Overview
- Bracketology strongly projects Duke, Michigan and Arizona on the No. 1 seed line, with UConn favored at 88.2% for the fourth spot and Purdue, Iowa State, Houston, Florida and Illinois still in the chase.
- UConn beat St. John's on Wednesday, halting the Red Storm's 13-game surge and reinforcing the Huskies' position in the top-line race after last week's committee preview left the door open.
- Selection Sunday is March 15 at 6 p.m. ET on CBS, with streaming via Fubo, ahead of the men's First Four on March 17-18 and the 64-team bracket tipping March 19.
- The men's tournament opens in Dayton and plays first- and second-round games in eight cities, with regionals in Houston, San Jose, Chicago and Washington, D.C., before the Final Four (April 4) and title game (April 6) at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis; the women's event starts with a First Four on March 18 and crowns its champion on April 5.
- Futures markets list Michigan (+380), Duke (+420) and Arizona (+500) as title favorites, while a CBS Sports bettor highlights UConn as a value at +2000; CBS Sports is also running free men's and women's Bracket Challenges with trips to the 2027 Final Four as prizes and tools to create private pools.