2026 NCAA tournament picks, predictions: Best bets for the Final Four

We saw the definition of March Madness last weekend, whenNo. 2 UConn stunned No. 1 overall seed Duke with a last-second 3-pointer to win 73-72and complete a historic comeback after being down 15 points at halftime.

UConn is a small underdog against No. 3 Illinois in the Final Four, while No. 1 Arizona is a currently a small 'dog against fellow No. 1 seed Michigan in what should be a fantastic matchup between arguably the two best teams in the country.

Below you'll find the favorite wagers for all the games from our college basketball handicappers — Corbie Craig, Matt Jacob and Matt Russell. We'll update this piece throughout the week with more wagers from our experts.

All odds courtesy ofBetMGM.

Best bets for Saturday's Final Four games

No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 1 Michigan (-1.5, 157.5)

Jacob:First-half scores in Michigan's last five contests dating to the Big Ten tournament championship game: 38-38, 50-46, 48-39, 49-47 and 48-26. All five surpassed 75 points and all five flew over the first-half total, with the Wolverines putting up an average of 46.2 points.

Meanwhile, in its last eight games dating to the regular-season finale at Colorado, Arizona and its opponents have combined for at least 74 first-half points six times. During this stretch, the Wildcats have averaged 37.1 points in the opening 30 minutes of action.

Translation: Both of these No. 1 seeds love to push the pace, particularly early; both can fill the bucket; and both are extraordinarily efficient on the offensive end. I don't expect anything different in Saturday's Final Four nightcap.

In fact, both teams have already shown in the NCAA tournament what happens when facing an opponent that also loves to sprint up and down the court. In the Sweet 16, Arizona beat Arkansas 109-88 (with the teams combining for 97 first-half points), and Michigan thumped Alabama 90-77 (with 96 of those points scored before halftime).

It might take a beat or two for these squads to get used to shooting in a cavernous football stadium, but they'll eventually heat up and easily top 80 points before the first-half horn sounds.

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Bet: First half over 73.5 points (-125)

No. 2 UConn vs. No. 3 Illinois (-1.5, 139.5)

Jacob:Here's a quick recap of Illinois' NCAA tournament performance to date: Four wins, all by double digits; three straight opponents held to fewer than 60 points on 38% shooting; a cumulative plus-65 rebounding advantage; and four starters averaging at least 12 points per contest. Just flat-out, across-the-board domination.

So, of course I'm fading the Illini in the Final Four.

The main reason: At this point, a bet against UConn in the Big Dance is essentially a bet against the sun rising tomorrow.

The Huskies' record in their last 18 NCAA tournament games overall: 17-1 (including 15 double-digit blowouts). Their record in their last 18 tournament games from the Sweet 16 onward: 18-0 (the most recent being Sunday's miraculous Elite Eight comeback against No. 1 overall seed Duke).

Ranking Duke's worst NCAA tournament losses since its last title

Another reason why I'm backing UConn: It already manhandled Illinois once this season, rolling 74-61 as a 3.5-point favorite in Madison Square Garden back on Nov. 28. Remember those four Illini starters averaging double digits in the NCAA tournament? They combined for 18 points on 6-for-27 shooting (including 2-for-13 from 3-point range) against the Huskies.

Granted, Nov. 28 is a long time ago. But early February is not. I bring that up because that's when Illinois lost 85-82 to Michigan State in overtime — the first of four consecutive overtime losses (by a combined 10 points) that Illinois suffered between Feb. 7-March 13.

In fact, since edging Texas Tech 81-77 in their third game of the season Nov. 11, the Illini have played six games decided by fewer than six points. Their record in those six contests: 0-6. In other words, Illinois is untrustworthy in close games.

Well, I fully expect this one to be a 40-minute dogfight. And I fully expect UConn to do what UConn always does this time of year: come out on top — somehow, some way.

Bet: UConn money line (+115)

byMario Satorik

in

March 31, 2026

2026 NCAA tournament picks, predictions: Best bets for the Final Four

We saw the definition of March Madness last weekend, whenNo. 2 UConn stunned No. 1 overall seed Duke with a last-second ...

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Taylor Swift drops 'Elizabeth Taylor' music video — but doesn’t appear herself

Taylor Swift dropped a surprise music video for her song "Elizabeth Taylor," but is missing from the video herself.

Key Points

• The music video is a supercut of red carpet footage and iconic movies Taylor starred in throughout her career.

• Swift said that she told the late actress' estate that she was writing a song about her, and "they were lovely about it."
  

Taylor Swift's latest music video may be missing one Taylor but is packed with another.

On March 31, the 14-time Grammy winner dropped the music video for her song "Elizabeth Taylor," the third from herThe Life of a Showgirlalbum. The video is a gorgeous montage of archival red carpet footage of Elizabeth Taylor and snippets from some of her most famous roles includingCat on a Hot Tin RoofandCleopatra.

Film buffs and fans of the screen siren will also recognize moments fromFather of the Bride,A Place in the Sun,Giant,Suddenly, Last Summer,Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, andJulia Misbehaves. Close-ups of her violet eyes and stunning diamond jewelry are sprinkled throughout the clip as well.

The montage of Taylor's movies and red carpet b-roll footage fits in with the lyrics. For example, "All my white diamonds and lovers are forever," zooms into a massive diamond ring, while "In the papers, on the screen and in their minds," cuts to Taylor on a Hollywood date night.

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with ourEW Dispatch newsletter.

Swift's song plays over the video; however, Swift is nowhere to be seen. Her most recent music videos for"Opalite"and"The Fate of Ophelia"from her albumThe Life of a Showgirlwere much more involved with set designs and choreography.

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The supercut focuses mainly on the actress, who was married eight times to seven different men (she wed and divorcedRichard Burtontwice) and died in 2011 at the age of 79.

At the end of the music video, Swift thanks the House of Taylor & Elizabeth Taylor Trust, along with the Todd family and the Wilding family. Taylor was married to Mike Todd and Michael Wilding.

In October, Swift said that she contacted the estate of Taylor to let them know she was writing a song about the two-time Oscar winner, as she lets "real people" know if they're about the be name-dropped in her music. "And if it's Elizabeth Taylor, we go to their family and her estate and let them know and they were lovely about it."

This isn't the first time Swift mentioned Taylor in her songs. On "...Ready For It?," the opening track to her 2017 albumReputation, Swift sings about Taylor and Burton's relationship. "And he can be my jailer, Burton to this Taylor / Every love I've known in comparison is a failure," she says.

Taylor's sonChristopher Wilding told PEOPLE in October 2025that he thinks the singer and his late mother "seem like kindred spirits." "They are both the very embodiment of female empowerment. The way [Swift] has deftly captured the similarities and parallel tracks in their careers and personal lives is delightful."

The "Elizabeth Taylor" music video is available to stream on Spotify with a premium subscription and Apple Music.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

byMario Satorik

in

March 31, 2026

Taylor Swift drops 'Elizabeth Taylor' music video — but doesn’t appear herself

Taylor Swift dropped a surprise music video for her song "Elizabeth Taylor," but is missing from the video her...

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Florida center Olivier Rioux, the tallest college basketball player ever, enters transfer portal

The tallest basketball player in NCAA history is looking for a new team in the offseason. Florida center Olivier Rioux is entering the transfer portal after a middling sophomore season with the Gators.

Rioux, 20, confirmed the news on Instagram, thanking the team and fans for their support.

Rioux is making the move after seeing limited time in just 11 games as a sophomore. He averaged 0.6 points and 0.5 rebounds in just 1.5 minutes per game.

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Rioux originally joined Florida as a preferred walk-on during the 2024-25 season. It wound up being a red-shirt year for the center, however, and he did not appear in a game.

His second season at Florida didn't result in many significant moments, but he did break a record the instant he stepped on the court. During a November game against North Florida, Rioux became the tallest college basketball player to see action in a game, as he tallied two minutes of play during the contest. The 7-foot-9 center did not record any stats in the game, however.

He was used in a reverse/mop-up role the rest of the way, seeing one or two minutes sparingly with Florida throughout the season. His best performance came in a 114-55 blowout win over Prairie View A&M, when he scored two points and recorded two rebounds and an assist in two minutes of play.

Rioux does have a history of strong play prior to joining Florida. He's played prominent roles for Canada's FIBA teams as an amateur and has two bronze medals for his efforts there.

byMario Satorik

in

March 31, 2026

Florida center Olivier Rioux, the tallest college basketball player ever, enters transfer portal

The tallest basketball player in NCAA history is looking for a new team in the offseason. Florida center Olivier Rioux i...

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