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John Calipari will coach in his 25th NCAA Tournament, leading Arkansas to its second March Madness appearance in his two years in the program. He has led four schools to the Big Dance, but the legendary coach has only one national championship to show for it. After guiding Arkansas to the SEC Tournament title and with Arkansas entering the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket as the No. 4 seed in the West Region, could Calipari be on his way to another Final Four appearance and a deep run in the 2026 March Madness bracket?

Arkansas made the Sweet 16 as a No. 10 seed last year before falling in overtime to No. 3 Texas Tech. Calipari has another team filled with young talent, so how should his Razorbacks factor into your 2026 March Madness picks? Before making any 2026 March Madness bracket predictions, be sure to check out the 2026 NCAA Tournament 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 percent 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.

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.

Three 2026 March Madness Cinderella teams to watch out for

One potential 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket buster is the Akron Zips. The No. 12 seed from the Midwest Region is playing in its seventh NCAA Tournament since 2009, and although the Zips haven't won a March Madness contest, this could be the team to change that. Akron enters at 29-5 overall, and its only conference loss came in a 76-73 final on the road to Miami (OH), which was undefeated before its high-profile conference tournament defeat. Senior guard Tavari Johnson is one of the nation's top scorers at 20.2 points per game, and he's the type of experienced guard that can create a Cinderella story.

Another potential double-digit darling for 2026 March Madness is the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. The No. 13 seed from the West Region is 24-8 and won the Big West Tournament title. Hawaii has won six of its last seven games and enters off its third 20-win season over the last four years. The Rainbow Warriors have size to match No. 4 Arkansas and other larger conference foes they could face with a first-round upset, as 7-foot center Isaac Johnson, who has played at Oregon and Utah State, leads Hawaii at 14.1 points per game this season.

Another Cinderella team to watch for is the California Baptist Lancers. The No. 13 seed from the East Region enters on a six-game winning streak after claiming the Western Athletic Conference title. The Lancers have won 15 of their last 17 games and are 25-8 this season. California Baptist has scored more than 80 points in four of its last five games. With how well their offense is playing lately, the Lancers are a candidate to get hot at the right time, potentially upset No. 4 Kansas in the first round, and go on a run. Check out more of the model's 2026 Cinderella picks and full 2026 NCAA bracket picks here.

How to make 2026 NCAA bracket predictions

Who wins every tournament-defining matchup? And which teams will make surprising runs through the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket? 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 Cinderella teams will shock college basketball? Visit SportsLine now to see which double-digit seeds you can back with confidence, all from the model that called all four Final Four teams in 2025.