2026 College Basketball Crown: Expert Predictions and Analysis
#College Basketball Crown #Las Vegas #tournament bracket #expert predictions #Creighton #Oklahoma #NIL prize #Greg McDermott
📌 Key Takeaways
- The 2026 College Basketball Crown, an 8-team single-elimination tournament with a $500,000 NIL prize pool, begins this week in Las Vegas.
- Expert predictions are split, with one favoring Creighton to win, motivated by coach Greg McDermott's impending retirement.
- Another expert picks Oklahoma, citing their strong, cohesive lineup and peak performance at the season's end.
- The tournament bracket features major programs including Oklahoma, Baylor, Stanford, West Virginia, and Creighton.
📖 Full Retelling
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 champions
🏷️ Themes
Sports Predictions, College Basketball
📚 Related People & Topics
College Basketball Crown
College basketball tournament
The College Basketball Crown (CBC) is an American men's college basketball tournament promoted by Anschutz Entertainment Group and Fox Sports. The inaugural tournament was held in March and April 2025, at two venues on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada: T-Mobile Arena and MGM Grand Garden Aren...
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Connections for College Basketball Crown:
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Oklahoma Sooners
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Fox Broadcasting Company
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Nil
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NCAA tournament
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- No Data Available - BROWSE BY SPORTS & TEAMS PLAYERS SHOWS PERSONALITIES TOPICS Built on College Basketball College Basketball 2026 College Basketball Crown: Expert Predictions and Analysis Updated Apr. 1, 2026 5:04 p.m. ET share facebook x reddit link 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 b...
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