A Sixers Guide to March Madness: West and Midwest Regions

As a result of the trade that sent fan-favorite guard Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Sixers will find themselves with a selection in the first round of the 2026 NBA draft.

With the NCAA tournament beginning this week, here is a guide to when each potential prospect in their range will play and who they will play against in the West and Midwest Regions of the Round of 64.

Note: All times are Eastern time.

Arizona (1) versus Long Island (16): 1:35 p.m., March 20, TNT

Arizona's Koa Peat, a 6-foot-8 power forward, and Motiejus Krivas, a 7-foot-2 center are ofted mocked in the Sixers' range.

Peat averaged 13.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists as a freshman. Krivas, a junior, averaged 10.5 points and 8.1 rebounds. Peat fits an obvious position of need and has more upside than Krivas does. But Krivas is a formidable interior defender.

Texas (11) versus NC State (11): 9:15 p.m., March 17, truTV

This is a First Four matchup in Dayton, Ohio. The winner will go on to face AJ Dybantsa and BYU in the Round of 64 at 7:25 p.m. on March 19 on TBS.

Texas has Dailyn Swain, a 6-foot-8 guard who made a huge leap as a junior this season. He averaged 17.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 55.1% from the field.

Purdue (2) versus Queens (15): 7:35 p.m., March 20, truTV

Purdue guard Braden Smith is just six feet tall. If McCain did not have a future in Philadelphia, it's not logical that Smith would be of interest for the Sixers. But the Boilermaker senior averaged 14 points and 9.1 assists while shooting 36.5% from 3 this season.

Michigan (1) versus Howard/UMBC (16): 7:10 p.m., March 19, CBS

Michigan is full of prospects who could interest the Sixers, if they don't play themselves higher in the draft with sterling tournaments.

Yaxel Lendeborg very well may have priced himself out of the Sixers' range, but the 6-foot-9 forward averaged 14.6 points, seven rebounds and 3.2 assists while posting a field goal percentage just below 51% and a 3-point percentage just above 35% as a senior.

The last we saw of him, Lendeborg broke Wisconsin's hearts in the Big 10 tournament:

YAXEL LENDEBORG CALLED GAME pic.twitter.com/gjuUXV1pfH
— Underdog (@Underdog) March 14, 2026

Aday Mara is another Wolverine slated to go late in the first round of the 2026 draft. The 7-foot-3 center from Spain shot 67.4% from the floor and averaged 11.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in 23.1 minutes as a junior.

And if neither of those names amuse you, perhaps Morez Johnson Jr. can. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 13.1 points and 7.2 rebounds as a sphomore for Michigan while shooting 62.8% from the field.

Texas Tech (5) versus Akron (12): 12:40 p.m., March 20, truTV

Christian Anderson is a 6-foot-3 guard who averaged 18.9 points on 47.9% shooting as a sophomore for Texas Tech. There is positional redundancy with Tyrese Maxey, but Anderson averaged 7.6 assists and shot 42.5% on eight 3-point attempts per game this season.

Alabama (4) versus Hofstra (13): 3:15 p.m., March 20, truTV

Amari Allen is the more tantalizing of two prospects out of Alabama. The 6-foot-8 forward shot 45.5% as a freshman this season and averaged 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists. Allen shot 36.5% from 3 on 4.3 attempts per game.

There's also Labaron Philon Jr., a 6-foot-4 sophomore. Philon more than doubled his scoring average from his freshman to sophomore seasons, averaging almost 22 points per game on nearly 51% shooting and 40.2% 3-point shooting on nearly six attempts per game. Philon also averaged 4.7 assists and 3.2 rebounds.

Kentucky (7) versus Santa Clara (10): 12:15 p.m., March 20, CBS

This next prospect is not on the Kentucky side of business. That would be Allen Graves, a 6-foot-9, 225-pound freshman forward. Graves averaged 11.6 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting nearly 52% from the field. Graves was also an efficient 41.6% on 3s, although his volume was not very significant.

Iowa State (2) versus Tennessee State (15): 2:50 p.m., March 20, CBS

The fighting Georges Niangs, please stand up.

Forward Joshua Jefferson averaged 16.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists as a senior this season. He shot 47% from the field at 6-foot-9 and was below 35% on 3.2 3s per game.

Those inefficiencies raise some questions about upside, but, at 240 pounds, that's a big old forward.