2026 Men's March Madness All-Tournament Team After the National Championship

The Michigan Wolverines are national champions after wrapping up the 2026 men's NCAA tournament on Monday night with a 69-63 win over the UConn Huskies to cap off a dominant March Madness run.

For all the attention given to Michigan's trio of bigs inside, guard Elliot Cadeau ended up taking home Most Outstanding Player honors. He scored a game-high 19 points in the championship and was a major X-factor all tournament long for the Wolverines.

With another March Madness officially in the books, it's time to pick our All-Tournament Team, with five first-team and five second-team spots up for grabs.

To be considered for inclusion, a player had to have reached the Elite Eight, and first-team honors were reserved for players who appeared in the Final Four.

Let the debate begin!

Second Team

Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

Cameron Boozer

Cameron Boozer, Duke

The best player in college basketball this season looked the part in his first and likely only NCAA tournament. He averaged 22.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 blocks across four games, logging three double-doubles and going out on a 27-point performance against UConn in the Elite Eight.

Morez Johnson Jr., Michigan

Johnson had a double-double to begin (21 points, 10 rebounds vs. Howard) and end (12 points, 10 rebounds vs. UConn) Michigan's NCAA tournament run. The Illinois transfer averaged 12.8 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 59.1 percent from the field in six games.

Koa Peat, Arizona

Peat outperformed fellow freshman phenom Brayden Burries and Big 12 Player of the Year Jaden Bradley as the most productive player on the Arizona roster during March Madness. He averaged 17.6 points and 7.6 rebounds in five games, including back-to-back 20-point performances against Arkansas and Purdue to reach the Final Four.

Bennett Stirtz, Iowa

The Iowa Hawkeyes were one of the surprise stories of the 2026 NCAA tournament, upsetting No. 1 seed Florida and No. 4 seed Nebraska to reach the Elite Eight as a 9-seed. Stirtz was their go-to guy all season, averaging nearly 20 points. He logged 18.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest over four games.

Keaton Wagler, Illinois

Wagler was college basketball's biggest breakout star during the 2025-26 season, going from a 3-star recruit to a likely lottery pick and All-American. He averaged 18.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists to lead a No. 3 seed Illinois team to the Final Four.

Honorable Mentions: Brayden Burries (Arizona), Jaden Bradley (Arizona), Isaiah Evans (Duke), Ja'Kobi Gillespie (Tennessee), Fletcher Loyer (Purdue), Trey Kaufman-Renn (Purdue), Motiejus Krivas (Arizona), Tramon Mark (Texas), Trey McKenney (Michigan), David Mirkovic (Illinois), Braylon Mullins (UConn), Braden Smith (Purdue), Andrej Stojakovic (Illinois), Dailyn Swain (Texas), Matas Vokietaitis (Texas)

Alex Karaban, UConn

Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images

Stats: 6 G, 16.2 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.0 BPG, .570 TS%

Alex Karaban fell short of joining a short list of players who won three national championships, but he still put together a legendary four-year run at UConn as a key cog in their dynasty.

He had a career-high 27 points in the Huskies second-round victory over UCLA. He departs as UConn's all-time leader in games played (151) and games won (126) to go along with an 18-2 record in the NCAA tournament.

Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Stats: 6 G, 18.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.2 APG, 0.7 BPG, .689 TS%

Yaxel Lendeborg was the No. 1 player in the transfer portal last offseason. He lived up to the hype at Michigan, taking home Big Ten Player of the Year and first team All-American honors.

He landed awkwardly on his left foot in the Final Four against Arizona and suffered a bone bruise, limiting him to 14 minutes in that game and slowing him down in the national championship. He still gutted out 36 minutes of action against UConn, finishing with 13 points to close out a fantastic all-around season.

Tarris Reed Jr., UConn

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Stats: 6 G, 19.5 PPG, 13.2 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.5 BPG, .597 TS%

Even battling against Michigan's significant size advantage, Tarris Reed Jr. still finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds in the national championship game for his 14th double-double of the season and fourth of the NCAA tournament.

He had an absurd 31-point, 27-rebound game against Furman in the first round. The Huskies needed every bit of it in an 82-71 game that was closer than the final score suggests. He also logged 26 points, nine rebounds, four blocks, three assists and two steals in 32 minutes against Duke in the Elite Eight.

Aday Mara, Michigan

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Stats: 6 G, 14.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.2 APG, 2.3 BPG, .670 TS%

Despite his 5-star pedigree, Aday Mara was something of an afterthought in two seasons at UCLA, averaging 5.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 11.5 minutes per game.

He ended up being the centerpiece of the nation's top defense, winning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors. He produced 14 blocks and three steals in six tournament games. Mara also poured in a career-high 26 points against Arizona in the Final Four.

Elliot Cadeau, Michigan

Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images

Stats: 6 G, 12.3 PPG, 7.5 APG, 3.7 RPG, 1.7 SPG, .504 TS%

With a game-high 19 points against UConn in the national championship, Elliot Cadeau walked away as the surprise winner of Most Outstanding Player honors at the 2026 NCAA tournament, but it was well-earned.

Guard play was always going to be the X-factor for the Wolverines during March Madness. He delivered all tournament long with 17 points against Alabama, 10 assists against Tennessee and a 13-point, 10-assist double-double against Arizona to help get them to the title game.