🏀 March Madness Survivor Picks Today 2026: Best Thursday Strategy (March 26)

With just four games on Thursday's Sweet 16 slate to choose from, I'm not trying anything fancy with my March Madness survivor picks today, as I attempt to survive and advance through another round of the NCAA Tournament.

After the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, I'm 8-for-8 with my March Madness survivor pool picks and still alive in both daily pools I'm in, so hopefully the Sweet 16 is just as kind to me as Round 1 and 2 were last week.

Don't miss our March Madness bracket predictions for the 2026 NCAA Tournament. 

📊 Thursday survivor pool power rankings: Sweet 16

For more on survivor pools, check out my March Madness survivor pool strategy guide. Teams I've already used in my two pools are bolded.

🎯 Best Sunday March Madness survivor picks

Checkout our March Madness second-chance bracket picks.

Best survivor pool pick today: Purdue

If you haven't used Purdue in your survivor pool yet, this is your last chance with the Boilermakers likely taking on No. 1 seed Arizona in the Elite Eight.

All-time assists leader Braden Smith has Purdue No. 1 nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency (132.0), and is poised to feast on a Texas team that's No. 81 in adjusted defensive efficiency (104.2).

For as impressive as Texas has looked as a No. 11 seed, the Longhorns don't match up well with an offensive-oriented Purdue team that's top-20 in effective field-goal percentage (58.2%), turnover rate (13.8%), and offensive rebound rate (36.4%). 

Safest survivor pool pick today: Arizona

It might be a tough pill to swallow to use a No. 1 seed in the Sweet 16, but the Wildcats are projected to have a more difficult Elite Eight matchup than fellow March Madness odds favorites Michigan and Duke.

And for as hot as Darius Acuff Jr. has been for Arkansas, this Arizona defense is monstrous, ranking No. 3 in efficiency (90.1) and No. 1 in effective field-goal percentage allowed (44.8%).

With the guard combo of Brayden Burries and Jaden Bradley swarming Acuff and Meleek Thomas, and Motiejus Krivas protecting the rim, Arizona should be able to outpace Arkansas. Stealing possessions will be key, and the Wildcats are No. 4 in the country in offensive rebound rate (38.8%).

Though our Arkansas vs. Arizona prediction expects a tight game relative to the spread, it still projects a seven-point win for Tommy Lloyd's team. 

Riskiest survivor pool pick today: Nebraska

While Iowa is just a No. 9 seed, there's a reason Nebraska is only a 1.5-point betting favorite at our best March Madness betting sites. The Hawkeyes have one of the best coaches in the country in Ben McCollum (38-8 in NCAA Tournament games, including D-II), and play at a pace that lends well to keeping scoring low - Iowa is No. 361 nationally adjusted tempo.

Plus, Hawkeyes star Bennett Stirtz is among the players highlighted in our 2026 NBA Draft stock watch for a reason: he's one of the most dynamic talents left in the NCAA Tournament.

So while our Iowa vs. Nebraska prediction projects a Cornhuskers win (by just one point), this is not a survivor pick worth sweating out. These two rivals are going to keep this one close.

🚫 Thursday survivor picks to avoid (March 26)

Have questions, like what is a March Madness survivor pool? We've got answers.

❌ Worst survivor pool pick today: Houston

The best game of the Sweet 16 by far is Illinois and Houston's late-night matchup tonight. These are the best non-No. 1 seeds left in the NCAA Tournament, and both are top six in the country in net rating.

The winner of this matchup will likely reach the Final Four and have a legitimate shot at upsetting Duke. But when it comes to survivor picks, this is a game you do not want to be choosing a side in.

And while I do have Houston reaching the Final Four, Illinois is an offensive wagon with ridiculous size (Brad Underwood's team is the tallest in the country). The Fighting Illini are top 10 nationally in offensive efficiency (131.6), offensive rebound rate (39.2%), and turnover rate (13.1%).

With our Illinois vs. Houston prediction backing the Fighting Illini to cover and Houston to win by one, this isn't a game I feel strongly enough one way or the other to risk losing my survivor pool.

💵 My survivor picks for March Madness

I'm making two separate survivor pool picks each day for two different survivor pools. 

🏀 March Madness game predictions: Sweet 16

See all of our experts' college basketball picks based on the latest college basketball odds; picks rated on a 1-to-5 star confidence scale based on betting value.