🏀 March Madness Survivor Picks Today 2026: Best Saturday Strategy (March 28)
Only eight teams remain in the NCAA Tournament, and if you're still alive in your survivor pool, you're one of the lucky few who get to make March Madness survivor picks today.
With just four teams to choose from on Saturday, my March Madness survivor pool picks are backing one of the top teams in the country against the Cinderella of this year's NCAA Tournament.
Don't miss our March Madness bracket predictions for the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
📊 Saturday survivor pool power rankings: Elite Eight
For more on survivor pools, check out my March Madness survivor pool strategy guide.
| Rank | Team | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No. 3 Illinois | No. 9 Iowa |
| 2 | No. 1 Arizona | No. 2 Purdue |
🎯 Best Saturday March Madness survivor picks
Checkout our March Madness second-chance bracket picks.
Best survivor pool pick today: Illinois
Illinois is the most dangerous non-No. 1 seed in March Madness. The Fighting Illini sit No. 2 in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency (131.4), No. 3 in offensive rebound rate (39.1%), and No. 9 in turnover rate (13.1%).
Not only did their offense come to play against Houston, but their length created all kinds of issues on the defensive end. Brad Underwood's team is the tallest in the country and top 30 nationally in effective field-goal percentage allowed (47.3%).
Iowa's heavy reliance on Bennett Stirtz and the efficient shooting around him will be challenged by a gargantuan team.
🟠 Big Ten rematch could be a repeat performance
While the Hawkeyes are this year's Cinderella story behind Stirtz and first-year head coach Ben McCollum, our Iowa vs. Illinois prediction projects a 3-point Ilini win.
This is the second time the Big Ten foes play this season, with Illinois beating Iowa by six the first time around (Jan. 11).
The Fighting Illini held the Hawkeyes to 41% shooting from the floor in the win, while Illinois star Keaton Wagler put up 19 points on 55.5% shooting.
Riskiest survivor pool pick today: Arizona
Without a doubt, Arizona continues to show it's the most complete team in college basketball this season. The Wildcats are the only team that sits in the top five nationally in adjusted offensive (128.5) and defensive efficiency (90.3), but there are two reasons to be wary of using them.
Arizona holds more Final Four value than Illinois, and it takes on the No. 1 offense in the country tonight, which could potentially pull the upset.
Purdue is No. 1 in offensive efficiency (132.0), No. 10 in effective field-goal percentage (58%), No. 16 in turnover rate (13.6%), and No. 19 in offensive rebound rate (36.5%). I'm not saying Arizona won't win, but Purdue is a scarier opponent than Iowa.
Our Purdue vs. Arizona prediction projects a 3-point win for the Wildcats, but with a veteran trio of Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn, and Fletcher Loyer, anything is possible.
💵 My survivor picks for March Madness
I'm making two separate survivor pool picks each day for two different survivor pools.
| Round (day) | Pool 1 picks | Pool 2 picks |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 (Thursday) | Arkansas ✅ | Vanderbilt ✅ |
| Round 1 (Friday) | Kansas ✅ | Virginia ✅ |
| Round 2 (Saturday) | Illinois ✅ | Michigan State ✅ |
| Round 2 (Sunday) | Purdue ✅ | Iowa State ✅ |
| Sweet 16 (Thursday) | Arizona ✅ | Purdue ✅ |
| Sweet 16 (Friday) | Iowa State ❌ | Michigan ✅ |
| Elite Eight (Saturday) | N/A | Illinois TBD |
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