2026 NCAA Tournament Elite 8 Betting
The 2026 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight takes place on Saturday, March 28 and Sunday, March 29. The Elite Eight has meaning for fans and gamblers of college basketball like few other levels. That is because the four winners of Elite Eight games get their tickets punched to the Final Four. As such, this is when the cream rises to the top. Thus, it’s no surprise to see blue bloods among the teams that have made the most Final Four appearances. Last year was the second time in the past 15 NCAA Tournaments that all four No. 1 seed made it to the Elite Eight, but it was just three years ago, in 2023, that there were not any No. 1 seeds making it to the Elite Eight; the only time in history that has happened.
North Carolina leads the way with 21 trips to the Final Four, while UCLA is second with 19. When it comes to the Elite Eight, Kentucky has the most appearances with 38, followed by North Carolina with 29, Kansas with 25 and UCLA with 22. It is not unusual to see top seeds make the Elite Eight, but it is very unusual to see lower seeds reach the Elite Eight. The lowest-seeded team to reach the Elite Eight since the tournament went to 64 teams was No. 15 seed St. Peter’s in 2022. All four No. 1 seeds have made it to the Elite Eight just twice in the last 15 NCAA Tournaments. Just once did an Elite Eight have no top seeds and that was in 2023. At least two teams seeded No. 6 or worse have made the Elite Eight in seven of the last nine NCAA Tournaments.
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Regional Finals (Elite 8)
Saturday, March 28
South Regional Final – Houston, Texas
West Regional Final – San Jose, California
Sunday, March 29
East Regional Final – Washington, D.C.
Midwest Regional Final – Chicago, Illinois
2026 NCAA Tournament Regional Final/Elite 8
The top seeds are expected to do well in the NCAA Tournament and on average a total of three of the four No. 1 seeds make the Elite Eight each year. In 2025 it was all four No. 1 seeds winning in the Elite Eight. Florida, Duke, Houston and Auburn all won as top seeds. It was the only the second time in NCAA Tournament history that all four No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four. Cooper Flagg had 16 points and nine rebounds in Duke’s win over Alabama. It was Florida rallying from 10-points down to beat Texas Tech. Houston rolled over Tennessee, leading by 15 points at the half on the way to a 19-point win and it was Auburn winning by six points against Michigan State.
There has been only one tournament in history where none of the top seeds made the Elite Eight and it was in 2023. There has been a total of two No. 12 seeds to make the Elite Eight, Missouri in 2002, and Oregon State in 2021. A total of ten No. 11 seeds have made it to the Elite Eight, the most recent being NC State in 2024. Rarely do two double-digit seeds make the Elite Eight, but it has happened four times, most recently in 2022 when No. 10 seed Miami and No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s made it.
NCAA Tournament Elite 8 Format
The Elite Eight has given us some incredible moments over the years. Teams leave it all on the court with a Final Four bid on the line, and that’s led to incredible Cinderella stories like the VCU Rams, George Mason Patriots, and the Butler Bulldogs.
However, the most indelible image from the Elite Eight belongs to Christian Laettner and the Duke Blue Devils. The greatest game in NCAA Tournament history saw the Duke Blue Devils and the Kentucky Wildcats go to overtime tied at 93 apiece. Kentucky looked set to win 103-102, but Grant Hill threw a long inbounds pass to Christian Laettner who buried a turnaround jumper with no time remaining to give the Blue Devils a one-point win. Duke went on to win its second straight national championship after beating Kentucky.
Of the teams to reach the Final Four in the modern era, roughly 40 percent of them have been No. 1 seeds. However, No. 2 seeds have more than held their own against No. 1 seeds in head-to-head meetings. That’s why we have only seen two Final Fours where all four #1 seeds reached the Final Four. That came in 2008 and in 2025.
Seeing a Final Four without at least one No. 1 seed is rather uncommon. That's only happened three times, in 2006, in 2011 and in 2023. Those years were also the years of the mid-majors. George Mason crashed the party by upsetting Connecticut here in the Elite Eight in 2006, while Butler and VCU reached the Final Four in 2011 as #8 and #11 seeds. Florida Atlantic was the party crasher in 2023, as they were a No. 9 seed that beat No. 3 seeded Kansas State to reach the Final Four.
The biggest story of the 2022 NCAA Tournament was clearly Saint Peter’s. The darling No. 15 seed made history by becoming the first No. 15 seed ever to make the Elite Eight. The Peacocks stunned heavy favorites like Kentucky and Purdue before falling to blue blood North Carolina with a spot in the Final Four on the line.
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