Coaches predict the men's NCAA tournament champion, potential Cinderellas, more - ESPN

Much like last season, the true national title contenders have separated themselves into a tier of their own entering the 2026 men's NCAA tournament.

Arizona and Michigan established themselves in the opening weeks of the season, and Duke definitively joined them after beating the Wolverines in Washington, D.C. in February. And, similar to last season, Florida surged in SEC play and has emerged as a clear threat to repeat its title.

In 2025, the tier break between the favorites and everyone else resulted in all four 1-seeds reaching the Final Four for the first time since 2008. Will that happen again?

A repeat of that is statistically unlikely, but those four teams — the top four at KenPom, Bart Torvik and in the NET with the most Quadrant 1 wins in the country — were the only ones to receive multiple votes to win the national championship in our annual poll of 25 coaches and scouts.

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The official vote tally:

Arizona: 12

Duke: 5

Michigan: 3

Florida: 2

Houston: 1

Purdue: 1

UConn: 1

We also asked coaches about the strengths and potential flaws of the top four contenders; whether St. John's or UConn has a deep run in them; the championship viability of preseason No. 1 Purdue; whether four trendy Cinderella picks can really make a run; and how far star freshmen could carry their teams.

Strengths: Arizona received the most votes to win the title after its run through the Big 12 tournament. The Wildcats are dominant in the paint and on the offensive glass, and they rank in the top five nationally in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Tommy Lloyd has a deep, balanced unit with clutch late-game shotmakers in Jaden