Basketball
The race for college basketball’s postseason crown is headed back to Las Vegas. The College Basketball Crown returns to the desert with an eight-team field and high stakes.
The complete bracket, which was revealed Monday on FS1’s “First Things First,” features Oklahoma, Colorado, Baylor, Minnesota, Stanford, West Virginia, Rutgers and Creighton.
Baylor, Minnesota and Creighton highlight the 2026 College Basketball Crown Tournament Bracket
First-round games are scheduled for April 1-2, followed by the semifinals on April 4 and the championship game on April 5. The tournament will be played at MGM Grand Garden Arena and T-Mobile Arena, with a $500,000 NIL prize pool.
Here is a breakdown of all eight participating teams in the single-elimination tournament:
[COLLEGE BASKETBALL CROWN: Schedule, Bracket, Teams]
Oklahoma Sooners
Conference: SEC
Record: 19-15 (7-11)
Bio: The Sooners feature a balanced offensive attack with four players averaging double-figures, led by senior guard Nijel Pack, who averages 16.5 points per game and shoots 45.2% from 3-point territory. Senior big man Tae Davis and sophomore forward Derrion Reid provide a solid presence inside, while Mohamed Wague leads the team in rebounds at 6.7 per game. The Sooners finished 1-5 against ranked teams this season, but that victory came against a Vanderbilt team that is fresh off an SEC Tournament championship game appearance.
Colorado Buffaloes
Conference: Big 12
Record: 17-15 (7-11)
Bio: The Buffaloes cruised through the non-conference portion of their schedule, starting the 2026-26 campaign with a perfect 8-0 mark. Tad Boyle’s team finished 7-11 in Big 12 action, with seven of those losses coming against ranked teams. Freshman guard Isaiah Johnson has been sensational for the Buffaloes this season, averaging a team-high 16.9 points per contest en route to setting the program’s freshman scoring record this season. Johnson’s backcourt mate, Barrington Hargress, is a sharp-shooting junior guard who shoots it at a 48.5% clip from 3-point range. The Buffaloes defeated a pair of NCAA Tournament teams earlier this season with wins over Cal Baptist (78-70) and TCU (87-61).
Baylor Bears
Conference: Big 12
Record: 16-16 (6-12)
Bio: The Bears feature one of the top scoring threats in the tournament in sophomore guard Cameron Carr, who averages 19.2 points per game, good for fifth among Big 12 players this season. He has scored 25 or more points on seven occasions this year and has put up double-digit scoring marks in 30 of the team’s 32 games. Carr is joined in the backcourt by freshman guard Tounde Yessoufou, who is also a bucket-getter himself, averaging 17.8 points per contest, including a memorable 37-point outburst against AJ Dybantsa and BYU back on Feb. 10.
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Conference: Big Ten
Record: 15-17 (8-12)
Bio: Minnesota notched a trio of impressive wins this season over Iowa, Michigan State and UCLA, all three of which are NCAA Tournament teams. The Gophers are led by first-year head coach Nico Medved, who led the program to an 8-12 mark in Big Ten play. This is a balanced group with five players averaging double figures in scoring, led by senior guard Cade Tyson, who has scored 12 or more points in every game this season. Junior forward Jaylen Crocker-Johnson averages a team-high 6.8 rebounds per game, while senior Langston Reynolds is a bulldog in the backcourt, often utilizing his size and strength to overpower smaller guards.
Stanford Cardinal
Conference: ACC
Record: 20-12 (9-9)
Bio: Stanford should be considered one of the early favorites in this tournament, finishing the season with an impressive 20-12 mark and winning four in a row before falling to Pitt in the ACC Tournament. Kyle Smith’s team is led by freshman standout Ebuka Okorie, who led the ACC in scoring this season with a 22.8 per game clip. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound lead guard scored 30 or more points on seven occasions this season, including a 40-point showing in a win over Georgia Tech. Stanford’s top wins this season came in the month of January when the Cardinal defeated Louisville and North Carolina.
West Virginia Mountaineers
Conference: Big 12
Record: 18-14 (9-9)
Bio: The Mountaineers had plenty of impressive wins on their schedule this season, including victories over Kansas, BYU and UCF (twice). They are led by senior guard Honor Huff, who averages 15.8 points per game, but the strength of this team is on the defensive side of the ball. West Virginia holds opponents to 64.8 points per game and ranks 17th in the country in defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Conference: Big Ten
Record: 14-19 (6-14)
Bio: The Scarlet Knights are one of the youngest teams in the country. They are led by junior guard Tariq Francis, who is the only player on the roster averaging double figures in scoring. Emmanuel Ogbole, a 6-foot-10, 260-pound center from Nigeria, leads the Scarlet Knights in rebounding and is the lone senior on this roster. Rutgers’ top win this season came in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament when the Scarlet Knights knocked off Minnesota.
Creighton Bluejays
Conference: Big East
Record: 15-17 (9-11)
Bio: Senior guard Josh Dix leads the way for the Bluejays, averaging a team-high 13.0 points per game and shooting a blistering 49% clip from 3-point range over his last four games. Creighton was the top 3-point shooting team in the Big East this season, making 10 triples per game. Greg McDermott’s team defeated both Villanova and then-No. 2 UConn in one of the most stunning results of the season.
Get more from the College Basketball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Read More Tami Latson