Joe Lunardi Releases Latest 2026 NCAA Tournament Projections
Longtime ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi unveiled his updated 2026 NCAA tournament projections on Tuesday morning.
In his previous update on May 20, Lunardi had Indiana listed among the “first four out.” Despite several offseason additions, the Hoosiers remain in that group in the latest update, joined by Marquette, Washington, and Clemson.
Indiana has been active in the transfer portal, adding 10 players for the 2025–26 season. Notable newcomers include Tayton Conerway, Tucker DeVries, Lamar Wilkerson, and Reed Bailey. The Hoosiers also welcome two freshmen: Trent Sisley and Aleksa Ristic.
The program is coming off back-to-back seasons without an NCAA tournament appearance under former head coach Mike Woodson. Since the 2016–17 season, Indiana has reached the tournament just twice in the last eight years. Darian DeVries now leads the program following Woodson’s departure.
Lunardi’s current projected No. 1 seeds are Houston, Duke, Florida, and Purdue.
A total of 11 Big Ten teams are in Lunardi’s latest field:
- Purdue (No. 1 seed)
- Michigan (No. 2)
- Michigan State, UCLA, Illinois (all No. 4)
- Ohio State, Wisconsin (No. 6)
- USC, Oregon (No. 7)
- Iowa, Maryland (No. 10)
The SEC leads all conferences with a projected 14 teams in the field.
Four Big Ten programs underwent coaching changes this offseason:
- Darian DeVries replaces Mike Woodson at Indiana
- Ben McCollum steps in for Fran McCaffery at Iowa
- Buzz Williams takes over at Maryland after Kevin Willard’s move to Villanova
- Niko Medved is now at Minnesota following Ben Johnson’s dismissal
The 2026 NCAA tournament’s first and second round games will be hosted in Buffalo, Greenville, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Portland, San Diego, St. Louis, and Tampa.
Regional sites include Chicago, Houston, San Jose, and Washington D.C., with the Final Four set for Indianapolis.
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