Fantasy Football Today — Special NCAA Tournament Preview with Jon Rothstein

Date: March 16, 2026
Host: Jon Rothstein (Inside College Basketball Now)
Theme: In-depth reaction, breakdown, and picks for every game in the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament bracket

Episode Overview

In this special Selection Sunday episode, Jon Rothstein takes over Inside College Basketball Now to deliver a comprehensive, unscripted breakdown of the just-released 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket. With signature energy and insider perspective, Jon reacts to every region, critiques the committee’s choices, and makes his picks all the way through the Final Four and national champion. The discussion is lively, packed with coaching nuggets, match-up analysis, and fan engagement as Jon fields live chat questions and connects with college basketball die-hards.

KEY SECTIONS & INSIGHTS

1. Opening Thoughts & Bracket Reaction

Starts at [00:47]

• Selection Sunday Praise: Jon commends the NCAA selection committee for nailing the field:

  "The 68 teams that I had projected to be in the NCAA tournament on Sunday morning are the same 68 teams that wound up in the NCAA tournament on Sunday night at 6:00. And I think the committee did an outstanding job..." [00:47]

• Seeding Quibbles:
  • St. Louis at a 9-seed surprised him after a mediocre season.
  • St. John’s missing a 4-seed was also unexpected, but overall, Jon sees any arguments as “splitting atoms.”
• Overall Outlook:
  “I think now we have an NCAA Tournament that has all sorts of storylines.” [02:10]

2. Regional Breakdown & Picks

East Region — “Region of Blue Bloods”

Starts at [04:20]

• Notable Programs: Duke, Ohio State, St. John’s, Kansas, Louisville, Michigan State, UCLA, UConn.
• Coaching Stat: Six of 16 East coaches have reached a Final Four; four (Pitino, Self, Izzo, Hurley) have won it all.
• First-round picks:
  • Duke over Siena (“got the Blue Devils moving on”)
  • TCU over Ohio State (Praises TCU’s underappreciated core, especially Xavier Edmonds and David Punch)
  • St. John’s over Northern Iowa
  • Kansas over Cal Baptist
  • Louisville over South Florida [pending Mikel Brown injury]
  • Michigan State over N. Dakota State
  • UCLA over UCF (despite coastal travel issues)
  • UConn over Furman
• Key Quotes:

  "I'm a big TCU guy... Jamie Dixon a couple of years ago scared Arizona to death in 2022..." [05:35]
  “This is the first time... that Bill Self and Rick Pitino have coached head to head as power conference head coaches.” [08:40]

• Second Round & Beyond:
  • Duke narrowly over TCU (“That game could be tricky for the Blue Devils”)
  • St. John’s over Kansas (calls Kansas “too mercurial”)
  • Michigan State over Louisville
  • UConn over UCLA (home-crowd advantage)
  • St. John’s over Duke // UConn over Michigan State
• Elite 8 Prediction:
  St. John’s vs. UConn – “the burgeoning rivalry” sets up a massive showdown in DC.
• Final Four Pick:
  UConn emerges from the “Region of Blue Bloods.”

  “Carpenter [Dan Hurley] is 13-1 in the last three NCAA tournaments — UConn to the Final Four!” [11:55]

South Region — “Region of Pressure”

Starts at [13:20]

• Themes of Pressure: Florida aiming to repeat, Nebraska seeking first ever NCAA win, North Carolina without star Caleb Wilson.
• Key Picks:
  • Florida over 16-seed
  • Clemson over Iowa (Bennett Sturts as a “Tom Hanks in Castaway” figure)
  • Vanderbilt over McNeese
  • Troy upsets Nebraska (“I’d throw a happy hour for Nebraska fans if they win, but I’m taking Troy”) [14:48]
• Sweet 16 & Elite 8 Pathway:
  • Florida over Vanderbilt
  • North Carolina survives VCU
  • Illinois over Penn
  • St. Mary’s over Texas A&M
  • Houston over Idaho (and ultimately over Illinois in the Elite 8)
• Final Four Pick:
  Houston – “For the third time under Kelvin Sampson.” [16:16]

West Region — “Region of Floor Generals”

Starts at [18:26]

• Focus: Elite guard play with stars like Jaden Bradley (Arizona), Braden Smith (Purdue), Darius Acuff (Arkansas), Rob Wright (BYU).
• Picks & Key Notes:
  • Arizona over LIU
  • Villanova over Utah State
  • Wisconsin over High Point
  • Arkansas over Hawaii
  • BYU over Texas
  • Gonzaga over Kennesaw
  • Miami over Missouri (Cautions about the pro-Mizzou crowd)
  • Purdue over Queens
  • Later Rounds: Arizona, Wisconsin, Gonzaga, and Purdue advance; picks Purdue to beat Arizona in the Elite 8.
• Memorable Quote:

  “I'm a sentimental person. ...I firmly believe that Purdue...this nucleus knew what was at stake...they are made for all seasons. I'm taking Purdue out of the region.” [22:33]

• Final Four Pick:
  Purdue

Midwest Region — “Region of Innovation”

Starts at [23:57]

• Coaching Innovation: Dusty May, Josh Schertz, Nate Oats, Ryan Odom highlighted.
• First-round picks:
  • Michigan and Georgia advance
  • Akron upsets Texas Tech
  • Alabama beats Hofstra
• Notable Matchups:
  • Michigan-Alabama Sweet 16 (calls it "fascinating")[25:01]
  • Tennessee edges Virginia, then Iowa State over Tennessee in a projected slow-paced “bloodbath”
• Final Four Pick:
  Michigan – “Iowa State/Michigan regional final in Chicago... going to take Michigan to get to the Final Four.” [25:40]

3. Final Four & National Title Predictions

Starts at [25:47]

• Final Four: UConn (East), Houston (South), Purdue (West), Michigan (Midwest)
• Title Game: UConn vs. Purdue (rematch of the 2024 final)

  "I am taking Purdue to finish the job and win a national championship at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis." [26:22]

• About Purdue:

  "Matt Painter has said repeatedly that this is the best chance that Purdue has to win a national championship." [26:24]
  “I said that anything less than a Final Four will be a major disappointment for Purdue.” [26:25]

4. Listener Q&A & Bracket Wisdom

Starts at [27:19]

• Purdue’s Outlook:

  “Well, pretty good, Blake. I just picked them to win the national championship. ...I think it’s a team of destiny with the way obviously that they played.” [27:30]

• On TCU’s Upset Potential:

  “TCU is going to beat Ohio State and Duke. Well, look, I picked TCU to beat Ohio State and I said this on our show on CBS Sports. I don’t think people have obviously watched TCU closely enough...” [28:00]

• Best Double-Digit Seeds for Upsets:
  • Jon’s bold picks: Troy (“the Dennis Rodman of the Sun Belt”) or possibly Akron, but not Santa Clara.
  • Factors against “First Four” teams advancing deep due to travel/time crunch.
• Arizona’s Sweet 16 Drought:

  “They can’t seem to get past the Sweet 16. Think it will happen this year, but we don’t know.”

• ACC Outlook:

  “I really think when you look at this bracket, I don’t see a team in the ACC having a clear path to the second weekend other than Duke.” [32:35]

• Bonus Trivia: First time since 2017 Mountain West has only 1 team in the tourney.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Selection Sunday:
  "This is a show where there are no scripts needed. This is a show where we can get into the guts of the greatest day of the year of the college basketball calendar." [01:50]
• On Tournament Stakes:
  “This is our day. It is Selection Sunday and there are...times I get the reaction to the bracket and you feel volatile, you feel opinionated...” [01:56]
• On St. John’s vs. UConn (projected Elite 8):
  “It would be for a berth in the Final Four and it would be in our nation's capital. That's what I'm picking to happen.” [12:05]
• On picking Purdue as champs:
  “I am going to take Purdue to finish the job and win a national championship at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis.” [26:22]
• On the episode itself:
  “Think of this show as your charcuterie board for March Madness. You've had the brigitte, you've had the crackers, you've had the grapes but tomorrow we give you a little bit more. I don't know if you're getting the main course, but we're going to spice up the appetizers.” [33:50]

Important Timestamps

• [00:47] — Opening thoughts on bracket, seeding surprises
• [04:20] — East Region breakdown
• [13:20] — South Region breakdown
• [18:26] — West Region breakdown
• [23:57] — Midwest Region breakdown
• [25:47] — Final Four & national championship picks
• [27:19] — Listener questions and bracket discussions
• [33:50] — Closing remarks and subscription plug

Episode Takeaway

Jon Rothstein delivers a tour de force Selection Sunday broadcast, providing insight, context, upset alerts, and expert predictions for the 2026 NCAA Tournament. If you’re building your bracket, looking for upsets, or just want to understand the storylines driving this year’s Madness, this is the go-to episode. Rothstein’s picks: UConn, Houston, Purdue, and Michigan in the Final Four, with Purdue finishing redemption and cutting down the nets in Indy.

For Further Engagement

• Subscribe & review Inside College Basketball Now on Apple & Spotify
• New content drops Mondays and special tournament episodes on Wednesdays
• Comment, chat, and hit the hype button on YouTube to be part of Rothstein’s “army”