2026 College Basketball Crown: Expert Predictions and Analysis

Buckle up, college basketball fans. The second edition of the College Basketball Crown is set to get underway this week in Las Vegas. Eight power-conference programs will take the court in the single-elimination tournament, which tips off with first-round games on Wednesday, followed by the semifinals on Saturday and the championship game on Sunday. The tournament will be played at MGM Grand Garden Arena and T-Mobile Arena with a $500,000 NIL prize pool. The complete bracket features Oklahoma, Colorado, Baylor, Minnesota, Stanford, West Virginia, Rutgers and Creighton. From freshman superstars to a Big East head coach looking to close out his career on a high note, there’s no shortage of intriguing storylines as the tournament gets set to tip off. Before the first game gets underway, our experts have filled out their brackets and made their predictions for how the 2026 College Basketball Crown will unfold. Here’s a look at our experts’ picks. Allison Williams, FOX Sports sideline reporter Opening Round: Oklahoma over Colorado, Baylor over Minnesota, West Virginia over Stanford, Creighton over Rutgers Semifinals: Oklahoma over Baylor, Creighton over Stanford Championship: Creighton over Oklahoma Why Creighton will win the championship: Oklahoma has a really connected group of five players who have started every game together this year. The Sooners were playing their best basketball at the end of the season. But I believe Creighton will win this tournament. Head coach Greg McDermott announced that he will retire after the season ends. I think you'll see a motivated Creighton team that wants to send their head coach out a champion after 16 years with the Bluejays. Michael Cohen, FOX Sports college football and basketball writer Opening Round: Oklahoma over Colorado, Baylor over Minnesota, Stanford over West Virginia, Creighton over Rutgers Semifinals: Oklahoma over Baylor, Creighton over Stanford Championship: Oklahoma over Creighton Why Oklahoma will win the championship: Despite a lengthy losing streak in the middle of the season, Oklahoma still had a strong case to be included in this year's NCAA Tournament given its résumé. The Sooners scored victories against five teams that qualified for the Big Dance, including Sweet 16 participant Texas. They also have one of the most potent offenses in the country (16th nationally in efficiency, per KenPom), which should translate well to a postseason tournament where points flowed freely last season. Oklahoma will arrive in Las Vegas as the best team in the field and will exit Sin City that way, too. [COLLEGE BASKETBALL CROWN: Schedule, Bracket, Teams] Casey Jacobsen, college basketball studio and game analyst Opening Round: Oklahoma over Colorado, Baylor over Minnesota, Stanford over West Virginia, Creighton over Rutgers Semifinals: Oklahoma over Baylor, Stanford over Creighton Championship: Oklahoma over Stanford Why Oklahoma will win the championship: The Sooners have won six of their last seven games and were the last team left out of this year's NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament field. That means this team will be motivated. The inaugural College Basketball Crown Tournament was won by Nebraska, a team that was led by two seniors – Brice Williams and Juwan Gray – that wanted to finish their careers on a high note. I feel the same way about Nijel Pack and Tae Davis.  While my heart wanted to take my alma mater, Stanford, my head tells me that Oklahoma is the clear team to beat. Rob Stone, FOX Sports studio host Opening Round: Oklahoma over Colorado, Baylor over Minnesota, Stanford over West Virginia, Creighton over Rutgers Semifinals: Oklahoma over Baylor, Stanford over Creighton Championship: Stanford over Oklahoma Why Stanford will win the championship: The Cardinal have a game-changer at guard in Ebuka Okorie. They notched five wins over NCAA Tournament teams this year and are a program on the rise. Like Nebraska last year at The Crown, the Cardinal will use this tournament to propel them toward big things next season. LaPhonso Ellis, FOX Sports college basketball analyst Opening Round: Oklahoma over Colorado, Baylor over Minnesota, West Virginia over Stanford, Creighton over Rutgers Semifinals: Oklahoma over Baylor, West Virginia over Creighton Championship: Oklahoma over West Virginia Why Oklahoma will win the championship: Oklahoma is the hottest team in this tournament, winning six of its last seven games due to much-improved defensive play. The Sooners' defense, combined with its efficient offense and explosive backcourt duo of Nijel Pack and Xzayvier Brown, is why the Sooners will be the 2026 College Basketball Crown champions. Nick Bahe, FOX Sports college basketball analyst Opening Round: Oklahoma over Colorado, Baylor over Minnesota, West Virginia over Stanford, Creighton over Rutgers Semifinals: Oklahoma over Baylor, Creighton over West Virginia Championship: Creighton over Oklahoma Why Creighton will win the championship: Creighton gets its 3-point shooters rolling and wins a fast-paced, high-scoring game over the Oklahoma Sooners. In doing so, the Bluejays deliver the proper sendoff for Greg McDermott's final game as head coach, winning the College Basketball Crown. [COLLEGE BASKETBALL CROWN: Top 10 Players] Tim Brando, FOX Sports play-by-play announcer Opening Round: Oklahoma over Colorado, Baylor over Minnesota, West Virginia over Stanford, Creighton over Rutgers Semifinals: Oklahoma over Baylor, Creighton over West Virginia Championship: Oklahoma over Creighton Why Oklahoma will win the championship: There was never any doubt that the Sooners were coming to this event. They were the last team left out of the NCAA Tournament by the selection committee. This team has an edge to them when it comes to winning it all in Las Vegas. They have all the players they had throughout the year and played great down the stretch. Mike Hill, FOX Sports studio host Opening Round: Oklahoma over Colorado, Baylor over Minnesota, Stanford over West Virginia, Creighton over Rutgers Semifinals: Oklahoma over Baylor, Creighton over Stanford Championship: Oklahoma over Creighton Why Oklahoma will win the championship: There was never any doubt that the Sooners were coming to this event. They were the last team left out of the NCAA Tournament by the selection committee. This team has an edge to them when it comes to winning it all in Las Vegas. They have all the players they had throughout the year and played great down the stretch.