The next men’s Sweet 16 is Thursday, March 25, and Friday, March 26, 2027, in Los Angeles, San Antonio, Kansas City and New York, according to the NCAA’s 2027 schedule. In the 2026 Sweet 16, three underdogs won outright and the favorites covered three of the eight spreads.
The 2027 Sweet 16
| Region | Sweet 16 and Elite Eight | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| South | March 25 and 27 | Frost Bank Center, San Antonio |
| West | March 25 and 27 | Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles |
| Midwest | March 26 and 28 | T-Mobile Center, Kansas City |
| East | March 26 and 28 | Madison Square Garden, New York |
The Final Four follows on April 3 and 5 at Ford Field in Detroit. The 2027 tournament is the first with 76 teams, and it starts with Selection Sunday on March 14, so no Sweet 16 game or price exists until the second round ends on March 21.
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How the 2026 Sweet 16 finished
| Region | Result | Closing line | Against the spread |
|---|---|---|---|
| West | No. 1 Arizona 109, No. 4 Arkansas 88 | Arizona -8.5 | Arizona covered |
| West | No. 2 Purdue 79, No. 11 Texas 77 | Purdue -8.5 | Texas covered |
| South | No. 3 Illinois 65, No. 2 Houston 55 | Houston -2.5 | Illinois won outright |
| South | No. 9 Iowa 77, No. 4 Nebraska 71 | Nebraska -1.5 | Iowa won outright |
| East | No. 1 Duke 80, No. 5 St. John’s 75 | Duke -6.5 | St. John’s covered |
| East | No. 2 UConn 67, No. 3 Michigan State 63 | UConn -2.5 | UConn covered |
| Midwest | No. 1 Michigan 90, No. 4 Alabama 77 | Michigan -9.5 | Michigan covered |
| Midwest | No. 6 Tennessee 76, No. 2 Iowa State 62 | Iowa State -2.5 | Tennessee won outright |
Closing lines are DraftKings’, as ESPN records them. The games were played on March 26 and 27, 2026.
Favorites went 3-5 against the spread. Five underdogs covered, and three of them won outright: Illinois, Iowa and Tennessee. Four games went over the total and four under. The three No. 1 seeds left in the field, Arizona, Duke and Michigan, all won; only Duke failed to cover, by 1.5 points.
What came after
- Elite Eight: Arizona beat Purdue 79-64, Illinois beat Iowa 71-59, Michigan beat Tennessee 95-62, and UConn beat Duke 73-72 as a 4.5-point underdog
- Final Four: Michigan beat Arizona 91-73 and UConn beat Illinois 71-62
- Championship: Michigan beat UConn 69-63 on April 6, 2026
Betting the Sweet 16
Sweet 16 games are priced like any other: a spread, a total and a moneyline, posted once the second round is over. The 2026 closing spreads ran from 1.5 to 9.5 points. A favorite at -8.5 is a bet that the better team wins by nine or more; Arizona did by 21, Purdue did not, by 2.
A moneyline of -400 is priced at 80%, and +300 at 25%. A bet is worth making only when you rate the chance higher than the price does. One weekend of eight games says what happened in 2026 and nothing about how often favorites cover in this round over time.
Each regional has its own page: East, West, Midwest and South. The college basketball championship odds follow the 2027 title board, March Madness Cinderellas looks at the low seeds, and our college basketball predictions cover the season as it starts. For paid picks, compare the best handicappers, and read our sportsbook reviews first.