It’s the most wonderful time of the year, the time when you place an empty bracket under your pillow for good luck.
In March, college basketball features a tournament that every young basketball player dreams of participating in, a tournament of opportunity, underdog stories and complete madness.
The most popular postseason in sports allows fans to complete brackets, with the chase for the perfect bracket still on, after 49 years of predicting. However, there are still two weeks until the most thrilling moments in sports.
Here’s what the current panic-meter looks like for teams in the Top-25.
Torch Top-25:
- Duke(28-2)
- Arizona(28-2)
- Michigan(27-2)
- Florida(23-6)
- UConn(27-3)
- Michigan State(24-5)
- Houston(24-5)
- Nebraska(25-4)
- Texas Tech(22-7)
- Iowa State(24-6)
- Virginia(25-4)
- Kansas(21-8)
- Illinois(22-7)
- Alabama(22-7)
- North Carolina(23-6)
- Purdue(22-7)
- St. John’s(23-6)
- Gonzaga(28-3)
- Saint Mary’s(27-4)
- Miami (OH) (29-0)
- Miami(23-6)
- Arkansas(22-7)
- Missouri(20-9
- Vanderbilt(22-7)
- Utah St. (24-5)
Best of the best: Duke
Duke is the epitome of a powerhouse.
After losing their best players from last season in Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel — who are both currently clashing as the favorites for the NBA Rookie of the Year award — remain atop the country as a true powerhouse. This is thanks to future lottery pick Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans, along with several other dominant pieces.
It’s been seven years since the Blue Devils won the National Championship, but again, in 2026, they remain one of the steady favorites. It’s been a hard season, facing off against some of the best teams in the country, but flexing their strengths, especially in a win over No.1 Michigan on Feb. 21. Duke holds a 13-2 record in quad-one games, the second-best in the country behind Arizona(14-2), while holding the No. 1 overall spot on both NET and KenPom — two of the most important metrics when analyzing the strongest teams in the country.
One of the most likely matchups in this year’s championship — a rematch between Duke and Michigan, one which could have a similar outcome to their first game, one involving a potential eighth trophy hoisting, led by Cameron Boozer.
Bumpy road, everything will smooth over: Iowa State
Schedulemakers really had it out for Iowa State, handing them some of their most difficult challenges as the schedule winds down to conference play. The Cyclones have some of the best depth in the country, featuring their stars in Joshua Jefferson and Milan Momilovic, ranging to guys like Blake Buchanan and Tamin Lipsey.
The Cyclones have now lost two-straight contests, including a disappointing defeat to Texas Tech while at home, a Red Raiders team without their best player in J.T. Toppin, and then their most recent defeat coming to Arizona on the road on March 2, a game that locked up the Big 12 for the Wildcats.
However, the Cyclones are still one of the best teams in the country, one of the several teams with a legit path to a National Championship due to their strong depth and veteran experience. It’s a shaky road, but everything will be just fine come tournament time.
Houston, we have a problem: Purdue
There was a point this season where Purdue rained high and mighty over the entire country, but that has since faded away. Don’t get it twisted, the Boilermakers are a good team, but over their last several weeks, they’ve given plenty of reason to start panicking.
The Boilermakers are 5-5 over their last 10 contests, with their two most recent games resulting in losses, Michigan State at home, and a double-digit road loss to an Ohio State team that currently sits on the outside of the bubble in terms of tournament teams.
These two losses have dropped Purdue from a surefire two-seed in the tournament to now fighting over a No. 4 spot, and even potentially a No. 5 spot if things go south in their final two contests against Northwestern and Wisconsin.
