NCAA March Madness Bracket Preview 2026: Current top 16 seeds unveiled, where to watch, live stream, channel
CBS Sports
by
Cameron Salerno
February 19, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
The NCAA March Madness Bracket Preview 2026 is set to provide college basketball fans with an early glimpse of which teams are contenders for top seeds in the upcoming tournament. Scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 21 at 12:30 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+, this 30-minute special will feature insights from NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee Chair Keith Gill and CBS analysts Clark Kellogg, Wally Szczerbiak, and Seth Davis, hosted by Adam Zucker. The preview will offer a breakdown of the top 16 teams as Selection Sunday approaches less than a month away.
Last year’s bracket reveal saw three of the No. 1 seeds remaining unchanged on Selection Sunday, with only Alabama dropping out and being replaced by Houston. Historically, teams revealed in the early bracket are likely to stay within the top four on Selection Sunday, though exceptions like Michigan (No. 4 to No. 5) and Kansas (No. 4 to No. 7) occurred last season. This year, Michigan is projected as the No. 1 overall seed in CBS Sports’ latest Bracketology model, with Duke, Arizona, and Houston also holding strong as top seeds. A pivotal game between projected No. 1 seeds Michigan and Duke on Saturday could further shape these rankings.
The broadcast will precede a Big 12 showdown between No. 8 Kansas and Cincinnati at 1 p.m. ET on CBS. Extended coverage will be available on CBS Sports Network. For fans unable to catch the live broadcast, Paramount+ Premium offers streaming options. This preview not only sets
Verticals
sports
Originally published on CBS Sports on 2/19/2026