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This past March wasn't filled with as much madness as in past NCAA Tournaments, though there were a fair share of memorable games that certainly stood out. Before looking at the most memorable and disappointing games of the 2026 NCAA Tournament (coming tomorrow), let's review each round of games by The College Basketball Nostalgic's Stud, Mud, Dud and Crud System. A Stud round is one that has plenty of upsets and compelling games. A Mud round is one that has some exciting moments but doesn't quite get to the Stud level, maybe due to a lack of upsets. A Dud round is one that ultimately disappoints while a Crud round is one that is unwatchable, usually due to noncompetitive games. Make the jump to review my round-by-round rankings of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
National Championship Game:
#2 UCONN Huskies vs. #1 Michigan Wolverines
Ranking: Mud (Decent)
While UCONN and Michigan was not the prettiest game to watch, it was much closer than expected as the Huskies did a great job of controlling pace, winning the glass and hitting some timely threes to stay within striking distance. Michigan had an off-shooting night from three but capitalized at the free throw line. Ultimately, to be a Stud, this game would have probably needed UCONN to pull of the upset. Still, the title game was interesting and not disappointing. It was better than expected as Michigan did not blow out the Wolverines. Still, it wasn't an all-timer, thus the Mud ranking.
Final Four Games:
#3 Illinois Fighting Illini vs. #2 Connecticut Huskies &
#1 Michigan Wolverines vs. #1 Arizona Wildcats
Ranking: Dud (Disappointing)
Ultimately, the Illinois-UConn game was competitive, though it felt like the Illini never found its offensive footing. As an Illini fan, it just wasn't our night, during a game when so many shots hung on the rim and fell off. To wait 21 years to get to the Final Four and lose a winnable game was very disappointing, though the Illini had a tremendous tourney run. As for Arizona versus Michigan, this game was extremely disappointing. Billed as the "De Facto National Championship Game," it was never close as Michigan took it to the Wildcats. After the Illinois loss, I was at least hoping Arizona and Michigan would provide a fun game to watch. That was not the case as Michigan totally dominated, leading by 30 points at one point in the second half.
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Elite Eight Games
#9 Iowa Hawkeyes vs. #3 Illinois Fighting Illini
#2 Purdue Boilermakers vs. #1 Arizona Wildcats
#6 Tennessee Volunteers vs. #1 Michigan Wolverines
#2 UCONN Huskies vs. #1 Duke Blue Devils
Ranking: Mud (Decent)
Honestly, by halftime of the UCONN and Duke game, the Elite Eight felt like a Dud to me, with the Blue Devils leading by 15 points following Michigan's annihilation of Tennessee. However, the second half of the UCONN - Duke game saved this set of Elite Eight games, with the Huskies gradually chipping away before forcing a miracle turnover and hitting an insane three to steal the victory. Braylon Mullins' three will go down as one of the all-time moments in NCAA Tournament history. While the Big Ten battle between Iowa and Illinois was not always pretty, it was still a close game that the Illini pulled out, thus personally becoming a Stud to me after waiting 21 years to return to the Final Four. A tale of two halves, with Purdue winning the first 20 minutes and Arizona dominating the last 20, the Boilermakers-Wildcats game was pretty entertaining. Tennessee and Michigan was disappointing as the game was basically over at the under-12 timeout of the first half. While Mullins' shot was an all-time Stud moment, the rest of the Elite Eight kind of felt like a formality.
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Sweet Sixteen Games
#11 Texas Longhorns vs. #2 Purdue Boilermakers
#9 Iowa Hawkeyes vs. #4 Nebraska Cornhuskers
#4 Arkansas Razorbacks vs. #1 Arizona Wildcats
#3 Illinois Fighting Illini vs. #2 Houston Cougars
#5 St. John's Red Storm vs. #1 Duke Blue Devils
#4 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. #1 Michigan Wolverines
#3 Michigan State Spartans vs. #2 UCONN Huskies
#6 Tennessee Volunteers vs. #2 Iowa State Cyclones
Ranking: Mud (Decent)
Overall, the Sweet Sixteen was pretty decent, with most of the games being competitive but lacking a true upset. While Iowa beat Nebraska, that was not a shocker given each team's familiarity with each other as Big Ten opponents. Texas nearly upset Purdue during a game that was much closer than anticipated. Arizona handled Arkansas during a game that felt like a potentially sneaky upset but was far from that. Illinois beat Houston at its own game.
On Friday night, Duke rallied from a double-digit deficit against St. John's in the second half while Michigan put away Alabama after trailing by two at halftime. Michigan State and UCONN was a game that went down to the wire while Tennessee and Iowa State was a bit of an ugly game as the Cyclones ran out of gas without star Joshua Jefferson.
On Friday night, Duke rallied from a double-digit deficit against St. John's in the second half while Michigan put away Alabama after trailing by two at halftime. Michigan State and UCONN was a game that went down to the wire while Tennessee and Iowa State was a bit of an ugly game as the Cyclones ran out of gas without star Joshua Jefferson.
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Second Round Games
Ranking: Mud (Decent)
Don't get me wrong. There were some excellent second round games, including St. John's buzzer-beating defeat of Kansas, the final seconds of Vandy and Nebraska, the high-scoring High Point - Arkansas affair, Iowa's stunning upset of Florida and Texas defeating Gonzaga. However, when the lowest remaining seed entering the Sweet Sixteen is #11 Texas, one of, if not, the most powerful programs in all of collegiate sports, this round didn't quite reach the level of Stud. A High Point upset of Arkansas would have pushed this round to the next level, though the second round games were mostly enjoyable.
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First Round Games
Ranking: Mud (Decent)
After the the opening day of the tournament, the first round was heading toward the Stud direction, with High Point shocking Wisconsin and VCU coming back to upset North Carolina in overtime. If Santa Clara could have pulled out a victory against Kentucky in the first set of Friday games, that would have helped the cause. Ultimately, the first round was good but not great, with no #13 seed beating a #4 seed and just one #12 seed beating a #5 seed.
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First Four Games
Ranking: Stud
The First Four games can be quite hard to watch, though this year's games were quite entertaining in my opinion, I think, due to Miami (OH) being in Dayton with a large fan base. The opening game between UMBC and Howard was close, with the Retrievers coming back late, while N.C. State-Texas was a rock fight with an entertaining final two minutes. Prairie View A & M controlled Lehigh while the Miami Ohio-SMU game was exciting with the Redhawks bombing threes in front of its raucous crowd. Overall, the First Four kept my attention, with four competitive games that left me hungry for the first round.
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2026 NCAA Tournament
Overall Ranking: Mud (Decent)
On a personal level, this was a Stud tournament as Illinois made the Final Four. Bigger picture wise, it was a Mud tournament that was good but not great. With NIL out of control, and mid-majors getting raided by Power Conferences, the NCAA Tournament is starting to feel like the Cinderellas of years past will be few and far between. Each year it seems like the #1 seeds are guaranteed at least three of the four Final Four spots, which would have been the case if Duke had not choked against UCONN. Still, there seems to be clear separation between the #1 seeds, with Arizona not on Michigan's level. Future tournaments are going to need much better Elite Eight and Final Four games if Cinderellas are no longer dancing. With all that said, I will always watch the NCAA Tournament, be captivated by the games and feel a sense of sadness when it comes to an end. :-)
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