.png?w=1280)
Power Ranking All Teams Left in Round 2 of the Men's 2026 NCAA Tournament
In what felt like just a few blinks of the eye, the 2026 men's NCAA tournament field has been whittled from 68 teams down to 32.
With one round in the books, it's time for a new batch of power rankings.
We had ranked all 68 teams on Selection Sunday, but rest assured that this update is more than simply removing the eliminated elements of the proverbial sandwich before squeezing the two slices of bread together again.
How teams looked on Thursday and Friday is a key data point to consider.
That said, if you're expecting Duke to land in the bottom five because of that close call against Siena or High Point to top the list after its upset of Wisconsin, you're going to be sorely disappointed.
Seed number and second-round opponent did not factor into our ranking. It's more of an exercise of how we would re-seed the field, based on about an 85/15 split of how teams played in the regular season and how they looked in the first round.
Nos. 32-28: High Point, TCU, VCU, Texas A&M and Iowa
1 of 7
32. High Point Panthers (Pre-Tournament Rank: 50)
Most of America didn't have a clue who Chase Johnston was 48 hours ago. But High Point's seventh-year senior who now has made 415 three-pointers in his career—good for one more than Steph Curry and 22nd place in the NCAA record books—drained three colossal triples in the final five minutes against Wisconsin.
He also made his first two-point bucket of the entire season on what turned out to be the game-winning fast break.
How could you not be romantic about March Madness? And how great would it be if they upset Arkansas, too?
31. TCU Horned Frogs (Pre-Tournament Rank: 36)
We said in our pre-tournament rankings: "David Punch gives TCU a puncher's chance in any game."
Goodness did he ever in that opening win over Ohio State. Despite some early foul trouble, the Horned Frogs star went for 16 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks and two assists, including the game-winning dime to Xavier Edmonds with four seconds remaining.
This team has been nearly impossible to beat in low-scoring games, so let's see if they can clamp down on Duke for a stunner.
30. VCU Rams (Pre-Tournament Rank: 41)
To pick up its 17th win in the span of 18 games, VCU had to erase a 19-point deficit against the Tar Heels. Terrence Hill Jr. and company did just that, forcing overtime before completing a come-from-behind win that has the entire sport wondering whether North Carolina will now move on from Hubert Davis.
This isn't about UNC, though. It's about VCU. And it's not the VCU of yore, where the entire gameplan seemed to be just dominating the turnover battle as emphatically as possible. Rather, this is the best shooting Rams team in KenPom history, and a squad that is solid on both ends of the floor. They were unable to beat any tournament teams during the regular season, but now that they've broken the seal...
29. Texas A&M Aggies (Pre-Tournament Rank: 33)
Bucky McMillan won at least 21 games in each of his final four seasons at Samford, but whether "Bucky Ball" would work in a real conference was a big unknown.
Well, so far, so good, even though the Aggies had to completely rebuild their roster and ended up losing the most promising star (Mackenzie Mgbako) after just seven games. They won 21 games and picked up a 22nd in the 13-point, first-round victory over Saint Mary's.
They've yet to beat a top 20 foe in five tries, though, so Houston might be more than they can handle.
28. Iowa Hawkeyes (Pre-Tournament Rank: 28)
After well over a decade of playing poor defense at a fast pace under Fran McCaffery, the Ben McCollum-coached Hawkeyes thrived this season at one of the slowest paces in the country. It's almost as if their goal on offense is to just lull the defense to sleep before striking with five seconds or fewer remaining on the shot clock.
It isn't much fun to watch, but if it works, it works. And because of lead guard Bennett Stirtz—who played all 40 minutes while going for 16 points, two assists and two steals in the 67-61 first-round win over Clemson—this team never gets rattled or sped up.
Nos. 27-23: UCLA, Miami (FL), Texas, Kentucky, Utah State
2 of 7
27. UCLA Bruins (Pre-Tournament Rank: 23)
UCLA big man Tyler Bilodeau suffered a knee injury last weekend in the Big Ten tournament, and then he was a late scratch from the Bruins' Friday night game against UCF.
They survived the Knights without what is their leading scorer and one of their top rebounders, but they didn't much look like the Bruins team that was phenomenal down the stretch with wins over Illinois, Michigan State and Nebraska. And if Bilodeau is unavailable or considerably restricted moving forward, getting back to that level of excellence might not be feasible.
(Promise this drop in ranking isn't just because the final minute of that game against UCF took a painful 18 minutes of real time. We're just seeing a lower ceiling with greater concerns about Bilodeau's availability.)
26. Miami (FL) Hurricanes (Pre-Tournament Rank: 30)
Despite facing a colossal geographic disadvantage against No. 10 seed Missouri in St. Louis, the Hurricanes were one of the only ACC teams that actually impressed in the first round of the dance, led by Tre Donaldson and Malik Reneau.
That win was also led by a frontcourt that dominated the rebounding battle all season long. The 'Canes finished +17 on the glass against the Tigers, as well as +17 in second-chance points. But let's see if they can even sniff that sort of frontcourt edge against Oscar Cluff, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Daniel Jacobsen on Sunday.
Regardless, holy turnaround, Batman. Miami went 7-24 last season and is now 26-8 in year No. 1 under Jai Lucas. He won't be, but he should be named the National Coach of the Year.
25. Texas Longhorns (Pre-Tournament Rank: 43)
Texas was the textbook definition of a bubble team, ending up at 0.26 wins below bubble. But the Longhorns had some impressive regular season victories, including road games against Alabama, Texas A&M, Missouri and Oklahoma that suggested they could be a problem in the dance.
Whether Matas Vokietaitis will foul out or cause the opponent's entire frontcourt to foul out is the $64,000 (or whatever his NIL deal is) question in every Texas game. He won those battles against NC State and BYU, sitting at 38 points and 24 rebounds through two tournament games. Can he keep that going against Gonzaga to get the Longhorns into the second weekend?
24. Kentucky Wildcats (Pre-Tournament Rank: 25)
That overtime victory over Santa Clara is going to go down in Big Blue Nation lore as the "No Way, Oweh" game, especially if it was the beginning of a 2014 UConn type of championship run from the No. 7 seed line. Otega Oweh went for 35 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, most unforgettably the banked-in, game-tying heave at the end of regulation.
The Wildcats needed every bit of his Herculean effort, though, as they couldn't do much of anything to stifle the Broncos—despite what we presume to be a colossal difference in NIL spending. And defense was a major concern for this team down the stretch, struggling to slow down anyone other than South Carolina.
What a legendary way to start the day on Friday, though. Hope you called in 'sick' to enjoy that one.
23. Utah State Aggies (Pre-Tournament Rank: 32)
While Utah State shot 2-for-16 from three-point range, Villanova drained 14 of its 30 attempts from distance. But to more than make up for that 36 point difference, the Aggies finished +24 on twos and +22 at the free-throw line, all but refusing to miss anything over the final 13 minutes of the 10-point win.
Best of luck trying to do the same thing against Arizona's vastly-superior-to-Villanova frontcourt on Sunday, but this is a quality Mountain West squad that typically does win via a steady diet of steals and paint buckets. And if MJ Collins is shooting better in round two, there legitimately could be a round three.
Nos. 22-18: Saint Louis, Virginia, Louisville, Alabama and Texas Tech
3 of 7
22. Saint Louis Billikens (Pre-Tournament Rank: 34)
In the four weeks leading up to Selection Sunday, Saint Louis didn't much look like the team that would've started 25-0 had it not been for a chaotic four-point sequence at the end of a November loss to Stanford. Rather, as far as Torvik data was concerned, the Billikens were barely a top 150 team down the stretch.
They looked pretty darn good in that opening win over Georgia, though, including a 23-0 run spanning halftime, reminiscent of the Elite Eight game two years ago in which Connecticut annihilated Illinois en route to another title. SLU's ceiling isn't nearly that high, but Michigan could be in some trouble if this team stays hot.
21. Virginia Cavaliers (Pre-Tournament Rank: 20)
Virginia fans were subjected to nightmarish flashbacks of Furman, Ohio and UMBC in a game against Wright State that was a nail-biter throughout.
The Raiders went on a 9-0 run to take a late three-point lead, punctuated by a technical foul on Sam Lewis that felt like UVA's breaking point. Instead, the Cavaliers immediately went on an 11-0 run of their own to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Jacari White was larger than life with 26 points off the bench.
Scary though it was, Virginia was +15 on the glass and +12 on points in the paint with five blocks, which is this team's bread and butter. If the Cavaliers continue to dominate in the frontcourt, they could flush this sweaty opener and go on a run.
20. Louisville Cardinals (Pre-Tournament Rank: 22)
No Mikel Brown Jr.? No problem. Louisville's freshman star was ruled out for at least the first weekend of the tournament with a back injury, but Isaac McKneely shot 7-for-10 from distance—while South Florida's Wes Enis had a disastrous 0-for-11 afternoon—as the Cardinals prevailed.
Quad 1B games (and below) were never Louisville's problem, though. This team pretty consistently won the games it was supposed to while never punching above its weight class. Keep shooting 52 percent from downtown, though, and that'll change.
19. Alabama Crimson Tide (Pre-Tournament Rank: 19)
Alabama getting immediately bounced from the SEC tournament by Ole Miss was a bad omen. National champions always at least reach the semifinals of their league's tourney first, but the Crimson Tide didn't.
Subsequently losing second-leading scorer Aden Holloway to a felony drug charge was an even less encouraging sign of things to come.
They survived the initial test against Hofstra, though, behind 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists from Labaron Philon Jr. It was more rebounding than usual for him, but a pretty standard afternoon at the office in terms of points and assists. Alabama will go as far as he leads.
18. Texas Tech Red Raiders (Pre-Tournament Rank: 21)
Don't let the 91-71 final score fool you. Akron never led, but it gave Texas Tech all it could handle for about 32 minutes, before simply running out of ammunition to keep pace with a Red Raiders team that seemingly could not miss.
Mediocre Akron defense or not, though, that offense was a sight for sore eyes. TTU averaged 64.7 points in losing its final three games heading into the dance, looking like a three-man show running on fumes down the stretch without JT Toppin. Maybe there's still enough firepower there for a deep run?
Nos. 17-13: Nebraska, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Kansas and Arkansas
4 of 7
17. Nebraska Cornhuskers (Pre-Tournament Rank: 18)
The Cornhuskers had some serious shooting woes late in the regular season, twice going 5-for-24 from distance while scoring just 52 points in a loss.
However, early-season Nebrasketball showed up against Troy, with Pryce Sandfort draining seven of the team's 14 three-pointers in a blowout victory.
If they're able to lock back in, let's just say it wasn't that long ago that we were debating whether undefeated, AP No. 5 Nebraska deserved to be a projected No. 1 seed ahead of Michigan.
16. Vanderbilt Commodores (Pre-Tournament Rank: 14)
If you were shocked by Vanderbilt almost immediately falling behind by double digits in its tournament opener against McNeese, well, welcome to Vanderbilt basketball in 2026. We've seen that song and dance a bit too often over the past six weeks or so. At least this time the Commodores were able to rally for a 10-point victory.
Once they lock in, this is one of the most proficient offenses in the nation. And that one-two punch of Tyler Tanner and Duke Miles at the point of attack on defense is second to none. They just need to quit snoozing through the first 10 minutes of games.
15. Tennessee Volunteers (Pre-Tournament Rank: 17)
Miami-Ohio's First Four win over SMU was confirmation that the RedHawks were good enough to dance. But Tennessee made quick work of America's season-long Cinderella story, opening up a 20-point lead before halftime and basically maintaining that edge until the final buzzer.
To the surprise of no one, Tennessee owned the glass (+17 rebounds) and outscored Miami 40-16 in the paint. What was surprising, however, is that the Vols were able to do it without getting anything out of Nate Ament. The usually fantastic freshman was held scoreless in 18 minutes played, only attempting three shots. That was fine against the RedHawks, but they'll need him in Sunday's game against Virginia.
14. Kansas Jayhawks (Pre-Tournament Rank: 15)
Though the game was never particularly in doubt or in need of heroics, Darryn Peterson took more shots against Cal Baptist than he did in any previous game this season, going 11-for-24 from the field (with nary an assist) for 28 points.
The Jayhawks (and Bill Self) are still figuring out how to function with a healthy Peterson at their disposal. However, giving the projected No. 1 pick in the next NBA draft the greenest of green lights—and flanking him with what is probably one of the 10 best defenses in the country—is as good a plan as any.
It's a shame we didn't get more Cinderellas through the first round of this year's dance, but that Kansas-St. John's showdown on Sunday has the potential to be an all-timer.
13. Arkansas Razorbacks (Pre-Tournament Rank: 13)
With both Karter Knox (out since mid-February with a meniscus injury) and Nick Pringle (undisclosed) unavailable, the Hogs basically only had six players against Hawaii. One of them was Darius Acuff Jr., though, so all good. They cruised to a 97-78 victory.
The 97 part of that score was unsurprising. Arkansas is now averaging just north of 90 points per game. The big question is whether they can replicate the 78 part against better competition after allowing 88.6 PPG over their final 10 games heading into the dance. But with 11 dunks in that rout of the Rainbow Warriors, we do have confirmation that this team is going to be fun to watch for however long it lasts in the tournament.
Nos. 12-9: Gonzaga, Iowa State, Connecticut and St. John's
5 of 7
12. Gonzaga Bulldogs (Pre-Tournament Rank: 11)
Gonzaga got a battle from Kennesaw State in what was a five-point game with less than two minutes remaining. The Zags prevailed in that physical slog, though, which bodes well for the upcoming matchup with Texas, which promises to feature plenty of free throws.
Can Gonzaga shoot better from distance, though? To put it lightly, the three ball has not been their strength this season, but the Zags do usually at least fare better than 3-for-18 from downtown. A similar brick-laying effort on Saturday would be their undoing.
11. Iowa State Cyclones (Pre-Tournament Rank: 7)
In what has been the Year of the Injury™ in college hoops, it felt cruelly inevitable that a big star would get hurt in the first round of the tournament. Unfortunately for Iowa State, it was Joshua Jefferson, suffering a lower-leg injury three minutes into their rout of Tennessee State.
The consensus second-team All-American did not return to the game, but they didn't much need him against the undersized Tigers. Much different story looming on Sunday against Kentucky. Milan Momcilovic and Tamin Lipsey might not be enough for that one.
10. Connecticut Huskies (Pre-Tournament Rank: 9)
Without Silas Demary Jr., without Jaylin Stewart and in a game that didn't tip off until after 10:30 p.m. in Philadelphia, the Huskies didn't play their best game of the season against the Paladins.
But Tarris Reed Jr. had the game of his life, going for 31 points and 27 rebounds. Furman's entire team only grabbed 23 rebounds, so he was quite the game-changer in the paint.
The Demary injury is definitely concerning, though. Malachi Smith is one of the more capable reserve point guards in the country, but Demary was arguably their most important player during the regular season. Fingers crossed that he can go on Sunday against UCLA and Donovan Dent.
9. St. John's Red Storm (Pre-Tournament Rank: 12)
In winning 19 of their last 20 games heading into the dance, the Red Storm allowed just 68.0 points on average. And because of that defense, they've been almost unbeatable when shooting at least 34 percent from the field—which is a pretty low bar, to be clear.
Northern Iowa found out the hard way how quickly things can unravel against Rick Pitino's guys, falling behind 20-3 less than eight minutes into the game and never getting it back to within 10.
We weren't entirely sure what to make of St. John's for beating up on a mostly underwhelming Big East after disappointing in nonconference play, but that was an impressive initial statement.
Nos. 8-5: Michigan State, Purdue, Illinois and Houston
6 of 7
8. Michigan State Spartans (Pre-Tournament Rank: 10)
Sparty made quick work of North Dakota State, racking up 26 assists on 33 made buckets in a 92-67 victory.
Jeremy Fears Jr. had 11 of those dimes and is now officially part of the 500 points, 300 assists club. The only other members of that club in the past three decades are Purdue's Braden Smith last season, Murray State's Ja Morant in 2018-19 and Oakland's Kay Felder in 2015-16. He just might get Tom Izzo to a ninth Final Four.
7. Purdue Boilermakers (Pre-Tournament Rank: 8)
Purdue has a rather dubious history of not exactly bringing its A game for the first round of the NCAA tournament, but the Boilermakers were not messing around with Queens on Friday night. Braden Smith quickly tied and broke Bobby Hurley's all-time assists record en route to 26 points and eight assists in a 33-point drubbing of the Royals.
The Purdue team that won the Big Ten tournament could absolutely win the NCAA tournament. But let's see if the Purdue team that lost seven of its final 10 regular season games against top 50 competition rears its ugly head. At least the assists record is no longer a potential distraction.
6. Illinois Fighting Illini (Pre-Tournament Rank: 6)
Illinois has arguably the most proficient offense in the nation. Not in terms of points per game, mind you. The Illini barely rank top 20 in that department. But that's only because they play at a slower pace than most. They rarely commit turnovers. They dominate the offensive glass. They hit their free throws at a clip of nearly 80 percent. And when their 32 three-point attempts per game are finding their mark, good night.
Their defense isn't great, though. Close games have been a disaster, too, losing each of their last six games decided by five points or fewer. That kept this super efficient offense from ever becoming one of the top five candidates to win it all. But when all of the cylinders are firing, it's not exactly difficult to envision Illinois celebrating at Lucas Oil Stadium during the One Shining Moment montage.
5. Houston Cougars (Pre-Tournament Rank: 5)
Death. Taxes. Houston holding its overmatched first-round opponent below 55 points. After turning Idaho into mashed potatoes, the Cougars have now won their last four tournament openers by an average score of 76.3 to 46.3.
When they faced Texas A&M in the second round in 2024, though, that was a 100-95 barn burner in overtime, so we'll see if the Aggies have a similar miracle up their sleeve this year.
More likely, Kingston Flemings will be the star and Houston will do its thing in a relatively low-scoring affair to move on to Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games in...Houston.
Nos. 4-1: Duke, Michigan, Florida and Arizona
7 of 7
4. Duke Blue Devils (Pre-Tournament Rank: 1)
Duke got a UMBC/FDU scare and a half from Siena in a game that seemed to turn on a dime early in the second half. Back-to-back missed dunks by the Saints led to a Blue Devils run out. From there, Duke gradually clawed back from 13 down against a gassed Cinderella hopeful for a 71-65 win.
Survive and advance, yes, but that didn't bode well for a title run. Nine of the last 10 champions won their opener by at least 24 points. The lone exception was 2019 Virginia, who also trailed by double digits before going on a tear for a 15-point victory.
Then again, Patrick Ngongba should be back as soon as Saturday, and there's still hope of Caleb Foster returning later in the tournament. Pretty big variables there, though it's still hard to believe they struggled with Siena after winning the ACC tournament without those two starters.
3. Michigan Wolverines (Pre-Tournament Rank: 3)
Howard kept things close for a while, but that opening game was never in doubt, the Wolverines ultimately winning by a 21-point margin.
What else is new, though? Michigan played 14 games against teams ranked outside the KenPom top 50 and won the vast majority of those in blowout fashion.
We'll see how they look from here on out, because the Wolverines definitely were not the same down the stretch without reserve guard LJ Cason. But shooting 83.9 percent on twos and 45.8 percent from distance against the Bison sure was a promising start.
2. Florida Gators (Pre-Tournament Rank: 4)
If you were worried about the Gators after the way they were soundly beaten by Vanderbilt in the SEC tournament semifinals, that little 45-6 run to close out the first half against Prairie View A&M was quite the reminder of what the reigning champs can do.
Prior to that loss to Vandy, Florida had won 12 in a row, as well as 17 of its last 18, predominantly in blowout fashion.
This is the best four-man frontcourt in the nation, and they're probably going to repeat if starting guards Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee continue to play well.
1. Arizona Wildcats (Pre-Tournament Rank: 2)
Between the Princeton debacle two years ago and Duke's close call against Siena on Thursday, Arizona decided it wasn't leaving anything to chance on Friday afternoon against Long Island. It took the Wildcats just three minutes to open up a 10-point lead, and they never looked back.
If Duke can get to full strength by Final Four weekend, it probably still has the higher ceiling. But we've been saying all year long that Arizona has the highest floor in the country. That combination of quality depth, veteran leadership and a minimal reliance on three-pointers makes them so consistent and so dangerous.
Were it not for the 25-year Final Four drought, they probably would have entered the dance as the clear favorite to win it all. But this is looking like one of those cases where streaks were made to be broken.
