OpenAI

BracketGPT: The Deep Dunk

GPT OSS 120BOpenAIEntry 2
EASYfailedDQ
Outcome
failed
Accuracy
Created
Mar 18, 2026, 10:16 PM
Finished
Mar 18, 2026, 10:17 PM
Tiebreaker
Validation
round-of-64-no-submit-round-call
Failure Reason
Model never called submit_round for Round of 64 before the step limit.
R64
0
R32
0
S16
0
E8
0
F4
0
Ch
0

Bracket

No saved picks for this entry.

Trace

Stored prompt, assistant, tool, and reasoning parts for this attempt.

userMessage 1
Mar 18, 2026, 10:16 PM
You are competing against 30+ other AI models to build the best March Madness bracket for the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Your bracket will be scored using standard ESPN scoring (10-20-40-80-160-320 points per round). The winning model gets featured on the public leaderboard. To win, you need an EDGE. Chalk brackets (always picking the higher seed) lose every year. The models that win will be the ones that find real information — injuries, matchup advantages, hot streaks, coaching tendencies — and use it to make smart upset picks. ## Tournament Structure - 64 teams, divided into 4 regions (East, West, South, Midwest) - You will predict ONE ROUND AT A TIME. After each round, your winners advance to the next round's matchups. - Some games have **First Four play-in matchups** shown as "teamA / teamB". For these, pick any of the three teams. ## Round of 64 Matchups EAST: game-1: [1] duke-blue-devils vs [16] siena-saints game-2: [8] ohio-state-buckeyes vs [9] tcu-horned-frogs game-3: [5] st-johns-red-storm vs [12] northern-iowa-panthers game-4: [4] kansas-jayhawks vs [13] california-baptist-lancers game-5: [6] louisville-cardinals vs [11] south-florida-bulls game-6: [3] michigan-state-spartans vs [14] north-dakota-state-bison game-7: [7] ucla-bruins vs [10] ucf-knights game-8: [2] uconn-huskies vs [15] furman-paladins WEST: game-9: [1] arizona-wildcats vs [16] long-island-university-sharks game-10: [8] villanova-wildcats vs [9] utah-state-aggies game-11: [5] wisconsin-badgers vs [12] high-point-panthers game-12: [4] arkansas-razorbacks vs [13] hawaii-rainbow-warriors game-13: [6] byu-cougars vs [11] texas-longhorns / nc-state-wolfpack game-14: [3] gonzaga-bulldogs vs [14] kennesaw-state-owls game-15: [7] miami-hurricanes vs [10] missouri-tigers game-16: [2] purdue-boilermakers vs [15] queens-nc-royals SOUTH: game-17: [1] florida-gators vs [16] prairie-view-am-panthers / lehigh-mountain-hawks game-18: [8] clemson-tigers vs [9] iowa-hawkeyes game-19: [5] vanderbilt-commodores vs [12] mcneese-cowboys game-20: [4] nebraska-cornhuskers vs [13] troy-trojans game-21: [6] north-carolina-tar-heels vs [11] vcu-rams game-22: [3] illinois-fighting-illini vs [14] pennsylvania-quakers game-23: [7] saint-marys-gaels vs [10] texas-am-aggies game-24: [2] houston-cougars vs [15] idaho-vandals MIDWEST: game-25: [1] michigan-wolverines vs [16] umbc-retrievers / howard-bison game-26: [8] georgia-bulldogs vs [9] saint-louis-billikens game-27: [5] texas-tech-red-raiders vs [12] akron-zips game-28: [4] alabama-crimson-tide vs [13] hofstra-pride game-29: [6] tennessee-volunteers vs [11] smu-mustangs / miami-oh-redhawks game-30: [3] virginia-cavaliers vs [14] wright-state-raiders game-31: [7] kentucky-wildcats vs [10] santa-clara-broncos game-32: [2] iowa-state-cyclones vs [15] tennessee-state-tigers ## Current Task: Round of 64 (Round 1 of 6) Pick the winner of each game below. Use the team ID slugs shown above. game-1: duke-blue-devils vs siena-saints game-2: ohio-state-buckeyes vs tcu-horned-frogs game-3: st-johns-red-storm vs northern-iowa-panthers game-4: kansas-jayhawks vs california-baptist-lancers game-5: louisville-cardinals vs south-florida-bulls game-6: michigan-state-spartans vs north-dakota-state-bison game-7: ucla-bruins vs ucf-knights game-8: uconn-huskies vs furman-paladins game-9: arizona-wildcats vs long-island-university-sharks game-10: villanova-wildcats vs utah-state-aggies game-11: wisconsin-badgers vs high-point-panthers game-12: arkansas-razorbacks vs hawaii-rainbow-warriors game-13: byu-cougars vs texas-longhorns game-14: gonzaga-bulldogs vs kennesaw-state-owls game-15: miami-hurricanes vs missouri-tigers game-16: purdue-boilermakers vs queens-nc-royals game-17: florida-gators vs prairie-view-am-panthers game-18: clemson-tigers vs iowa-hawkeyes game-19: vanderbilt-commodores vs mcneese-cowboys game-20: nebraska-cornhuskers vs troy-trojans game-21: north-carolina-tar-heels vs vcu-rams game-22: illinois-fighting-illini vs pennsylvania-quakers game-23: saint-marys-gaels vs texas-am-aggies game-24: houston-cougars vs idaho-vandals game-25: michigan-wolverines vs umbc-retrievers game-26: georgia-bulldogs vs saint-louis-billikens game-27: texas-tech-red-raiders vs akron-zips game-28: alabama-crimson-tide vs hofstra-pride game-29: tennessee-volunteers vs smu-mustangs game-30: virginia-cavaliers vs wright-state-raiders game-31: kentucky-wildcats vs santa-clara-broncos game-32: iowa-state-cyclones vs tennessee-state-tigers ## Tools Available - **web_search**: Search the web for team stats, rankings, or matchup analysis. - **web_fetch**: Fetch a web page for detailed scouting reports or bracket previews. - **use_browser**: Browse JS-heavy pages. Slower — use only when web_fetch fails. - **lookup_team**: Find a team by name to get their slug, seed, and region. - **calculator**: Evaluate math expressions. - **submit_round**: Submit your picks for this round. Each pick is {"gameId": "...", "winnerId": "team-slug"}. ## Your Process 1. Research teams using web_search and web_fetch — look for rankings, injuries, upsets, matchup advantages. 2. Pick winners for all 32 games in this round. 3. Include upsets where your research supports them (this is March Madness!). 4. Call submit_round with your picks array. Do not end with a prose bracket summary. Your final response must be a submit_round tool call. Today's date: 2026-03-18
assistantMessage 2
Mar 18, 2026, 10:17 PM
Reasoning
We need to generate picks for round of 64. Must research teams for upset info. This is large, but we can approximate using known seeds and typical upset probabilities. However need edge. We might search for each team for injuries etc. That would be time-consuming. Could perhaps rely on known trends: 12 vs 5 upset chances, 10-7, 11-6, etc. Use some data from 2025-26 season. Let's search for "2026 NCAA tournament preview injuries"
Tool Call: web_search
{
  "query": "2026 NCAA tournament preview injuries duke blue devils"
}
Tool Result: web_search
{
  "results": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.si.com/college/duke/blue-devils-rotation-adjustment-that-could-define-march-madness",
      "title": "The Duke Rotation Adjustment That Could Define March Madness",
      "snippet": "The 2026 NCAA Tournament is here, and the Duke Blue Devils will enter as the No. 1 overall seed and the best team in college basketball."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/duke-shrugs-off-health-questions-sets-sights-on-siena/",
      "title": "Duke shrugs off health questions, sets sights on Siena - CBS Sports",
      "snippet": "The road to Indianapolis and the Final Four starts for the Blue Devils on Thursday afternoon with No. 16 Siena. The winner of the 8-9 ..."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/why-duke-basketball-upset-alert-210404296.html",
      "title": "Why Duke basketball is on upset alert in 2026 NCAA Tournament",
      "snippet": "Duke basketball is banged up right now. The Blue Devils are also entering the NCAA tournament with some injuries to key players. Big man ..."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/duke/article315059036.html",
      "title": "Duke basketball injury update for March Madness tournament",
      "snippet": "Duke coach Jon Scheyer provided updates on Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba following the Blue Devils' ACC Championship win Saturday night."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.hoopshq.com/acc/duke-acc-tournament-2026",
      "title": "Duke Keeps on Winning as It Adjusts to an Injury-Depleted Lineup",
      "snippet": "The good news for the Blue Devils is that win or lose, they will still be a No. 1 seed once the NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed on Sunday."
    }
  ]
}
assistantMessage 3
Mar 18, 2026, 10:17 PM
Reasoning
We need to decide picks. Need quick research for upsets. Let's search for other teams.
Tool Call: web_search
{
  "query": "2026 NCAA tournament upset picks first round 12 seed northern iowa panthers"
}
Tool Result: web_search
{
  "results": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/48223542/ncaa-tournament-upsets-first-round-giant-killers-march-madness-2026",
      "title": "Most probable first-round upsets in the men's 2026 NCAA tournament",
      "snippet": "It gives only one No. 12 seed -- the perennial upset pick so many like to identify -- even a 20% chance to bust brackets."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/march-madness-upset-predictions-2026-131717987.html",
      "title": "March Madness upset predictions 2026: Which 12 seed is most ...",
      "snippet": "All of these No. 12 seeds have some allure, and it comes down to which style can make an impact. Northern Iowa allowed 70 or more points in just ..."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7123051/2026/03/17/the-definitive-guide-to-march-madness-2026-first-round-upsets/",
      "title": "The definitive guide to March Madness 2026 first-round upsets",
      "snippet": "No. 12 Northern Iowa Panthers. Upset chance: 24.5 percent. We often preach that a top seed needs to build possessions to help ensure that one ..."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMV9y2zvvRo",
      "title": "THE MOST ACCURATE MARCH MADNESS UPSET PICKS OF 2026",
      "snippet": "So I have seen a lot of people pick St.John's to make it far why do you think they will lose first round I just don't want them to go crazy ..."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.tsn.ca/ncaa/article/most-probable-first-round-upsets-in-the-mens-2026-ncaa-tournament-n1-48223542/",
      "title": "Most probable first-round upsets in the men's 2026 NCAA tournament",
      "snippet": "(12) High Point vs.​​ High Point is the only 12-seed with at least a 20% chance to win, according to the model, and this could be one of the ..."
    }
  ]
}
assistantMessage 4
Mar 18, 2026, 10:17 PM
Reasoning
We need to generate picks for all 32 games. Need to incorporate research to choose upsets. We have limited time. Let's quickly gather information for likely upset seeds: 12 vs 5, 10 vs 7, 11 vs 6, 9 vs 8 typical, etc. Use web searches for each relevant upset. but time limited. Let's identify potential upset candidates: Game2: 8 Ohio State vs 9 TCU: fairly even, could pick either. Need edge. Look up recent performance.
Tool Call: web_search
{
  "query": "2026 Ohio State vs TCU matchup analysis"
}
Tool Result: web_search
{
  "results": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.cleveland.com/osu/2026/03/ohio-state-got-the-opportunity-it-longed-for-are-the-buckeyes-now-built-for-march-madness-upsets.html",
      "title": "Ohio State vs TCU NCAA Tournament",
      "snippet": "Ohio State basketball has a chance to make noise in the NCAA Tournament, starting against TCU before a potential matchup with Duke."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-basketball/2026/03/161907/five-things-to-know-takeaways-and-rebounds-fueled-late-season-hot-streak-for-tcu-buckeyes-first-ncaa-tournament-opponent",
      "title": "Five Things to Know: Takeaways and Rebounds Fueled ...",
      "snippet": "TCU has four players averaging at least 10 points per game and seven averaging at least eight, and their rebounding and assist numbers are ..."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/game/_/gameId/401856479/tcu-ohio-state",
      "title": "TCU vs. Ohio State (Mar 19, 2026) Live Score",
      "snippet": "Live coverage of the TCU Horned Frogs vs. Ohio State Buckeyes NCAAM game on ESPN, including live score, highlights and updated stats."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.si.com/college/tcu/basketball/tcu-ohio-state-ncaa-tournament",
      "title": "TCU Gearing Up to Challenge Ohio State's Scoring Stars in ...",
      "snippet": "The good news is that the feat is entirely doable—TCU is more than capable of winning its first-round matchup. There is a modicum of unfortunate ..."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ohio-state-vs-tcu-prediction-031409604.html",
      "title": "Ohio State vs TCU Prediction and Preview",
      "snippet": "Ohio State and TCU fought their way into the NCAA Tournament. They're tough, battle-tested, and should wage a strong 8-9 battle."
    }
  ]
}
assistantMessage 5
Mar 18, 2026, 10:17 PM
Reasoning
We need to decide picks for all 32 games. Need to incorporate research on injuries, matchup strengths, upset potential. We'll need to browse some sources for each upset candidate. Time limited. We can rely on typical upset probabilities: 12 over 5, 11 over 6, 10 over 7 sometimes, 9 over 8 could go either way. Also consider any real news for specific teams. Let's search for specific key upset teams: St. Johns (5 seed vs 12 Northern Iowa). Also maybe Louisville (6 vs 11 South Florida). Michigan State (3 vs 14 NDSU) likely win. UCLA (7 vs 10 UCF) maybe upset? UCF 10 seed strong. UConn (2 vs 15) likely win. Arizona (1 vs 16) win. Villanova (8 vs 9) close; perhaps Villanova upset? Let's search.
Tool Call: web_search
{
  "query": "2026 Villanova vs Utah State first round preview"
}
Tool Result: web_search
{
  "results": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtSG66ioHGs",
      "title": "Villanova vs. Utah State: NCAA Tournament First Round ... - YouTube",
      "snippet": "Villanova vs. Utah State: NCAA Tournament First Round Preview & Predictions The drought is over! For the first time in four years, ..."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/college/2026/03/16/villanova-utah-state-picks-predictions-odds-march-madness-ncaa-tournament/88420666007/",
      "title": "Villanova vs Utah State picks, predictions for NCAA March Madness ...",
      "snippet": "ESPN: Utah State has a 51.6% chance to beat Villanova. The site gives the Wildcats a 48.4% shot at defeating the Aggies in the NCAA Tournament ..."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ncaa-tournament-analyzing-villanova-path-210359751.html",
      "title": "NCAA Tournament: Analyzing Villanova's path to a No. 8 seed",
      "snippet": "Villanova will now take on Utah State in the West Region. ... March Madness 2026 picks: Predictions, odds, lines, schedule for Tuesday's First ..."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.bettingpros.com/articles/villanova-vs-utah-state-ncaa-tournament-predictions-preview/",
      "title": "Villanova vs. Utah State: NCAA Tournament Predictions & Preview",
      "snippet": "We'll have picks and predictions for each first-round 2026 NCAA Tournament game. Here are our NCAA Tournament predictions and previews."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u55bl4mBB5c",
      "title": "Villanova vs. Utah State NCAA Tournament Game Preview And ...",
      "snippet": "... USU beat power conference TCU in the first round. 24:31. Go to channel Depressed Ginger · *PERFECT* FULL March Madness 2026 Tournament Bracket ..."
    }
  ]
}
assistantMessage 6
Mar 18, 2026, 10:17 PM
Reasoning
We need to pick winners for all games starting round 1. We need to research each matchup, consider upsets based on data. Let's gather info for each game quickly maybe summary. Use web_search for each? Time limited. Could rely on typical upset probability: 12 seeds have decent upset chances; 13 seeds sometimes; also 11 seeds (like Texas vs NC State) is a play-in. But we have to provide exact picks. To get an edge, we need to identify upset possibilities using recent articles. Let's search for each potential upset. Game 3: st-johns-red-storm vs northern-iowa-panthers (5 vs 12). Northern Iowa maybe good upset chance. Look into article.
Tool Call: web_search
{
  "query": "Northern Iowa Panthers 2026 tournament upset 12 seed vs St. John's preview"
}
Tool Result: web_search
{
  "results": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/college/2026/03/16/st-johns-northern-iowa-picks-predictions-odds-march-madness-ncaa-tournament/88420748007/",
      "title": "St. John's vs Northern Iowa picks for NCAA March Madness",
      "snippet": "ESPN: St. John's has an 85% chance to beat Northern Iowa. The site gives the Panthers a 15% shot at defeating the Red Storm in the NCAA ..."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://deadspin.com/no-5-st-johns-out-to-prove-seeding-too-low-vs-no-12-northern-iowa/",
      "title": "No. 5 St. John's out to prove seeding too low vs. No. 12 Northern Iowa",
      "snippet": "The Red Storm (28-6) won both the Big East regular-season title and the conference tournament, yet secured only a No. 5 seed for a first-round ..."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5hNL_C2Px8",
      "title": "Northern Iowa vs St. John's 3/20/26 College Basketball Picks - Tony ...",
      "snippet": "CBB Best Bet - Northern Iowa vs St. John's 3/20/26 College Basketball Picks - Tony George In this video Tony George breaks down the first ..."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.kcci.com/article/northern-iowa-basketball-ncaa-tournament-bracket-tv-channel-stream-st-johns-tickets/70759711",
      "title": "What to know about UNI basketball vs. St. John's in the NCAA ...",
      "snippet": "Northern Iowa is heading west for its first NCAA Tournament appearance in a decade. Here's what to expect when the Panthers tip off against ..."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.bettingpros.com/articles/st-johns-vs-northern-iowa-ncaa-tournament-picks-odds/",
      "title": "St. John's vs. Northern Iowa: NCAA Tournament Picks & Odds",
      "snippet": "Northern Iowa 2026 NCAA Tournament Preview. Ben Jacobson's Panthers had to win four games in four days as an MVC Tournament No. 6 seed just ..."
    }
  ]
}
assistantMessage 7
Mar 18, 2026, 10:17 PM
Reasoning
We need to pick winners for all 32 games based on research insights. We have fetched some info; need to decide picks. Let's summarize likely upsets. Game list: 1 Duke (1) vs Siena (16) -> likely Duke. Check injuries: there is mention of injuries but likely still strong. Probably pick Duke. 2 Ohio State (8) vs TCU (9). This is a toss-up. Need insight: articles mention Ohio State hopes for upset, TCU capable. Which is better? Let's search for TCU injuries.
Tool Call: web_search
{
  "query": "TCU injuries 2026 tournament"
}
Tool Result: web_search
{
  "results": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.teamrankings.com/ncaa-basketball/matchup/cowboys-horned-frogs-2026-03-11/injuries",
      "title": "2025-2026 NCAA BB Games: Cowboys Horned Frogs Injury Report -",
      "snippet": "TCU Injuries. Name, Pos, Updated, Injury, Status, Details. TCU has no reported injuries at this time. NCAA Tournament. Bracket Picks (Men) ..."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/big-12-court-controversy-continues-003009615.html",
      "title": "Big 12 court controversy continues; Texas Tech player injured after ...",
      "snippet": "March Madness 2026: 5 NBA prospects with the most to gain in NCAA tournament ... Championship after just one hole with back injury. Collin ..."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.star-telegram.com/sports/college/big-12/texas-christian-university/article315037396.html",
      "title": "TCU's turnaround: From bubble team to March Madness threat",
      "snippet": "But as TCU and coach Jamie Dixon stared down the possibility of missing the tournament for the second straight season, things suddenly began to ..."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/tcu-baseball-receives-devastating-injury-news-ahead-of-2026-season/ar-AA1ScpEg?apiversion=v2&domshim=1&noservercache=1&noservertelemetry=1&batchservertelemetry=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1",
      "title": "TCU baseball receives devastating injury news ahead of 2026 season",
      "snippet": "The TCU Horned Frogs received some unfortunate injury news as pitcher Louis Rodriguez will be out for the 2026 season."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.aol.com/articles/big-12-abandons-conference-tournaments-050724456.html",
      "title": "Big 12 abandons conference tournament's glass LED court after ...",
      "snippet": "Big 12 abandons conference tournament's glass LED court after Texas Tech star's injury, goes back to hardwood ... The 2026 NCAA tournament is set to be a massive ..."
    }
  ]
}
assistantMessage 8
Mar 18, 2026, 10:17 PM
Reasoning
We need to make picks for all 32 games round of 64. Need to use research to justify upset picks, but final answer must be a submit_round call with picks. We must determine likely upsets based on recent news. We have some info: - Duke might have injuries but still strong. Probably still pick Duke over 16. - Ohio State vs TCU: Ohio State is 8 seed, TCU 9 seed. Could be close; maybe pick Ohio State (higher seed) but could lean TCU if injuries? No injuries reported for TCU. Probably go with Ohio State. - St. John's vs Northern Iowa: Up to 12 seed upset probability ~24.5% vs 5 seed. Might be upset candidate. St John’s is 5 seed, strong, but could be upset. Research shows St John's 85% chance to win. Use higher seed. - Kansas vs Cal Baptist: Kansas 4 vs 13, Kansas strong. Pick Kansas. - Louisville vs South Florida: 6 vs 11. Could be upset; need info. Let's search Louisville injuries.
Tool Call: web_search
{
  "query": "Louisville Cardinals 2026 tournament injuries"
}
Tool Result: web_search
{
  "results": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.teamrankings.com/ncaa-basketball/matchup/bulls-cardinals-2026-03-19/injuries",
      "title": "2025-2026 NCAA BB Games: Bulls Cardinals Injury Report -",
      "snippet": "Louisville Injuries ; Mikel Brown Jr. G · 3/11, Back, OUT ; Mouhamed Camara, F · 2/17, Undisclosed, OUT ..."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/mens-college-basketball/breaking-news/article/louisville-star-mikel-brown-jr-to-miss-acc-tournament-with-back-injury-hopeful-for-ncaa-tournament-return-002453403.html",
      "title": "Louisville star Mikel Brown Jr. to miss ACC tournament with back ...",
      "snippet": "Louisville star Mikel Brown Jr. to miss ACC tournament with back injury, hopeful for NCAA tournament return - Yahoo Sports."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.si.com/college/louisville/basketball/first-injury-report-2025-26-acc-tournament-quarterfinals",
      "title": "ACC Releases Game Day Injury Report for Louisville vs. Miami",
      "snippet": "ACC Releases Game Day Injury Report for Louisville vs. Miami ... The Cardinals tip off against the Canes at 2:30 p.m. EST. ... LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The ..."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://bigredlouie.com/mikel-brown-jr-injury-louisville-fans-should-be-worried-about-the-ncaa-tournament",
      "title": "Mikel Brown Jr. injury: Louisville fans should be worried about the ...",
      "snippet": "Louisville announces Mikel Brown Jr. (back injury) is out for the entire ACC tournament."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://news.lee.net/louisville-star-freshman-to-miss-ncaa-tournament-with-injury/article_4be90d42-be73-596a-91dd-05790d7627ab.html",
      "title": "Louisville star freshman to miss NCAA tournament with injury",
      "snippet": "Brown missed the Cardinals' final two games of the ​regular season with the back injury that he suffered on Feb. 28 against Clemson. Louisville ..."
    }
  ]
}
assistantMessage 9
Mar 18, 2026, 10:17 PM
Reasoning
We need to pick winners for all 32 Round of 64 games, leveraging research for upsets. We have some info on injuries: Duke injuries, Louisville injuries, maybe other teams. Need to decide upsets likely. We should also examine other matchups: Kansas vs Cal Baptist, Michigan State vs NDSU, UCLA vs UCF, UConn vs Furman, Arizona vs Long Island, Wisconsin vs High Point, Arkansas vs Hawaii, BYU vs Texas (since Texas longhorns vs BYU) need to check which is chosen: game13 says BYU vs Texas-longhorns (no NC State). So winner between BYU and Texas. GONZAGA vs Kennesaw, Miami vs Missouri, Purdue vs Queens, Florida vs Prairie View (or Lehigh) – choose one of the two 16 seeds? Actually game17 includes two 16 seed choices; pick who? It says "prairie-view-am-panthers / lehigh-mountain-hawks". So we can pick any of the three teams? Actually "some games have First Four play-in matchups shown as 'teamA / teamB'. For these, pick any of the three teams." For game17, there are two possible 16 seeds? It shows two teams, maybe from play-in. We can pick any of them, but realistic: pick the one more likely to be the winner of play-in. Need to research which 16 seed won the play-in. Let's search.
Tool Call: web_search
{
  "query": "2026 NCAA tournament play-in prairie view vs lehigh winner"
}
Tool Result: web_search
{
  "results": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/game/_/gameId/401856437/lehigh-prairie-view",
      "title": "Lehigh vs. Prairie View A&M (Mar 18, 2026) Live Score - ESPN",
      "snippet": "Live coverage of the Lehigh Mountain Hawks vs. Prairie View A&M Panthers NCAAM game on ESPN, including live score, highlights and updated stats."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/gametracker/preview/NCAAB_20260318_PVAM@LEHIGH/",
      "title": "Prairie View A&M Panthers vs. Lehigh Mountain Hawks Live Score ...",
      "snippet": "Get real-time Men's College Basketball coverage and scores as Prairie View A&M Panthers takes on Lehigh Mountain Hawks."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://patriotleague.org/news/2026/3/17/ncaa-mens-basketball-tournament-first-four-preview-no-16-lehigh-meets-no-16-prairie-view-am-3-17-26.aspx",
      "title": "NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament First Four Preview: No. 16 ...",
      "snippet": "16 Lehigh (18-16, 11-7 PL), the 2026 Patriot League Men's Basketball Champion, will face the SWAC Champion No. 16 Prairie View A&M (18-17, 9-9 ..."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.foxsports.com/college-basketball/ncaa-tournament-first-4-lehigh-mountain-hawks-vs-prairie-view-am-panthers-mar-18-2026-game-boxscore-264059",
      "title": "2025-26 NCAA Tournament - First Four: Mar 18, 2026 - FOX Sports",
      "snippet": "View the Prairie View A&M Panthers vs. Lehigh Mountain Hawks basketball game played on March 18, 2026. View box score, stats, odds, ..."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEVd9aNru0M",
      "title": "Miami (OH) vs SMU, Prairie View A&M vs Lehigh | 2026 ... - YouTube",
      "snippet": "The CBS Sports Network crew previews Wednesday's slate of First Four games in Dayton, Ohio, as Miami of Ohio plays SMU and Lehigh takes on ..."
    }
  ]
}
assistantMessage 10
Mar 18, 2026, 10:17 PM
Reasoning
We need to produce picks for round of 64. Need to incorporate research for upset picks. We have some data: likely upsets include 12 seed Northern Iowa vs St. John's maybe 24.5% upset, could pick upset. Also 9-8 games often toss-ups; need decide. We need to consider injuries: Duke has injuries to key players but still likely win. Let's open article about Duke injuries.
Tool Call: web_fetch
{
  "url": "https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/duke-shrugs-off-health-questions-sets-sights-on-siena/"
}
Tool Result: web_fetch
{
  "content": "site: media \\| arena: collegebasketball \\| pageType: stories \\|\nsection: \\| slug: duke-shrugs-off-health-issues-sets-sights-on-siena \\| sport: collegebasketball \\| route: article\\_single.us \\|\n6-keys: media/spln/collegebasketball/reg/free/stories\n\n[Skip to Main Content](https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/duke-shrugs-off-health-issues-sets-sights-on-siena/#page-content)\n\nClose\n\nSign in with your TV provider\n\nIf not listed, please contact your TV provider.\n\n![[object Object] Logo](https://sportshub.cbsistatic.com/i/2020/04/22/e9ceb731-8b3f-4c60-98fe-090ab66a2997/screen-shot-2020-04-22-at-11-04-56-am.png)\n\nAll ProvidersXfinity\n\n# Duke shrugs off health issues, sets sights on Siena\n\n## GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Duke enters the 2026 NCAA Tournament with a familiar goal and matching expectations as the No. 1 overall seed.\n\nBy\n\nFLM\n\n\n2 hrs ago\n•\n3 min read\n\n\n![default-cbs-image](https://sportsfly.cbsistatic.com/fly-504/bundles/sportsmediacss/images/core/video-slate.png)\n\nNow Playing\n\nShare\n\nShare Video\n\n- [Copy the video link](https://www.cbssports.com/watch/general/video/team-that-wont-make-it-to-the-sweet-16-alabama \"Copy the video link\")\n- [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=team-that-wont-make-it-to-the-sweet-16-alabama&url=https://www.cbssports.com/watch/general/video/team-that-wont-make-it-to-the-sweet-16-alabama \"X\")\n- [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/dialog/share?app_id=297742330311988&display=popup&href=https://www.cbssports.com/watch/general/video/team-that-wont-make-it-to-the-sweet-16-alabama \"Facebook\")\n\nLink copied!\n\nGREENVILLE, S.C. -- [Duke](https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/teams/DUKE/duke-blue-devils/) enters the 2026 NCAA Tournament with a familiar goal and matching expectations as the No. 1 overall seed.\n\nThe Atlantic Coast Conference champion during the regular season and last week's tournament, Duke (32-2) earned a No. 1 seed in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2010-11. The road to Indianapolis and the Final Four starts for the Blue Devils on Thursday afternoon with No. 16 [Siena](https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/teams/SIENA/siena-saints/). The winner of the 8-9 matchup between Ohio State and TCU gets the winner of Duke-Siena on Saturday in the East Region.\n\nDuke does stroll into the game with questions, none bigger than health. Injured starters Patrick Ngongba and Caleb Foster did not play in the ACC tournament.\n\nFoster (8.5 points per game) suffered a fractured right foot in the regular-season finale against North Carolina on March 7. Duke coach Jon Scheyer noted the junior guard is \"still going to be a little while,\" but no hard timeline was shared.\n\nCloser to returning is Ngongba, a sophomore averaging 10.7 points and six rebounds in 29 games (28 starts). The 6-foot-11 center hasn't played since March 2 with a right foot injury.\n\n\"Obviously, Pat means so much for us,\" Scheyer said. \"When you think about winning, he's been one of the 10 most impactful players in the country. The rim protection he provides for our team, his passing, his scoring.\"\n\nBut Scheyer told reporters on Wednesday that he doesn't expect Ngongba to take the court against the Saints.\n\n\"I think it's very unlikely that he plays \\[Thursday\\],\" Scheyer said. \"We're going to keep taking it day by day. And again, he's itching to play, but we're not quite there.\"\n\nOf course, these are blueblood problems relative to the concerns Siena carries into the game.\n\nDuke can still rely on ACC Player of the Year and the nation's ninth-leading scorer, Cameron Boozer, who was named first-team All-American this week. The son of Carlos Boozer -- a national champion with the Blue Devils in 2001 -- Cameron Boozer leads Duke in averaging 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.\n\nHis twin brother, Cayden Boozer, happens to be playing his best basketball of the season. Cayden Boozer had a season-high 16 points in both Duke's ACC semifinal and championship wins over Clemson and Virginia. A starter in ju"
}
assistantMessage 11
Mar 18, 2026, 10:17 PM
Reasoning
We have data: Duke has key injuries (Patrick Ngongba likely out, Caleb Foster out). Still strong with Boozer. Need to decide picks: We should pick upsets based on upset probability info. Let's browse for upset predictions for 12 seed Northern Iowa (we have some probability 24.5%). Probably good pick. Also maybe 10 seed UCF vs UCLA? 7 vs 10 > likely UCLA but maybe upset. Check Oklahoma? Let's search for UCLA vs UCF analysis.{"query":"UCLA vs UCF first round 2026 upset analysis"}

Tokens

Input
49964
Output
1745
Reasoning
0