The month of March means it’s the best time of the year for sports bettors and basketball lovers alike, with college basketball teams facing off against each other in some of the most unpredictable games. The 2026 madness took over with some notable upsets ruining the majority of brackets. The last remaining perfect bracket for the men’s tournament was busted in the second round when No. 6 Tennessee defeated No. 3 Virginia, and the last one for the women’s tournament stood until the Sweet 16 when No. 6 Notre Dame beat No. 2 Vanderbilt. The longest-lasting perfect bracket was achieved in 2019 with 49 consecutive games correctly predicted.
The first round had some notable upsets and unexpected close games. To list a few, Santa Clara and Kentucky battled into overtime with an incredible display of shooting well beyond the arc, keeping fans on the edge of their seats for the entirety of the game. Despite Santa Clara’s impressive run, Kentucky outlasted the Broncos to win 89-84. VCU and UNC also went into overtime where VCU upset the Tarheels with a final score of 82-78, impacting a large majority of brackets as a result. No. 1 Duke had a run for their money by No. 16 Siena who fought with everything they had to hang with the top seed. They narrowly fell short of a big upset as Duke held on for the win by six points. Another nail-biter of a game was between No. 12 High Point and No. 5 Wisconsin, where High Point came out on top with a win of 83-82 in an intense match-up. No one was expecting High Point to play the way they did and they proved why they deserved to be in the tournament, showing the heart of being an underdog in March Madness. The unpredictability and possibility that anything can happen is the heart of the tournament and what keeps fans coming back.
Unfortunately, High Point’s potential Cinderella run was ended in the second round by Arkansas. Despite their efforts and remarkable executions, they couldn’t beat the strong Razorbacks, whose defense was tough to get past. Texas had a dramatic upset against No. 3 Gonzaga, pulling away by six points to secure the victory and advance to the third round, while also busting hundreds of brackets in the process. Iowa also went on an impressive run, taking down No. 1 Florida 73-72 in an unexpected turn of events that caused the top seed to have an early exit in the tournament.
The Hawkeyes’ run didn’t end there as they went on to Nebraska in the Sweet 16. Tennessee also reigned victorious and overpowered No. 2 Iowa State. Moving on to the Elite Eight, UConn defeated Duke in a close game and destroyed fans’ dreams and their brackets that chose the Blue Devils to win it all. Iowa lost to Illinois but put up a respectable fight and tournament run that the Hawkeye program should be proud of. Purdue was strong all season and in the tournament, but they were no match for the powerhouse Arizona team. Michigan absolutely dominated in all their games, including over Tennessee where they won 95-62.
The Final Four displayed the true grit of the teams and how well they could play under the pressure together. Michigan rose to the occasion and crushed Arizona 91-73. UConn also bested Illinois to advance on to the championship game.
The National Championship, and final determination for winners of bracket pools, was held on Apr. 6. In a highly competitive game, Michigan outlasted the UConn 69-63, making fans who picked Michigan elated with the results.