The Big Ten has more teams in the Sweet 16 than any other conference in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Six of the nine Big Ten teams that made this year’s NCAA Tournament advanced to the second weekend: No. 1 seed Michigan, No. 2 seed Purdue, No. 3 seeds Illinois and Michigan State, No. 4 seed Nebraska and No. 9 seed Iowa.
Only two Big Ten teams lost in the first round: No. 8 seed Ohio State, who suffered a 66-64 loss to TCU, and No. 5 seed Wisconsin, who was upset by No. 12 seed High Point. The only Big Ten team to lose in the second round was No. 7 seed UCLA, which fell to No. 2 seed UConn.
The Big Ten secured the crown for the most Sweet 16 teams in this year’s tournament with Iowa’s upset win over No. 1 seed Florida. The SEC will have the second-most teams in this year’s Sweet 16 with four (No. 4 seeds Alabama and Arkansas, No. 6 seed Tennessee and No. 11 seed Texas).
In a reflection of the growing gap between high-major and mid-major teams in the era of NIL and the transfer portal, all 16 teams in this year’s Sweet 16 are from power conferences.
| Team | No. | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Big Ten | 6 | #1 Michigan, #2 Purdue, #3 Illinois, #3 Michigan State, #4 Nebraska, #9 Iowa |
| SEC | 4 | #4 Alabama, #4 Arkansas, #6 Tennessee, #11 Texas |
| Big 12 | 3 | #1 Arizona, #2 Houston, #2 Iowa State |
| Big East | 2 | #2 UConn, #5 St. John’s |
| ACC | 1 | #1 Duke |
Before this year, the Big Ten had never had more than four Sweet 16 teams in one year. Its six Sweet 16 teams tie the ACC in 2016 for the second-most Sweet 16 teams ever from a conference, behind only the SEC, which had seven Sweet 16 teams last year.
The Big Ten is guaranteed to have at least one team in the Elite Eight as Nebraska and Iowa will face each other in a rivalry matchup in the Sweet 16. Michigan (vs. Alabama) and Purdue (vs. Texas) both figure to be favorites in their Sweet 16 matchups, while Illinois (vs. Houston) and Michigan State (vs. UConn) will attempt to upset No. 2 seeds.
CBS Sports and TNT Sports Announce Tip Times and Commentator Teams for Regional Semifinals on Thursday, March 26, and Friday, March 27 pic.twitter.com/UqN8oceaNP
— March Madness Mens Basketball TV (@MM_MBB_TV) March 23, 2026
