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The Kansas Jayhawks are one of the accomplished programs in college basketball history. After hitting a few speedbumps during the season, they'll enter the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket as a No. 4 seed in the East Region. Superstar freshman Darryn Peterson has battled injuries and questions about his motivation all season, but still has a chance at a legendary 2026 March Madness run with Kansas. The Jayhawks will match up with No. 13 seed Cal Baptist, which won the WAC to earn its first ever NCAA Tournament bid.

Kansas has been eliminated during the first weekend five times in its last six trips to the Big Dance, but won a national championship in 2022. How far can you trust Peterson to carry Kansas as you fill out your 2026 March Madness bracket picks? Before filling out your NCAA Tournament bracket 2026, be sure to see the 2026 March Madness bracket picks from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

Their proven projection model has simulated every game in the tournament 10,000 times. It has absolutely crushed its March Madness picks recently, beating over 91% of all CBS Sports brackets in four of the past seven tournaments. It was all over UConn's championship run two years ago and nailed 12 teams in the Sweet 16 last year. It also correctly predicted all four Final Four teams in 2025.

It knows how to spot an upset as well. The same model has produced brackets that have nailed 25 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds since its inception in 2016.

There's no reason to rely on luck when there's proven technology to help you dominate your 2026 March Madness picks. Now, with the 2026 NCAA bracket revealed, the model is simulating the matchups and its results are in. You can only see it over at SportsLine.

Top 2026 March Madness bracket picks (preview two matchups)

One of the Midwest Region picks from the model: No. 9 Saint Louis defeats No. 8 Georgia in the first round. Josh Schertz was hired at Saint Louis two seasons ago after leading Indiana State to 32 wins and he's helped quickly transform the Billikens back into a noteworthy mid-major. Saint Louis won the regular-season A-10 title and was ranked top-15 in the nation in both offensive and defensive rating this season.

Meanwhile, Georgia was prolific offensively (fifth in the nation in scoring), but ranked 315th out of 365 Division I teams in points allowed per game (79.2). Saint Louis is elite at the 3-point line on both ends of the floor, ranking third in 3-point shooting percentage (40.1%) and fifth in 3-point shooting percentage allowed (29.4%). Those are big reasons why the model likes Saint Louis to pull off the upset in this 8 vs. 9 matchup. 

Another surprise in the Midwest: No. 5 Texas Tech defeats No. 4 Alabama in the second round. The model projects Texas Tech to get past Akron and Alabama to defeat Hofstra in the opening round to set up this matchup. Both teams have played plenty of games against top 25 opponents, with Texas Tech having a slight record advantage at 5-6 compared to Alabama's 4-5 mark against ranked teams. Both Texas Tech and Alabama reached the Elite Eight last year, but the Red Raiders were competitive in a five-point loss to eventual national champion Florida, whereas Alabama lost by 20 points to Duke.

Texas Tech is one of the most dangerous 3-point shooting teams in the nation, ranking fourth in made triples (11.5 per game) and fifth in 3-point percentage (39.3%). Alabama ranks 230th in 3-pointers allowed. If Texas Tech shoots well from deep, Alabama will have a tough time advancing to the Sweet 16. You can see the model's 2026 NCAA bracket picks here.

How to make 2026 NCAA bracket predictions

Who wins every tournament-defining matchup, and which region does the model project the No. 1 seed not making the Final Four, plus there being two double-digit seed stunners? With the model's track record of calling bracket-busting upsets, you'll want to see which stunners it's calling this year before locking in any 2026 NCAA bracket picks.

So what's the optimal NCAA Tournament 2026 bracket, and which NCAA Tournament double-digit seeds will shock college basketball? Visit SportsLine now to see which region is loaded with upsets, all from the model that's beaten 91% of bracket players in four of the last seven tournaments.