March Madness predictions: 13 teams who can win men's tournament
USA TODAY
March Madness contenders are starting to formulate in 2026. Here are 13 teams that can win a national championship this season:
March Madness is quickly approaching, with the men's college basketball regular season coming to a close in the coming weeks. A few teams are starting to pull ahead as national championship favorites.
Eight of the last nine national champions have been No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament, with the lone exception being UConn in 2023, as the Huskies were a No. 4 seed. Of course, UConn repeated as national champions in 2024. Coincidentally enough, the last team lower than a No. 4 seed to win a title was also UConn, when it won as a No. 7 seed in 2014.
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That said, math favors the NCAA tournament champion being a team that dominated the regular season, which makes plenty of sense.
Here's a look at USA TODAY Sports predictions for which teams can win a national championship this season:
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