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2026 NCAA Tournament Survivor Pool Advice: Round 2 (Saturday)

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The NCAA Tournament got off to a fantastic start on Thursday, with five of the first nine games being decided by six or fewer points.

Since there were no losses that likely forced one to rip up their brackets yet (Duke came close), that means NCAA Tournament survivor pool contestants are likely sitting pretty entering the weekend, especially if they heeded Thursday’s advice that saw our three selections (Nebraska, Arkansas, Gonzaga) win by an average of 19 points.

Throughout the tournament, one has to make eight picks:

  • Two for the First Round (one for each day)
  • Two for the Second Round (one for each day)
  • One for the Sweet 16
  • One for the Elite Eight
  • One for the Final Four
  • One for the National Championship.

Each round, we will provide our analysis broken down by the following categories: Best Picks, Favorites on Upset Alert and Teams to Save for Later.

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    2026 March Madness Survivor Pool Advice: Round 2 (Saturday)

    Here is a list of odds for all the favorites to win their second-round matchups on Saturday. Be sure to check out the folks at PoolGenius as well for their NCAA survivor data.

    Round 2 Odds

    (Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

    Best Picks

    Arkansas Razorbacks

    If you didn’t use Arkansas with your Thursday survivor pool selection, the bracket opened up nicely for them to be used on Saturday, thanks to High Point’s upset of Wisconsin. As with all picks, there is some risk involved, as High Point enters amid the nation’s longest winning streak (15 games).

    But the Panthers also have not seen a player the caliber of Darius Acuff Jr. all season, and the Razorbacks have the athletes to consistently win one-on-one battles.

    Illinois Fighting Illini

    Illinois likely scouted North Carolina more than VCU in its prep for a potential second-round matchup, and that would’ve come to fruition if the Tar Heels weren’t victims of the biggest first-round comeback (19 points) in NCAA Tournament history.

    VCU plays a nagging, pressing style that wears down opponents over 40 minutes. But Illinois has the guard play to withstand that pressure, ranking sixth in turnover rate while operating as the most efficient offense in Division I.

    Michigan State Spartans

    This is the last game Michigan State is likely to be favored in for the rest of the tournament, especially if it draws UConn as its Sweet 16 opponent. Louisville has already ruled out sharpshooter Mikel Brown Jr. for the entire weekend.

    Spartans head coach Tom Izzo improved to 33-20-2 against the spread (ATS) as a favorite in the NCAA Tournament, the third-best record among active coaches since 1978 (minimum 10 games).

    Favorites on Upset Alert

    Teams to Save for Later

    Michigan, Duke and Houston are all Elite 8 contenders, at the very least. While no team from this list is in danger of a Round of 32 upset, keep them handy for the later rounds when they are still prohibitive favorites while fewer teams are available to choose from.

    Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.

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