The 2025-26 men's college basketball season continues to heat up.
The 2026 NCAA Tournament is less than a month away. We're less than four weeks away from the start of March Madness.
Who will end up playing for it all in March?
ESPN's computer model, the Basketball Power Index, has made its pick for the top teams heading into March. The Basketball Power Index has named its 10 favorites.
ESPN's computer model, the Basketball Power Index, named its 10 favorites heading into March Madness:
- Duke
- Michigan
- Arizona
- Houston
- Florida
- Illinois
- Iowa State
- Gonzaga
- Purdue
- Louisville
How does ESPN's computer model work?
ESPN's computer model is a projection-based system.
"The College Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward. BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Strength of Record (SOR) is a measure of team accomplishment based on how difficult a team's W-L record is to achieve. Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day's rest and altitude, and are used to simulate the season 10,000 times to produce season projections. Numbers update daily," ESPN writes.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Feb 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Basketball section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.