O’Dea High School
Seattle, WA
O'Dea March Madness
Welcome to the Annual O’Dea March Madness Bracket Tournament!
Date and time
Thursday, March 19th, 2026 –
Monday, April 6th, 2026
Organizer
Update #2 - 2 days ago
Sweet 16 and Elite 8 Update
March Madness is sadly nearing its end, but the tournament has fully lived up to the hype with jaw-dropping moments and unforgettable buzzer-beaters, including a massive one. The No. 1 overall seeded Duke Blue Devils, who led by 19 at one point, fell to the UConn Huskies on a near buzzer-beating 3-pt shot in a moment that will live in March Madness history.
Here’s what you need to know after the Sweet 16 and Elite 8:
Tournament Standings
The competition is down to five, and the championship is right around the corner. Here’s a look at the current leaderboard featuring the five remaining winning brackets ranked by best percentage to win:
Jon Moor – Michigan - 890 current points, 1370 max points, 33% chance to win
UW_Mario – Illinois – 750 current points, 1230 max points, 22.8% chance to win
AmyE – Arizona – 880 current points, 1520 max points, 16.9% chance to win
Tony Ursino – Arizona – 960 current points, 1600 max points, 13.8% chance to win
BigMarchBroSportsGuy (Currently 1st Place) - UConn – 980 current points, 1620 max points, 13.5% chance to win
The 2026 Final Four features two No. 1 seeds, along with a No. 2 and a No. 3 seed rounding out the field.
Full standings are available here.
How’d They Get Here
Each Final Four team took a unique path to make it to the final weekend of the college basketball season:
• Arizona’s (1) dominance in the paint has fueled their run, ranking top-five nationally in paint points and leading the country in free throw attempts. They overwhelmed opponents in the tournament by controlling the interior and getting to the line, especially in key wins over Arkansas and Purdue. They have not won a title since 1997, will that finally change for the Cats?
• Michigan’s (1) ability to flip a switch and reach an elite level has been the reason for a Final Four run, as seen in their dominant Elite Eight win over Tennessee with a huge first-half surge. The Wolverines are big, have stars, and play great defense, and when it’s time to battle, no team is better, which is why they’re headed to Indy extremely confident.
• UConn’s (2) run has been driven by experience, toughness, and timely playmaking. Despite falling behind big to Duke, the Huskies stayed patient, locked in defensively in the second half, and got a clutch game-winning three from Braylon Mullins. With veteran leadership and Dan Hurley’s ability to develop and retain talent, UConn proved its resilience and earned its return to the Final Four.
• Illinois’ (3) Final Four run has been fueled by a major defensive turnaround to complement its elite offense. The Illini locked down opponents like VCU, Houston, and Iowa, protecting the paint at a high level after struggling late in the regular season. With their offense still rolling and their defense now playing like a top-10 unit, this team has completely elevated its ceiling at the perfect time.
Upcoming Games to Watch
Here are all the upcoming matchups for the Final 4:
• #1 Arizona Wildcats vs. #1 Michigan Wolverines – April 4th at 5:49pm PST
• #2 UConn Huskies vs. #3 Illinois Fighting Illini – April 4th at 3:09pm PST
Who will prove they are the best college basketball team of the year? Tune in to find out!
Thank you all for being part of the madness. We’re looking forward to an incredible Final Four and Championship!
Stay tuned for our final update after the championship!
Posted on Monday, March 30th, 2026, 10:42 am PDT
See all updatesAbout
O’Dea High School is excited to bring back our annual March Madness Bracket Tournament!
Whether you’re a seasoned basketball expert or just enjoy the excitement of the game, we welcome everyone in the O’Dea family to join in on the fun. Make your picks, cheer for your teams, and show off your Irish pride as we come together for this thrilling tournament experience.
Once you register, be sure to create a bracket on our ESPN page. You can find that webpage here.
Get ready to fill out those brackets, rally behind your choices, and be part of something special. Let’s make this March Madness tournament a memorable one. Go Irish!
Update #1 - 9 days ago
Round 1 & 2 Update
After a pretty “chalk” start to the tournament…March Madness definitely, well, March Madnessed! We’re excited to share the latest updates on our tournament. Here’s what you need to know after the first two rounds:
Tournament Standings
The competition is close, here is a snapshot of our current leaderboard:
1) IamSteelerNation - Arizona – 540 Points
2) Zaglegend - Michigan – 530 points
3) Albert Jaimes - Arizona – 530 points
4) Jon Moor - Michigan – 530 points
5) Duke Fan - Duke – 530 points
We had 18 brackets lose their championship pick in the first two rounds. 10 of them selected the #3 seed Gonzaga to win it all but Coach Few’s team was eliminated in a not-so-shocking upset against the #11 seed Texas Longhorns and Coach Sean Miller.
You can view our full tournament standings here.
Biggest Upsets
In addition to the Zags getting knocked out early, we lost our first #1 seed, defending champion, Florida, in a big time upset falling to the #9 seeded Iowa Hawkeyes. However, seven of the top eight seeds are still alive in the Sweet 16, lots of blue bloods left. Outside of that, #6 seeded Tennessee beating the #3 seed Virgina is the only other one worth mentioning in this category.
Cinderella Story Watch
Not much here for the second year in a row. The closest thing resembling a “Cinderella team” is Texas, however to quote Gonzaga Coach Mark Few, “That is not a Cinderella team. It’s a really talented basketball team with a really, really, really good coach that has incredible resources.” The 16 remaining teams all represent big conferences.
Upcoming Games to Watch
Don’t miss these key matchups coming this week:
(1) Duke Blue Devils vs. (4) St. John’s Red Storm, Friday, March 27th at 4:10pm PST
As the top overall seed, Duke had two shaky starts against both Siena and TCU. Their next opponent, #5 seeded St. John’s, lead by legendary Coach Rick Pitino, crushed Northern Iowa in the first round and then made a buzzer beater layup to defeat the perennial favorite, Kansas Jayhawks. Should be a great matchup.
(4) Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. (9) Iowa Hawkeyes, Thursday, March 26th at 4:30pm PST
I guess you can call this the only “random” looking game of the Sweet 16, since not a lot of people selected either of these teams to advance past the second round of the tourney. But one of these two BIG TEN schools will advance to the Elite 8 to take on the winner of Houston and Illinois. Tune in Thursday to see who it is.
Thank you all for your enthusiasm and participation. March Madness wouldn’t be the same without the energy you bring! Stay tuned for more updates, and may the best bracket win!
Posted on Monday, March 23rd, 2026, 9:14 am PDT