Last weekend, the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament kicked off. Out of the 64 teams who made the cut, here are a few teams who are eyeing to end their national championship drought.
Michigan State Spartans
Led by legendary coach Tom Izzo, the Spartans will play UConn in the Sweet 16. Izzo has led the Spartans to the Final Four eight times in his tenure, with the last being a loss to Texas Tech in 2019. Michigan State has not won a national title since 2000 but look to do so this year.
Jeremy Fears, point guard, has been leading the Spartans all season. Fears led the Spartans in a win against Louisville, where he recorded 16 assists in the Round of 32.
Carson Cooper, center, is averaging 11 points per game and helping the Spartans considerably. With a double-double against North Dakota State in the first round, Cooper wanted to leave it all on the floor.
When The Detroit News interviewed him about motivating his teammates, Cooper replied, “We all want to get to a Final Four, national championship. So if that’s what it takes, I’m gonna say my piece.”
St. John’s Red Storm
Saint John’s defeated the University of Kansas in the Round of 32 to advance to the Sweet 16. A historically good program, the Red Storm now face a tough challenge with the No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils.
Head coach Rick Pitino has won Two National championships, first at Kentucky in 1997 and then at Louisville in 2013. He has made seven Final Four appearances and was named the AP Coach of the Year in 2025.
Pitino told USA Today ahead of the Kansas game, “We just have to play for 40 minutes as hard as we can. If we win, we’re going to be in the Sweet 16. I’m not looking ahead, I’m looking at every possession.” Keeping this approach could help them defeat Duke as well.
With stops along the way at Providence, Iona, and even the Boston Celtics of the NBA, if anyone were to beat the five-time national champion Blue Devils, it would be Pitino.
Iowa Hawkeyes
The final “sleeper” still in the hunt for a title is No. 9 seed Iowa. The Hawkeyes defeated the defending National Champion Florida Gators in the Round of 32. Now in the Sweet 16, they will play another Big 10 foe, the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Throughout the regular season, the Hawkeyes and Cornhuskers faced off twice. Iowa won the first matchup 57-52 at their home arena in Iowa City. No. 4 seed Nebraska beat Iowa in overtime in their second meeting 84-75 in their home arena in Lincoln.
Thursday March 26, these two will face off in Houston, Texas. Nearly 1,000 miles away for each team, home “court” advantage will most likely be irrelevant.
Senior guard Bennett Stirtz and first-year head coach Ben McCollum look to lead the Hawkeyes to their first Elite 8 appearance since 1987.
The Final Four will start on April 4 in Indianapolis. The National Championship game will then take place on April 6.
