First 2027 March Madness predictions using the 76-team bracket
March Madness will look a little different in 2027, with the NCAA tournament expanding to 76 teams. With the expansion, Andy Katz has shared his first bracket predictions for 2027 and his top 44 teams.
👉 EXPANSION: How the 76-team tournament will work
Take a look at Andy Katz's first bracket prediction for 2026-27 below:
| Seed | East | South | Midwest | West |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke | Florida | Michigan | Illinois |
| 16 | Merrimack/Southern | Central Connecticut/Howard | Montana State/Vermont | Tennessee State/North Dakota |
| 8 | Iowa | Ohio State | Texas A&M | Saint Louis |
| 9 | Auburn | North Carolina | Providence | Baylor |
| 5 | Purdue | Southern Cal. | Nebraska | Iowa State |
| 12 | West Virginia/Villanova | Utah State/UCF | South Florida | Santa Clara |
| 4 | Alabama | Houston | Kansas | Louisville |
| 13 | Harvard | Illinois State | Miami (OH) | Liberty |
| 6 | Miami (Fla.) | St. John's | Gonzaga | Indiana |
| 11 | Arizona State/Oklahoma | Clemson/TCU | Kentucky/Maryland | New Mexico |
| 3 | Michigan State | Vanderbilt | Virginia | Texas |
| 14 | High Point | Charleston | UC Irvine | McNeese |
| 7 | UCLA | BYU | VCU | Missouri |
| 10 | Xavier | Ole Miss | Marquette/Texas Tech | Wisconsin |
| 2 | Arkansas | UConn | Tennessee | Arizona |
| 15 | Mercer/Central Arkansas | Navy | Marshall | Green Bay/Queens |
Andy Katz's field of 76
Here is Katz's full seed list in order, from one through 76.
| Team (seed) | AQ Conference | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke (1) | (AQ ACC) |
| 2 | Florida (1) | (AQ SEC) |
| 3 | Michigan (1) | (AQ Big Ten) |
| 4 | Illinois (1) | |
| 5 | Tennessee (2) | |
| 6 | UConn (2) | (AQ Big East) |
| 7 | Arizona (2) | (AQ Big 12) |
| 8 | Arkansas (2) | |
| 9 | Texas (3) | |
| 10 | Michigan State (3) | |
| 11 | Vanderbilt (3) | |
| 12 | Virginia (3) | |
| 13 | Kansas (4) | |
| 14 | Houston (4) | |
| 15 | Louisville (4) | |
| 16 | Alabama (4) | |
| 17 | Nebraska (5) | |
| 18 | Iowa State (5) | |
| 19 | Purdue (5) | |
| 20 | USC (5) | |
| 21 | Gonzaga (6) | (AQ Pac-12) |
| 22 | St. John’s (6) | |
| 23 | Miami, Fla. (6) | |
| 24 | Indiana (6) | |
| 25 | Missouri (7) | |
| 26 | VCU (7) | (AQ A10) |
| 27 | UCLA (7) | |
| 28 | BYU (7) | |
| 29 | Saint Louis (8) | |
| 30 | Ohio State (8) | |
| 31 | Iowa (8) | |
| 32 | Texas A&M (8) | |
| 33 | North Carolina (9) | |
| 34 | Providence (9) | |
| 35 | Baylor (9) | |
| 36 | Auburn (9) | |
| 37 | Wisconsin (10) | |
| 38 | Xavier (10) | |
| 39 | Ole Miss (10) | |
| 40 | Marquette (10) | |
| 41 | Texas Tech (10) | |
| 42 | Kentucky (11) | |
| 43 | Maryland (11) | |
| 44 | New Mexico (11) | (AQ MWC) |
| 45 | Arizona State (11) | |
| 46 | Oklahoma (11) | |
| 47 | Clemson (11) | |
| 48 | TCU (11) | |
| 49 | West Virginia (12) | |
| 50 | Villanova (12) | |
| 51 | Utah State (12) | |
| 52 | UCF (12) | |
| 53 | South Florida (12) | (AQ American) |
| 54 | Santa Clara (12) | (AQ WCC) |
| 55 | Miami, Ohio (13) | (AQ MAC) |
| 56 | Illinois State (13) | (AQ MVC) |
| 57 | Harvard (13) | (AQ Ivy) |
| 58 | Liberty (13) | (AQ CUSA) |
| 59 | McNeese (14) | (AQ Southland) |
| 60 | Charleston (14) | (AQ CAA) |
| 61 | UC Irvine (14) | (AQ Big West) |
| 62 | High Point (14) | (AQ Big South) |
| 63 | Marshall (15) | (AQ Sun Belt) |
| 64 | Navy (15) | (AQ Patriot) |
| 65 | Mercer (15) | (AQ Southern) |
| 66 | Central Arkansas (15) | (AQ UAC) |
| 67 | Green Bay (15) | (AQ Horizon) |
| 68 | Queens (15) | (AQ ASun) |
| 69 | Tennessee State (16) | (AQ OVC) |
| 70 | North Dakota (16) | (AQ Summit) |
| 71 | Montana State (16) | (AQ Big Sky) |
| 72 | Vermont (16) | (AQ America East) |
| 73 | Central Connecticut (16) | (AQ NEC) |
| 74 | Howard (16) | (AQ MEAC) |
| 75 | Merrimack (16) | (AQ MAAC) |
| 76 | Southern (16) | (AQ SWAC) |
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions.
