March Madness 2026 has completed its 68-team field. Selection Sunday delivered no shortage of drama including Miami (OH) getting in over Auburn. But it also presented intriguing matchups starting on Tuesday.
What's certain is this: Even the No. 1 seeds aren't safe in each regional. Regardless if it's No. 1 ranked Duke or 32-2 Arizona. A Cinderella will rise in at least one of the regionals.
We can think of four who can rearrange brackets. That means one from each regional.
Here are the four to keep the closest eye on as the madness soon begins.
March Madness Midwest Regional Cinderella: Santa Clara
The Broncos haven't been on this stage since having a young Steve Nash lead them.
But Santa Clara looked built for the moment by taking down West Coast Conference powers Saint Mary's and Gonzaga. Balanced scoring powers the Broncos here with five players averaging more than eight points a night.
Head coach Herb Sendek is energized for this run. He owns 600 career wins but hasn't seen this stage since 2013-14 with Arizona State.
He also led North Carolina State to a Sweet 16 appearance in the 2004-05 season. Santa Clara will lean into its deep shooting lineup and Sendek's coaching to spark a run. And they get a Kentucky team that became up-and-down this season.
March Madness East Regional Cinderella: UCF
The Knights entered the NCAA Tournament conversation after blowing out BYU and AJ Dybantsa.
UCF stumbled down the stretch, losing four of its last five including taking the rout against Arizona. But they beat two ranked foes in Big 12 play (Kansas and Texas Tech) to cement their March Madness case. But we must remember who leads the Knights: Johnny Dawkins, a tournament veteran.
Dawkins constructed some national title winning teams at Duke as an assistant. He took Stanford to the Sweet 16 and a past Knights team to the second round. He's not a stranger to this stage. His Knights teams play at a fast tempo and can crash the boards (37.2 rebounds a game).
UCF's first round foe UCLA got hit with late injuries to Donovan Dent and Tyler Bilodeau. The Knights could take advantage while also challenging UConn's ball security should they make the second round.
March Madness South regional Cinderella: McNeese State
The Cowboys are a quiet powerhouse across the nation. But this year's team presents a chance to break out of the first round.
McNeese brings one of the nation's best defenses that forces turnovers. Then they score at will in averaging more than 80 points a night featuring five who score between eight to 17.5 points per game.
And the Cowboys get a Vanderbilt team that struggles with rebounding and lacks size. McNeese could exploit and then topple another team that struggled late in Nebraska.
A McNeese-Florida Sweet 16 contest could be in the works.
March Madness West Regional Cinderella: Hawai'i
The Rainbow Warriors continue the theme of stout defenses entering the tourney.
But Hawai'i is masterful at creating uncomfortable one-on-one matchups. Then close down outside shooters by bottling the three-pointer. Offensively Hawai'i wears teams down with rare size for a mid-major.
Isaac Johnson heads to March Madness as a seven-footer to watch in averaging 14.1 points per game. Dre Bullock provides efficient shooting at guard while grabbing steals at a high rate.
Hawai'i earns a golden opportunity to topple John Calipari and Arkansas right away. But the ‘Bows must overcome turnovers and their outside shooting woes to win.
