Ohio StateOklahoma City5 Nebraska12aq – Akron4 Houston13aq – East Tennessee StateTampa6 Virginia11 Baylor Arizona State/3 Alabama14aq – LipscombPhiladelphia7 Iowa10aq – Saint Louis2 UConn15aq – Troy
On the BubbleLast Four Byes Indiana UCLA LSU Oklahoma StateLast Four In NC State UCF Baylor Arizona StateFirst Four Out Villanova Oklahoma Boise State Virginia TechNext Four Out Colorado Notre Dame Wisconsin Wake Forest
First Four Out Villanova Oklahoma Boise State Virginia Tech
Next Four Out Colorado Notre Dame Wisconsin Wake Forest
16Vermont16Lindenwood11NC State11UCF16Southern16Norfolk State11Baylor11Arizona State
Welcome to the 2025-26 season! We’ll have updated Bracketology projections every Tuesday through the end of the calendar year, with twice-weekly updates beginning in early January.
68-Team Bracket16Vermont16Lindenwood11NC State11UCF16Southern16Norfolk State11Baylor11Arizona StateMIDWEST (CHICAGO)Buffalo1 Michigan – aq16 Vermont – aq/ Lindenwood – aq8 Miami9 Seton HallOklahoma City5 Florida12 Belmont – aq4 Kansas13 Northern Colorado – aqGreenville6 St. John’s11 NC State/ UCF3 Vanderbilt – aq14 Liberty – aqPortland7 USC10 LSU2 Gonzaga – aq15 St. Thomas – aqSOUTH (HOUSTON)St. Louis1 Iowa State16 Southern – aq/ Norfolk State – aq8 Clemson9 KentuckyTampa5 North Carolina12 Tulsa – aq4 Illinois13 High Point – aqBuffalo6 Tennessee11 Butler – aq3 Michigan State14 Siena – aqPortland7 Saint Mary’s10 UCLA2 BYU15 Youngstown State – aqWEST (SAN JOSE)San Diego1aq – Arizona16aq – Long Island8 SMU9 IndianaSan Diego5 Texas Tech12aq – UNC Wilmington4 Arkansas13aq – Utah ValleyPhiladelphia6 Auburn11aq – Yale3 Louisville14aq – HawaiiSt. Louis7 Georgia10 Oklahoma State2 Purdue15aq – Stephen F. AustinEAST (WASHINGTON D.C.)Greenville1aq – Duke16aq – Colgate8aq – Utah State9 Ohio StateOklahoma City5 Nebraska12aq – Akron4 Houston13aq – East Tennessee StateTampa6 Virginia11 Baylor Arizona State/3 Alabama14aq – LipscombPhiladelphia7 Iowa10aq – Saint Louis2 UConn15aq – Troy
By Joe Lunardi Updated: 12/16/2025 at 8 a.m. ETWelcome to the 2025-26 season! We’ll have updated Bracketology projections every Tuesday through the end of the calendar year, with twice-weekly updates beginning in early January.
MIDWEST (CHICAGO)Buffalo1 Michigan – aq16 Vermont – aq/ Lindenwood – aq8 Miami9 Seton HallOklahoma City5 Florida12 Belmont – aq4 Kansas13 Northern Colorado – aqGreenville6 St. John’s11 NC State/ UCF3 Vanderbilt – aq14 Liberty – aqPortland7 USC10 LSU2 Gonzaga – aq15 St. Thomas – aqSOUTH (HOUSTON)St. Louis1 Iowa State16 Southern – aq/ Norfolk State – aq8 Clemson9 KentuckyTampa5 North Carolina12 Tulsa – aq4 Illinois13 High Point – aqBuffalo6 Tennessee11 Butler – aq3 Michigan State14 Siena – aqPortland7 Saint Mary’s10 UCLA2 BYU15 Youngstown State – aqWEST (SAN JOSE)San Diego1aq – Arizona16aq – Long Island8 SMU9 IndianaSan Diego5 Texas Tech12aq – UNC Wilmington4 Arkansas13aq – Utah ValleyPhiladelphia6 Auburn11aq – Yale3 Louisville14aq – HawaiiSt. Louis7 Georgia10 Oklahoma State2 Purdue15aq – Stephen F. AustinEAST (WASHINGTON D.C.)Greenville1aq – Duke16aq – Colgate8aq – Utah State9 Ohio StateOklahoma City5 Nebraska12aq – Akron4 Houston13aq – East Tennessee StateTampa6 Virginia11 Baylor Arizona State/3 Alabama14aq – LipscombPhiladelphia7 Iowa10aq – Saint Louis2 UConn15aq – Troy
Photo illo by ESPN Illustration, additional photos courtesy of Getty Images, Associated Press, Imagn, USA TODAY Sports, Icon Sportswire, EPA/Shutterstock
Top Overall SeedMichiganFirst Team OutVillanovaLast Team InArizona State
Last Four Byes Indiana UCLA LSU Oklahoma StateLast Four In NC State UCF Baylor Arizona StateFirst Four Out Villanova Oklahoma Boise State Virginia TechNext Four Out Colorado Notre Dame Wisconsin Wake Forest
16Vermont16Lindenwood11NC State11UCF16Southern16Norfolk State11Baylor11Arizona State
16Vermont16Lindenwood11NC State11UCF16Southern16Norfolk State11Baylor11Arizona State
Photo illo by ESPN Illustration, additional photos courtesy of Getty Images, Associated Press, Imagn, USA TODAY Sports, Icon Sportswire, EPA/Shutterstock
Photo illo by ESPN Illustration, additional photos courtesy of Getty Images, Associated Press, Imagn, USA TODAY Sports, Icon Sportswire, EPA/Shutterstock
Bracket WatchTop Overall SeedMichiganFirst Team OutVillanovaLast Team InArizona StateIn 2017, Northwestern ended its streak as the only power-conference school never to reach the NCAA tournament. The Wildcats celebrated by advancing to the second round, a feat they went on to repeat in 2023 and 2024. Now, another Big Ten program has a chance to end a similar run of nonachievement. With Northwestern off the schneid, there remains only one power-conference school to never win an NCAA tournament game: Nebraska, which has taken a bagel in eight appearances. Not only are the Cornhuskers solidly in the projected field, they are a 5-seed thanks to an 11-0 record, their best start in program history. And there’s nothing fluky about it: They have wins over Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas State, Creighton, Wisconsin and Illinois. Fred Hoiberg has a star in senior big man Rienk Mast, who leads a veteran supporting cast that should hold up. All of which means it’s time to start thinking about how many times to pick “Nebraska” in your bracket come March.
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In 2017, Northwestern ended its streak as the only power-conference school never to reach the NCAA tournament. The Wildcats celebrated by advancing to the second round, a feat they went on to repeat in 2023 and 2024. Now, another Big Ten program has a chance to end a similar run of nonachievement. With Northwestern off the schneid, there remains only one power-conference school to never win an NCAA tournament game: Nebraska, which has taken a bagel in eight appearances. Not only are the Cornhuskers solidly in the projected field, they are a 5-seed thanks to an 11-0 record, their best start in program history. And there’s nothing fluky about it: They have wins over Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas State, Creighton, Wisconsin and Illinois. Fred Hoiberg has a star in senior big man Rienk Mast, who leads a veteran supporting cast that should hold up. All of which means it’s time to start thinking about how many times to pick “Nebraska” in your bracket come March.