Most dangerous double-digit seeds in 2026 men's NCAA Tournament

13 California Baptist Lancers (25-8, 13-5 in WAC) [East Region]

First-round game (Friday, 9:45 p.m. ET, CBS): vs. 4 Kansas Jayhawks (23-10, 12-6 in Big 12)

The Lancers are going dancing for the first time in program history after a wild finish to the WAC tournament championship, when Utah Valley Wolverines' forward Isaac Davis missed a potential tying alley-oop dunk in the waning seconds.

Cal Baptist is led offensively by senior guard Dominique Daniels Jr., responsible for 34 percent of the team's shots taken, the country's 11th-highest rate. (h/t KenPom) He's averaging 23.2 points per game this season.

The Lancers are also outstanding at defending the three-point line, ranking eighth in opponent three-point attempt rate (31.7 percent) and sixth in defensive three-point field goal percentage (29.7 percent). Opponents average 5.4 threes per game, the country's second-lowest mark.

Kansas is no stranger to an early, unexpected March Madness exit, either, losing on the first weekend in five of its last six tourney appearances, including in the opening round last season. 

12 High Point Panthers (30-4, 15-1 in Big South) [West Region]

First-round game (Thursday, 1:50 p.m. ET, TBS): vs. 5 Wisconsin Badgers (24-10, 14-6 in Big Ten)

High Point enters the NCAA Tournament riding the country's longest active win streak at 14 games, having last lost over two months ago on Jan. 14. It plays at a quick pace, with its average possession lasting 15.9 seconds, per KenPom, which ranks 24th in Division I.

Despite being an undersized roster, players including 5-foot-10 guard Rob Martin and 6-foot-6 forward Terry Anderson are good at drawing fouls, which could put the more talented Badgers in trouble. Panthers backup guard Chase Johnson shoots 48.5 percent on threes, and he could easily get hot off the bench and swing the first-round game.

11 NC State Wolfpack (20-13, 10-8 in ACC) [West Region]

First Four game (Tuesday, 9:15 p.m. ET, truTV): vs. 11 Texas Longhorns (18-14, 9-9 in SEC)

Last season, for just the second time since the field expanded to 68 teams, teams in the First Four failed to win more than one tourney game. But starting with an incredible run by the VCU Rams to the Final Four in 2011, several teams have taken advantage of the expanded field to go on deep runs. Per CBS Sports, five teams that played in the First Four reached the tournament's second week, with two making the national semis.

The Miami (Ohio) RedHawks (31-1, 18-0 in MAC) will probably be the most popular pick of the last four teams in the field to follow suit, but we're backing the Wolfpack in their first season under Will Wade. NC State has a favorable First Four matchup. It's an excellent three-point shooting team, making 38.8 percent of their attempts from beyond the arc, the 10th-highest mark in the country. Texas ranks No. 299 in defending the three-point line (36 percent). 

The Longhorns also don't manufacture many turnovers, while the Wolfpack rarely turn the ball over. A win sets up a matchup with the BYU Cougars, who are 7-10 over the second half of the season.

11 South Florida Bulls (25-8, 15-3 in American) [East Region]

First-round game (Thursday, 1:30 p.m. ET, TNT): vs. 6 Louisville Cardinals (23-10, 11-7 in ACC)

It's the running of the Bulls. South Florida, winners of 11 in a row, plays at the 15th-fastest tempo in Division I, which could turn the first-round game against Louisville, which averages just 15.8 seconds per possession, into a track meet.

South Florida has an experienced backcourt, led by junior guard Wes Enis, who transferred from Division II Lincoln Memorial and is averaging 23.4 points per game over his last five games, and senior forward Izaiyah Nelson, the 2025-26 American Player of the Year, who averages 15.8 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.

Sensational Louisville freshman Mikel Brown's availability will be worth monitoring after missing the past four games with a back injury.