Need help filling out your 2026 men’s NCAA tournament bracket? We have you covered — with some help from Claude.
We ran the bracket through an AI prompt on Claude and asked it to simulate the outcome of each game. Compare the AI picks to your own or those of your favorite college basketball analyst.
Advertisement
We hope you like chalk. Claude went light on upsets.
[Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem: Fill out brackets for your shot at $50K]
East Region
First Four
No. 16 UMBC over No. 16 Howard
No. 11 South Florida over No. 11 NC State
First round
No. 1 Duke over No. 16 Siena
No. 8 Ohio State over No. 9 TCU
No. 5 St. John’s over No. 12 Northwestern
No. 4 Kansas over No. 13 Cal Baptist
No. 6 Louisville over No. 11 South Florida
No. 3 Michigan State over No. 14 North Dakota State
No. 10 UFC over No. 7 UCLA
No. 2 UConn over No. 15 Furman
Second round
No. 1 Duke over No. 8 Ohio State
No. 4 Kansas over No. 5 St. John’s
No. 3 Michigan State over No. 6 Louisville
No. 2 UConn over No. 10 UCF
Sweet 16
No. 1 Duke over No. 4 Kansas
No. 2 UConn over No. 3 Michigan State
Elite Eight
No. 1 Duke over No. 2 UConn
Advertisement
[Click here for NCAA tournament printable bracket]
West Region
First Four
No. 11 NC State over No. 11 Texas
First round
No. 1 Arizona over No. 16 LIU
No. 8 Villanova over No. 9 Utah State
No. 5 Wisconsin over No. 12 High Point
No. 4 Arkansas over No. 13 Hawaii
No. 6 BYU over No. 11 NC State
No. 3 Gonzaga over No. 14 Kennesaw State
No. 7 Miami (Fla.) over No. 10 Missouri
No. 2 Purdue over No. 15 Queens
Second round
No. 1 Arizona over No. 8 Villanova
No. 4 Arkansas over No. 5 Wisconsin
No. 6 BYU over No. 3 Gonzaga
No. 2 Purdue over No. 7 Miami (Fla.)
Sweet 16
No. 1 Arizona over No. 4 Arkansas
No. 2 Purdue over No. 6 BYU
Advertisement
Elite Eight
No. 1 Arizona over No. 2 Purdue
Midwest Region
First Four
No. 16 UMBC over No. 16 Howard
No. 11 Miami (Ohio) over No. 11 SMU
First round
No. 1 Michigan over No. 16 UMBC
No. 9 St. Louis over No. 8 Georgia
No. 5 Texas Tech over No. 12 Akron
No. 4 Alabama over No. 13 Hofstra
No. 6 Tennessee over No. 11 Miami (Ohio)
No. 3 Virginia over No. 14 Wright State
No. 7 Kentucky over No. 10 Santa Clara
No. 2 Iowa State over No. 15 Tennessee State
Second round
No. 1 Michigan over No. 9 St. Louis
No. 4 Alabama over No. 5 Texas Tech
No. 3 Virginia over No. 6 Tennessee
No. 2 Iowa State over No. 7 Kentucky
Advertisement
Sweet 16
No. 1 Michigan over No. 4 Alabama
No. 2 Iowa State over No. 3 Virginia
Elite Eight
No. 2 Iowa State over No. 1 Michigan
South Region
First Four
No. 16 Lehigh over No. 16 Prairie View A&M
First round
No. 1 Florida over No. 16 Lehigh
No. 9 Iowa over No. 8 Clemson
No. 5 Vanderbilt over No. 12 McNeese
No. 4 Nebraska over No. 13 Troy
No. 6 North Carolina over No. 11 VCU
No. 3 Illinois over No. 14 Penn
No. 7 Saint Mary’s over No. 10 Texas A&M
No. 2 Houston over No. 15 Idaho
Second round
No. 1 Florida over No. 9 Iowa
No. 4 Nebraska over No. 5 Vanderbilt
No. 3 Illinois over No. 6 North Carolina
No. 2 Houston over No. 7 Saint Mary’s
Advertisement
Sweet 16
No. 1 Florida over No. 4 Nebraska
No. 2 Houston over No. 3 Illinois
Elite Eight
No. 2 Houston over No. 1 Florida
Final Four
No. 1 Duke over No. 2 Houston
No. 1 Arizona over No. 2 Iowa State
Championship
No. 1 Duke over No. 1 Arizona
