Ahead of the Sweet 16, Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde, Kevin Sweeney and Bryan Fischer reset their brackets and make their picks through to the Final Four in Indianapolis. Many picks remain the same as before March Madness started, but each writer shares how the monster matchups shaped their predictions.
Pat Forde’s Sweet 16 predictions
Since my original Final Four remains intact, I’m going to keep rolling with it—although I do think St. John’s has a chance to take down Duke in the Sweet 16, if it can make enough shots. I certainly didn’t see the Black Friday football matchup of Iowa and Nebraska coming; this will add some juice to a rivalry with underrated animosity. Arizona-Arkansas and Houston-Illinois are monster Sweet 16 matchups, with the winner capable of taking the whole tournament. Iowa State was great without Joshua Jefferson against Kentucky but will need him back if at all possible to get past Tennessee in what should be a wickedly physical game.
Bryan Fischer’s Sweet 16 predictions
I think my reluctance over Michigan has subsided after seeing how the Wolverines looked in Buffalo in the first round and I came ever so close to making them my national title pick. However, I’ll stick with my original matchup in Indianapolis as Duke returns to form in that loaded East Regional and Arizona emerges from the other side of the bracket to finally bring the title back to the West for the first time in decades. My biggest conflict might be what happens in the South as that Illinois-Houston game sure looks like a play-in game for the Final Four. I was extremely impressed over how the Illini looked in Greenville, S.C., and they get the slight edge over a group very much playing a home game. From a basketball standpoint, I’d be extremely happy with just about any Final Four combination we get out of the teams in the second weekend because the level of play has been fantastic so far.
Kevin Sweeney’s Sweet 16 predictions
The only substantial difference in my picks from my pre-tournament bracket is what’s happening in the South, where I flipped Illinois in for Houston. That region opened up well for the Cougars when Florida lost to Iowa in the round of 32, but Illinois is playing great and has the talent to bounce Houston in the Sweet 16 before eventually getting to its first Final Four since 2005.
Elsewhere, I’m still backing Darius Acuff Jr. and Arkansas to pull the shocker on Arizona in what could be one of the best games of the tournament. It doesn’t feel like either team will be able to stop the other, but I like whoever gets out of that one against Purdue in the Elite Eight. Beyond that, it’s mostly chalk: Duke and Michigan should get challenged this weekend, but both will survive and get to Indianapolis.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as March Madness Brackets: Expert Predictions for the 2026 Men’s Sweet 16.
