After a long, often excruciating wait, a 68-team Men's NCAA basketball tournament bracket has been revealed.

The field and matchups for the March Madness were unveiled Sunday, March 15, setting the stage for millions of fans across the country to stress over their Final Four picks and first-round upsets.

In the Midwest region, No. 1 seed Michigan will look to follow through on its stellar regular season, with Big Ten player of the year Yaxel Lendeborg leading the way and coach Dusty May looking to get to his second Final Four in the past four seasons (and at his second school).

Selection Sunday winners, losers: Miami Ohio gets in, St. John's gets hosed

The Wolverines will face some challenges on their way there, though. No. 2 seed Iowa State has one of the sport's best, most tenacious defenses and is battle tested after a full season through the relentless Big 12. No. 3 seed Virginia has been one of the biggest turnaround stories this season. And No. 4 seed Alabama showed everyone last season that it can win in March, with a run to the Final Four two years ago.

March Madness region breakdown: South | East | West

How will things shake out in the Midwest region? Here's a look at the best matchups, potential upsets and more:

Midwest Region best first-round matchup: Georgia vs. Saint Louis

Two years ago, the country was wrongfully denied a shot at seeing Robbie Avila, Ryan Conwell and Josh Schertz's fun, high-powered offense in the NCAA tournament when the selection committee didn't include a 32-win Indiana State team in the field. Now, Schertz and Avila are racking up wins at Saint Louis, which earned an at-large berth with a 28-5 record and an Atlantic 10 regular-season championship. The Billikens stumbled a bit down the stretch, going 4-4 in their final eight games after a 24-1 start, but they have one of the fastest-paced teams in the country that, for all of its offensive excellence, is stout on the defensive end, too.

They'll get a first-round matchup with a Georgia team that won 22 games, tied for its most victories in a season since 1997. The Bulldogs play even faster than Saint Louis, ranking 16th nationally in adjusted tempo, according to KenPom, and have a balanced offense in which four players are averaging at least 11.9 points per game, led by Jeremiah Wilkinson at 17 points per game.

This game will be anything but a slog, with the winner likely safely getting into the 80s.

Midwest Region potential upset in first round: Akron vs. Texas Tech

The 5-over-12 upset is a time-honored tradition, often for a good reason, with the 12 seed often going to top teams from the mid- and low-major ranks. Texas Tech has been a top-20 team throughout the season and is one of the toughest teams in the country, but it's also a diminished version of itself, with All-American forward JT Toppin out for the season with a torn ACL and star guard Christian Anderson recovering from a groin injury he suffered on the Big 12 tournament's ill-advised glass court.

The Red Raiders will take on an Akron team with tournament experience, one that has played in the Big Dance in each of the past two seasons. The Zips haven't gotten particularly close either time, losing by 28 to Arizona last year and 17 to Creighton in 2024, but they have one of the country's top scorers in Tavari Johnson, who averages 20.1 points per game, and have won 19 of their past 20 games. There's not an upset in this region that's particularly enticing, but this one's probably the closest thing there is to one.

March Madness snubs: Oklahoma leads teams left out of NCAA tournament

NCAA Tournament Midwest Region sleeper: Kentucky

The Wildcats have been one of the biggest disappointments in the sport this season, with a roster worth a reported $22 million going just 21-13 and finishing ninth in the SEC. They're without two of the highest-priced players on the team, big man Jayden Quaintance and point guard Jaland Lowe, but they have a proven bucket-getter in Otega Oweh and a solid supporting cast. They've shown they can beat top competition this season, with wins over Vanderbilt, St. John's, Tennessee and Arkansas to their name.

If coach Mark Pope's team can survive a first-round matchup against a Santa Clara team over which it should have a decided talent advantage, it could cause some fits in the second round for an Iowa State program that, for all of its regular-season accomplishments, has regularly underplayed its seed in the NCAA tournament in recent years.

NCAA Tournament Midwest Region winner: Michigan

A season-ending injury to guard L.J. Cason could end up preventing Michigan from cutting down the nets in Indianapolis the first Monday of April, but the Wolverines still have more than enough talent and cohesion to get there. Lendeborg has been one of the best players in the country this season and is part of an absolutely loaded frontcourt that also includes 7-3 Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr.

There's nobody in this region who can go toe-to-toe with them.

NCAA Tournament Midwest Region first round scheduleTuesday, March 17

First Four Game

• No. 16 UMBC vs. No. 16 Howard | TBD | truTV (Sling TV)

Thursday, March 19

Round of 64

• No. 1 Michigan (31-3) vs. No. 16 UMBC/Howard
• No. 8 Georgia (22-10) vs. Saint Louis (28-5)
• No. 5 Vanderbilt (26-8) vs. No. 12 McNeese (28-5)

Friday, March 20

Round of 64

• No. 5 Texas Tech (22-10) vs. No. 12 Akron (29-5)
• No. 4 Alabama (23-9) vs. No. 13 Hofstra (24-10)
• No. 6 Tennessee (22-11) vs. No. 11 Miami (OH)/SMU
• No. 3 Virginia (29-5) vs. No. 14 Wright State (23-11)
• No. 7 Kentucky (21-13) vs. No. 10 Sanata Clara (26-8)
• No. 2 Iowa State (27-7) vs. No. 15 Tennessee State (23-9)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NCAA tournament 2026 Midwest Region predictions for March Madness

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