Sweet 16 Bracket Updated Schedule and Upset Picks for Men's NCAA Tournament

The 2026 men's NCAA Tournament has already delivered its share of magic.

Or Madness, sorry. The vibes are the same, but branding is everything.

After the first weekend's cut to 16 teams, the tournament bracket no longer includes the defending champion Florida Gators, but does still feature the 11th-seeded—and First Four-participating—Texas Longhorns. Also included are the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who picked up the program's first and second ever tournament victories. And they'll soon tussle with their Big Ten rival Iowa Hawkeyes, who entered the tournament amid a 3-7 skid and dispatched the Gators despite an 0-of-9 showing from three from All-American honorable mention Bennett Stirtz.

What will the hoop gods serve up during the Sweet 16? More upsets should probably be expected, so after laying out the Sweet 16 schedule, we'll make a couple of upset picks.

Sweet 16 Schedule

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Thursday, March 26

11-Texas vs. 2-Purdue, 7:10 p.m. ET on CBS

9-Iowa vs. 4-Nebraska, 7:30 p.m. ET on TBS/truTV

4-Arkansas vs. 1-Arizona, 9:45 p.m. ET on CBS

3-Illinois vs. 2-Houston, 10:05 p.m. ET on TBS/truTV

Friday, March 27

5- St. John's vs. 1-Duke, 7:10 p.m. ET on CBS

4-Alabama vs. 1-Michigan, 7:35 p.m. on TBS/truTV

3-Michigan State vs. 2-UConn, 9:45 p.m. on CBS

6-Tennessee vs. 2-Iowa State, 10:10 p.m. ET on TBS/truTV

9-Iowa over 4-Nebraska

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The Hawkeyes found their way to two wins in this tournament without a signature game from Stirtz. His game log says he's overdue for a dominant showing.

He scored 20-plus points 18 times this season, tallied 25 or more in eight different outings and cleared the 30-point threshold three times. He has 29 points total on 27.3 percent shooting (15.8 percent from three) in this tournament, making it no minor miracle that his Hawkeyes remain upright.

If Iowa can get its best player activated, it has a real shot at knocking off a Nebraska team it already defeated once this season (and went to overtime with in its other collision).

The Huskers' 52nd-ranked offense is at the least efficient unit in this matchup, per KenPom.com. If Stirtz has a huge showing, Nebraska may not have the firepower to keep up.

5-St. John's over 1-Duke

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The Red Storm have suffered two losses in 2026—and one of them happened on Jan. 3. This squad is scorching and in possession of a top-10 defense nationally.

The Blue Devils, of course, have suffered just two losses all season, so they're kind of perpetually hot. That said, they nearly landed on the wrong end of a true tournament stunner, as they needed a late rally to scramble out of a double-digit deficit in order to salvage a six-point win over 16th-seeded Siena on Thursday.

Duke looked better on Saturday, but it's still missing some playmaking and its top perimeter shooter with Caleb Foster sidelined by a right foot fracture. And the defense isn't quite as intimidating with leading shot-blocker Patrick Ngongba II shaking off the rust after missing five straight games with foot soreness.

If the Blue Devils aren't on the top of their game—and they've only resided there in one of four halves played at the Big Dance so far—the tough and tenacious Red Storm can hustle and hard-work their way to an upset.