Six Big Ten programs advance to the 2026 NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen

The Big Ten had an outstanding opening weekend in the 2026 NCAA tournament, compiling a 13-3 record and advancing six programs to the Sweet Sixteen.

The SEC set the record for most teams in the Sweet Sixteen last season with seven. The six teams in the Sweet Sixteen for the Big Ten this season are second all-time, tying the ACC, which also sent six teams in 2016.

The six Big Ten teams advancing to the Sweet Sixteen include Michigan, Purdue, Michigan State, Illinois, Nebraska and Iowa.

It’s the first-ever trip to the Sweet Sixteen for the Cornhuskers and first for Iowa since 1999.

Here is the Sweet Sixteen breakdown by conference:

Big Ten: Six teams – Michigan, Purdue, Michigan State, Illinois, Nebraska, Iowa
SEC: Four teams – Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas
Big 12: Three teams – Arizona, Houston, Iowa State
Big East: Two teams – UConn, St. John’s
ACC: One team – Duke

Looking ahead to the Sweet Sixteen, here are the five matchups involving Big Ten teams:

Thursday, March 26, in San Jose, California

No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 11 Texas – 7:10 p.m. ET on CBS
Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson, Allie LaForce
DraftKings: Purdue -7.5

Thursday, March 26, in Houston, Texas

No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Iowa – 7:30 p.m. ET on TBS/TruTV
Kevin Harlan, Robbie Hummel, Stan Van Gundy, Lauren Shehadi
DraftKings: Nebraska -2.5

Thursday, March 26, in Houston, Texas

No. 2 Houston vs. No. 3 Illinois
Harlan, Hummel, Van Gundy, Shehadi
DraftKings: Houston -2.5

Friday, March 27, in Chicago, Illinois

No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Alabama
Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas, Evan Washburn
DraftKings: Michigan -10.5

Friday, March 27, in Washington, D.C.

No. 2 UConn vs. No. 3 Michigan State
Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery, Grant Hill, Tracy Wolfson
DraftKings: UConn -1.5

See More: Media, 2026 NCAA tournament