Couch: Picks for each region of the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament and Final Four

For a lot of this season, it looked like the top three or four teams in college basketball were pretty clear. Maybe those teams will still emerge. But, the NCAA tournament begins, they don’t seem quite as infallible. Here are my picks for each region and the Final Four:

EAST REGION

This is a loaded region with a lot of possibilities, including Michigan State coming through to reach the Final Four. Making this a harder region to call are the injuries to Duke starters, center Patrick Ngongba II and guard Caleb Foster (with Foster and his 40% 3-point shooting out indefinitely), and the poor play recently by Connecticut. Duke has to get through St. John’s or Kansas in the Sweet 16 to reach the Elite Eight. But the Blue Devils still have the best player in college basketball in Cam Boozer, with a really good sidekick in guard Isaiah Evans. As long as Duke gets Ngongba back in the paint by the second weekend of the tournament, I think the Blue Devils are still the most likely squad to win a region full of big brands and capable but vulnerable teams.

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The pick: Duke

MORE: See Graham Couch’s entire NCAA tournament bracket

SOUTH REGION

Illinois’ Keaton Wagler celebrates a 3-pointer against Michigan State during the second half on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.

There are three teams that I think have a chance to emerge from the South Region — 1-seed Florida, 2-seed Houston and 3-seed Illinois. If I had faith in Illinois’ ability to put together an NCAA tournament run under Brad Underwood, I’d pick the Illini here. There are lot of things I like about their roster, backcourt of Keaton Wagler and Kylan Boswell, and their potential to get rolling offensively. I’ve just got visions of Kofi Cockburn and first- and second-round Illini exits bouncing around my head. Houston freshman guard Kingston Flemings is one of the best few players in the sport and the Cougars are one of the best defenses. The thing that scares me about Florida is the…

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Publish date : 2026-03-17 05:41:00

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