2026 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Preview: Headlines, Odds and Picks
Written by: Nate Hornung
Published: Tue Mar 24, 2026, 11:45 am ET
Read Time: 7 minutes
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The opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament is over, and we are well past being halfway done with the madness. Last week, we had 68 teams eager to try and compete for a national title, but now only 16 remain. Let's take a look at the current odds to win the Big Dance, as well as recapping some of the best storylines with these final teams.
Check out our March Madness Betting Guide to get in on all the action this month!
Go check out what else I've got on my daily card, and view the latest odds at the best online sportsbooks.
Matt Painter and Purdue face Sean Miller and the Texas Longhorns in the Sweet 16
NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Matchups
West Region (Thursday and Saturday) – San Jose
- #11 Texas Longhorns vs. #2 Purdue Boilermakers
- #4 Arkansas Razorbacks vs. #1 Arizona Wildcats
The Longhorns are the Cinderella of the tournament, going from the First Four in Dayton to the West Regional Semifinal in San Jose, but they have a tough task trying to get by three of the top four seeds in the region.
South Region (Thursday and Saturday) – Houston
- #9 Iowa Hawkeyes vs. #4 Nebraska Cornhuskers
- #3 Illinois Fighting Illini vs. #2 Houston Cougars
The Big Ten is guaranteed a spot in the Elite Eight after having three teams advance to the Sweet 16 in the South Region. Yet Houston is still the betting favorite to win the region.
East Region (Friday and Sunday) – Washington D.C.
- #5 St. John's Red Storm vs #1 Duke Blue Devils
- #3 Michigan State Spartans vs. #2 UConn Huskies
Not only do we have Dan Hurley and Tom Izzo going head to head, we could be heading towards a fourth edition of the Johnnies vs. the Huskies if we get an all Big East regional final.
Midwest Region (Friday and Sunday) – Chicago
- #4 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. #1 Michigan Wolverines
- #6 Tennessee Volunteers vs. #2 Iowa State Cyclones
Michigan and Alabama might score 200 points while the Cyclones try to compete with the Volunteers without Joshua Jefferson.
Michigan is the current betting favorite to win the NCAA Tournament
Betting Odds to Win the NCAA Tournament
Odds are courtesy of Lucky Rebel, one of our favorite online sportsbooks, as of March 24, 2026 at 10:56 a.m. eastern. Sign up today with and get a $1,250 deposit bonus, as well as 50 slot spins immediately. Lucky Rebel Sportsbook offers a wide variety of unique markets across nearly every sport imaginable.
- Michigan +310
- Arizona +360
- Duke +400
- Houston +700
- Purdue +1300
- Illinois +1500
- Iowa State +1800
- UConn +2200
- Michigan State +2500
- St. John's +2500
- Arkansas +3300
- Nebraska +6000
- Tennessee +6000
- Alabama +10000
- Iowa +12500
- Texas +25000
Now these are the odds to win the whole thing, but you can find odds for teams to either make the championship game, or to make the final four and win their region as well. Three of the four top seeds all have negative odds to win the region, and Houston is basically right there at +110 to win the South.
Tom Izzo takes on Dan Hurley in the Sweet 16 this Friday
NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Insights and Picks
The Big Ten has shown why it might be the best conference in college hoops. Personally, I would still take the Big 12 overall, but the fact that the Big Ten was able to secure six teams in the Sweet 16 certainly speaks to the depth of the conference. For reference, we have two teams from the Big East, one from the ACC, three from the Big 12 and four from the SEC.
In the East, it clearly is the "coaches" region, as Tom Izzo and Dan Hurley go head to head, while Rick Pitino leads his Johnnies against Jon Scheyer and the No. 1 overall Duke Blue Devils. The West might have something to say about it, as Tommy Lloyd and John Calipari meet in the Sweet 16, as well as Sean Miller and Matt Painter in the bottom half of that region.
The Midwest is no slouch either with Dusty May and Nate Oats going head to head in what will certainly be a thriller, plus Rick Barnes and the Volunteers try to slow down TJ Otzelberger and the Cyclones. And lastly, Brad Underwood and Kelvin Sampson highlight the South, but Fred Hoiberg and Ben McCollum are looking to put their names on the map with deep tournament runs.
Sixteen great teams with phenomenal coaches made it to the second round. McCollum and the Iowa Hawkeyes have the best win of the tournament so far, knocking off the top seeded Gators in the Round of 32, but now they face a Huskers team that isn't quite tired of dancing. As College Hoops fans, we are in for a treat for these last couple weeks of the season.
The best value to come out of the Midwest region lies with the Iowa State Cyclones
Best Bet: Iowa State to Win the Midwest (+300) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
I would still be willing to take a stab with the Cyclones for this price, even without Joshua Jefferson. For starters, they are about -190 on the moneyline against the Volunteers, and would not be more than +200 underdogs against the Wolverines (in my opinion), while I would make them a small favorite against the Crimson Tide.
Defense wins championships, and the Cyclones certainly have that. But their offense has impressed me, especially without Jefferson on the floor. I could see the Cyclones winning two this weekend and making the Final Four for the first time since 1944.
Bet on March Madness at Lucky Rebel and BetOnline
If you are looking for the best sites for NCAA tournament betting in 2026, look no further than Lucky Rebel and BetOnline.
At both of these sites, you can find odds for every March Madness game, as well as a variety of futures odds for the tournament. If you love to bet alternate spreads and totals, Lucky Rebel will have both for every tournament game, and it is also a top destination for betting on March Madness player props. BetOnline, meanwhile, is a top option for same-game parlays, building custom props, and March Madness futures.
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Check Out the Other March Madness Content from Betting News
For college basketball bettors, March Madness is the most wonderful time of the year. And at Betting News, we have you covered for this festively fun season with expert picks throughout the tournament from Nate Hornung and Eddie Griffin, consensus picks for every March Madness game from the First Four to the Final Four, a rundown of the best March Madness betting sites, and more.
Also, through our streams and social media channels, you can get even more insight from Nate and other members of the Betting News team, as well as offer your own thoughts and tips for the tournament.
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Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.
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