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Upsets, Final Four picks & region breakdowns for the NCAA Tournament Field of 68
The brackets are officially set. Tina and Chris break down the NCAA Tournament Field of 68, including their Final Four picks and upsets to watch out for.
A new basketball coach is coming to DeKalb.
Northern Illinois has hired Northern Michigan's Matt Majkrzak as its next head men's basketball coach, the university announced on Tuesday.
Casey Ford, a broadcaster covering Northern Michigan basketball and football, first reported the news on social media on Wednesday.
What we know:
Majkrzak comes from Northern Michigan, where he turned the Wildcats' basketball program into a perennial Division II NCAA Tournament contender.
An introductory press conference will be announced at a later time.
"I am extremely excited and grateful to lead the Northern Illinois University men's basketball program," Majkrzak said in a written statement. "I'm so thankful and appreciative to Sean Frazier, Courtney Vinson, President Freeman, and the rest of the committee for entrusting me with this position. Immediately it became clear the passion and energy that existed for Northern Illinois University and athletics. We can't wait to engage with Huskie Nation and fire up a fan base that deserves a winner. Moving into the Horizon League is a perfect time to come in and build a culture that achieves excellence in the classroom, community, and on the floor.
Majkrzak succeeds Rashon Burno, whose contract was set to expire in June. Burno resigned at the beginning of March to pursue other coaching opportunities, the university said. Burno had a 6-25 overall record in the 2025-2026 season.
NIU is on the cusp of a new era. The university will officially depart the Mid-American Conference this summer. The football program will join the Mountain West. The Olympic sports, including men's basketball, will join the Horizon League.
The last time NIU finished a season with a winning record was the 2019-2020 season, when Mark Montgomery led the Huskies to an 18-13 season. The last time NIU advanced to the NCAA Tournament was in 1996 under Brian Hammel.
By the numbers:
Majkrzak coached Northern Michigan basketball for seven seasons.
In those seven years, Majkrzak posted a 136-73 record. He also led NMU to four straight conference titles and four straight Division II NCAA tournaments. Majkrzak has won 20 games or more in four consecutive seasons.
This past year, Majkrzak led the Wildcats to a 25-8 record. They advanced to the Division II NCAA Tournament but fell to Wayne State in the first round.
Before Northern Michigan, Majkrzak spent a season as head coach of Bryant & Stratton College-Wisconsin.
There, he led Bryant & Stratton College-Wisconsin to a 25-8 record. The team ranked No. 1 in the region, ranked No. 17 nationally, and reached its first NJCAA Division II Region IV Championship in program history.
Majkrzak has also spent time as an assistant at Chadron State University, and was a student assistant under then-head coach at Green Bay Brian Wardle. Now, Wardle coaches Bradley University.
"First and foremost, Matt is a really good person. He is a high character guy who is going to put a lot of time and effort into student-athletes, on and off the floor," Wardle said in a statement from NIU Athletics. "He has a great work ethic, has grinded his way to this opportunity and he is very deserving of it. The thing I love about Matt is that he is always trying to learn and he's a very smart basketball coach, he knows ball. He is going to improve players and always have a competitive team on the floor because he can X and O with the best of them. I think it's a really smart move by Northern Illinois and I'm excited to see what Matt will do there."
What they're saying:
"We are thrilled to welcome Matt Majkrzak to the NIU family to lead our men's basketball program," NIU Director of Athletics Sean Frazier said in a written statement. "He brings a tremendous record of success from his previous head coaching stops and is a true rising star in the profession. Matt has a proven track record of recruiting student-athletes in the Midwest who succeed both athletically and academically and I am extremely excited to have him taking over our program as we enter a new era in the Horizon League. I would also like to thank our committee as well as CSA Search and Consulting for their professionalism throughout this process."
"Matt is an exceptional coach and an even better person. He brings passion, energy and high-level professionalism," Northern Michigan University Director of Athletics Rick Comley said in a written statement. "Matt is a tireless worker and prioritizes maintaining positive relationships with student-athletes, parents, healthcare professionals, coaches and other department of athletics staff members. Matt has successfully adjusted to the many changes impacting intercollegiate athletics and consistently finds new ways to sustain a quality program."