There are many ways to fill out your March Madness bracket. Team color. Mascots. Geography. Maybe even basketball knowledge.

We offer an alternative: famous alumni.

We looked at all 68 schools to see which one had the most notable alumni (or at least attended the universities) and used the bracket to see which team would advance all the way to the national championship.

EAST

First round

No. 1 Duke vs No. 16 Siena

DUKE

• Adam Silver
• Kim Jeong
• Retta
• Paul W. Downs
• Travis Stork

On the bench: Melinda Gates (philanthropist, ex-wife of Bill Gates), Jared Harris (actor)

Silver is in his 12th year as NBA commissioner after serving eight years as David Stern’s deputy. He was lauded as Sports Illustrated’s Executive of the Year, Time’s 100 Most Influential People and Fortune’s 50 Greatest Leaders in his first few years on the job, but has had some up-and-down moments since. Don’t we all? … You know Jeong from NBC sitcom “Community” and as Leslie Chow in “The Hangover” trilogy… Retta (Marietta Sireleaf) starred on another NBC sitcom, “Parks and Recreation” as Donna. “Treat yo self!” She also starred in NBC’s dramedy “Good Girls”…  Downs played Abbi’s love interest in Comedy Central’s “Broad City” and stars and is co-creator of HBO’s hit comedy “Hacks”, which earned him an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series… Stork was “The Bachelor” in Season 8, and America fell in love with the hunky doctor. His bachelorette pick didn’t work out, and they were broken up a week after the finale aired. But he turned that 15 minutes of fame into a daytime talk show “The Doctors” which ran from 2008-22.

SIENA

• Wendy Moniz
• Wayne LaPierre
• Bobby Fish
• Ed Henry
• Olivia Benson

Moniz was Dinah Marley on “Guiding Light” for five seasons and had a 22-episode run on “Nash Bridges”. Folks will most likely know her for her role as Governor Lynelle Perry opposite Kevin Costner in “Yellowstone”… One of the nation’s most vocal gun lobbyists, LaPierre served as NRA president from 1991-2024… Fish made his pro wrestling debut in 2002 and paid his dues in lower tiers before getting his break in WWE’s NXT in 2017 as a member of Undisputed Era. He was a two-time NXT tag team champion… Henry has worked at CNN and Fox News, serving as White House correspondent for the latter, and now works for Newsmax… OK, so Olivia Benson is fictional, but Mariska Hargitay’s character in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” attended Siena, and she’s fantastic. We’ll take it.

• Winner: Duke. I didn’t have to resort to fictional characters.

No. 8 Ohio State vs No. 9 TCU

OHIO STATE

• Bob Knight
• Jesse Owens
• R.L. Stine
• Jack Nicklaus
• JD Vance

On the bench: Jim Jinkins (“Doug” creator), Kirk Herbstriet (ESPN), Patricia Heaton (actress, “Everybody Loves Raymond”)

While Knight became an icon at Indiana, it all started at Ohio State, where he  played point guard from 1959-62. The General won three national titles at IU and finished his coaching career with a 902-371 record (.709)… Arguably the greatest track athlete of all-time, Owens owned the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, basically giving Adolph Hitler the finger the whole time. Owens won four gold medals (100m, 200m, long jump, 4×100 relay) and became an international superstar… If you read books in elementary and middle school, you probably know who R.L. Stine is. He’s authored more than 100 books but is known for his “Goosebumps” and “Fear Street” series. “Night of the Living Dummy” was a guaranteed nightmare… A Columbus, Ohio native, Nicklaus is among the greatest golfers of all time, winning 117 pro events. His 18 majors are a record, which includes six Masters wins… The current U.S. vice president, Vance was born and raised in Middletown, Ohio. He served in the Marines in a non-combat role and attended Ohio State on the G.I. Bill, graduating summa cum laude.  In 2016, his book, “Hillbilly Elegy” was published, ascending to the New York Times’ bestseller list (it was later adapted into a movie). He served as a U.S. Senator for two years before being tabbed as Donald Trump’s running mate.

TCU

• Bob Schieffer
• Chris Klein
• Rod Roddy
• Reverend Timothy Lovejoy
• Shantel VanSanten

Others on the bench: Sue Monk Kidd (“Secret Life of Bees” author), LaDanian Tomlinson (former NFL running back), Sammy Baugh (Pro Football Hall of Famer)

A national politics reporter/anchor for CBS, Schieffer had a near 25-year run on “60 Minutes” and was moderator of “Face the Nation” from 1991-2015. He’s also moderated plenty of presidential debates… Klein will always be known for his role as Chris “Oz” Ostreicher from “American Pie.” He starred alongside Mel Gibson in the Vietnam film “We Were Soldiers”… “Come on down! You’re the next contestant on the “Price is Right!” Roddy was the show’s announcer from 1986 until his death in 2003. He was known for his loud outfits nearly as much as his booming voice. He also announced the classic game show “Press Your Luck.” No whammy, no whammy … Lovejoy is minister at The First Church of Springfield on “The Simpsons” and attended TCU before moving to Springfield. Don’t believe me? Google it … VanSenten starred as Quinn on “One Tree Hill” and featured in three seasons of Apple+ must-see drama “For All Mankind”.

• Winner: Ohio State. As much as I loved “The Price is Right”, the Buckeyes are the pick here.

No. 5 St. John’s vs No. 12 Northern Iowa

ST. JOHN’S

• Darryl McDaniels
• J. Cole
• Mike Francesa
• Keegan Bradley
• Al McGuire

On the bench: Mark Jackson (NBA), Ron Artest (NBA), Chris Mullin (NBA), Ron Silver (actor), Mario Cuomo

A pioneer in hip-hop, McDaniels, or “D.M.C.”, was a founding member of platinum-selling rap group Run-D.M.C. Among the first mainstream rap acts, Run-D.M.C. was the first hip-hop group nominated for a Grammy and among Rolling Stone’s Top 50 musical artists of all-time… Sticking with the rap game, J. Cole was a magma cum laude graduate of St. John’s and actually tried as a walk-on for the Red Storm’s basketball team. This Jay-Z protege has won two Grammy awards and has released seven studio albums… Francesa is one of the most successful sports radio talk show hosts ever with his near 30-year run on New York’s WFAN with “Mike and the Mad Dog” with Chris Russo. He had an on-again, off-again relationship with WFAN afterwards and now hosts his own podcast… The 2011 PGA Championship winner, Bradley won nine college events before turning pro. He has eight PGA Tour wins, is ranked No. 7 in the world as was Team USA’s Ryder Cup captain in 2025… McGuire, who captained St. John’s 1951 team, is one of the more beloved college basketball coaches of all-time. He finished his 12-year run at Marquette with the 1977 NCAA championship and then retired from coaching to serve as vice chairman of a sporting goods company. His legacy grew as he became a popular TV analyst for CBS Sports, calling games up until 2000.

NORTHERN IOWA

• Kurt Warner
• Mark Steines
• Robert James Waller
• Tom Pettit
• Lisa Bluder

On the bench: Chuck Grassley (U.S. Senator), Darian DeVries (Indiana coach), Nick Nurse (NBA coach), David Johnson (NFL running back), Bryce Paup (former NFL pass rusher)

Warner‘s story from Piggly Wiggly stock boy to Super Bowl hero is well-documented. They even made a movie about it, “American Underdog”. Much of that story got started at Northern Iowa where he was the conference’s offensive player of the year as a senior… Steines appeared on celebrity gossip show “Entertainment Tonight” from 2004-12, and co-hosted the Hallmark Channel’s “The Home and Family Show” from 2012-18… Waller‘s “The Bridges of Madison County” was the best-selling novel of 1993 and made into a movie starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep. He received his bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Northern Iowa… An award-winning TV journalist, Pettit worked as a correspondent for NBC News more than three decades. Dispatched to Dallas after the John F. Kennedy assassination, Pettit was standing six feet away when Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald and it’s Pettit’s voice that we hear yelling, “He’s been shot! Lee Oswald has been shot!”… A power forward for UNI’s women’s basketball from 1979-83, Bluder coached Iowa women’s basketball team from 2000-24, which finished with the Caitlin Clark years. Those Hawkeyes went to back-to-back national championship games. Bluder was a three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year and won 889 games in her career, which included stops at St. Ambrose and Drake.

• Winner: St. John’s. It’s not tricky, regardless of what Run D.M.C. says.

No. 4 Kansas vs No. 13 Cal Baptist

KANSAS

• Wilt Chamberlain
• Don Johnson
• Paul Rudd
• Nikki Glaser
• Terry Kiser

On the bench: Mandy Patinkin (actor, “Criminal Minds” and “Homeland”), Rob Riggle (comedian), Scott Bakula (actor, “Quantum Leap” and “Necessary Roughness”)

One of the greatest basketball players ever, Chamberlain was a four-time NBA MVP and led the NBA in scoring for seven straight seasons (1960-66) and led the league in rebounding 11 times… Crockett on “Miami Vice”, Johnson owned the late 80s. In the 90s he was “Nash Bridges” and was Kevin Costner’s rival in “Tin Cup”… Marvel’s “Ant-Man”, Rudd has starred in comedies such as “Anchorman”, “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up”… Glaser is among the most popular stand-up comedians today and hosted the past two Golden Globe Awards… You may know Kiser by another name, Bernie. As in “Weekend at Bernie’s.” Man played a dead guy for nearly two whole movies. He attended Kansas on football and drama scholarships.

CAL BAPTIST

• Brent Kutzle
• Dustin-Leigh Konzelman
• Marissa Figueroa
• Kay Warren
• Rick Warren

Kutzle is the bassist and cellist for pop rock band OneRepublic, joining the group in 2007. OneRepubic has sold nearly 20 million records worldwide…  Miss California in 2005, Konzelman featured in Season 10 of CBS’ reality competition show “The Amazing Race”, finishing in fourth place. She returned for “Amazing Race: All Stars” in 2007 and finished runner-up… The Buffalo Bills hired Figueroa as the first woman as a full-time NFL athletic trainer. She was on the staff credited with saving Damar Hamlin’s life when he underwent cardiac arrest on the field Jan. 2, 2023… The Warrens co-founded Saddleback Church, the sixth-largest evangelical megachurch. Kay and Rick are also both published authors. That’s all I’ve got.

• Winner: Kansas. Jayhawks’ JV team would have won in a walkover.

No. 6 Louisville vs No. 11 South Florida

LOUISVILLE

• Johnny Unitas
• Lamar Jackson
• Donald Elbert
• Mitch McConnell
• Frank Neuhauser

On the bench: Tom Jackson (ESPN), Sue Grafton (author), Wes Unseld (NBA)

Unitas was the standard for quarterbacks in the 1950s and 60s and held many Colts franchise records prior to Peyton Manning… Despite Unitas’ exploits, Jackson is the only Louisville player to win the Heisman Trophy. He’s spent his entire pro career with the Baltimore Ravens and won NFL MVP in 2019 and 2023… In 1965, Elbert led the team of engineers that invented AstroTurf, which they originally called ChemGrass. Good job, marketing team on the rename… The longest serving Kentucky senator in history, McConnell has been in the Senate since 1985. A prominent Republican and longtime Senate Majority/Minority Leader, the 84-year-old announced he won’t seek another term in 2026… Neuhauser won the first National Spelling Bee in 1925 as an 11-year-old with the word ‘gladiolus’.

SOUTH FLORIDA

• Gallagher
• Drake Hogeysten
• Mark Consuelos
• Aasif Mandvi
• Tony La Russa

On the bench: Grace Gealey (actress, “Empire”)

Who is ready to smash some watermelons! Folks in the front rows of Gallagher’s comedy shows needed ponchos as the comic would rely on his “Sledge-O-Matic” for quick laughs… Hogestyn attended USF on a baseball scholarship and graduated with degrees in microbiology and applied sciences. He used that to good effect as John Black on a 36-year run on NBC soap opera “Days of our Lives”… Sticking with soap operas, Consuelos played Mateo Santos on ABC’s “All My Children” from 1995-2002. He also starred in CW’s “Riverdale” and is married to Kelly Ripa, with whom he co-hosts a talk show with… Mandvi Is known for his role as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” from 2006-15. He’s appeared in many other shows, including CBS’ “Evil” and “Blue Bloods”… La Russa got his degree from USF after suffering a shoulder injury. He spent most of his playing career in the minor leagues, but was one of the most successful major league managers in his era, winning three World Series and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.

• Winner: South Florida. John Black stood by Marlena through her devil possession. That’s worth something.

No. 3 Michigan State vs No. 14 North Dakota State

MICHIGAN STATE

• Magic Johnson
• James Caan
• Sam Raimi
• Dan Gheesling
• Bernard White

A 12-time NBA All-Star, five-time NBA champion and three-time MVP, Johnson was the premier attraction for the Showtime Lakers of the 1980s. He’s part owner of the LA Dodgers, LA Sparks, LAFC, Washington Commanders and Washington Spirit… Nominated for an Oscar for his role as Brian Piccolo in “Brian’s Song” and Sonny Corleone in “The Godfather”, Caan was tortured by Kathy Bates in “Misery” and driven crazy by Will Ferrell in “Elf”… Director of the cult classic “Evil Dead” movies, Raimi also directed the “Spider-Man” trilogy (2002-07) and Marvel’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”… A reality TV star, Gheesling won the 10^th season of CBS’s popular show “Big Brother” and was runner-up on the show’s 14^th season. He also appeared on Peacock’s reality show “Traitors”…  White earned a theatre degree at MSU and gained popularity for his role in the “Matrix” sequels opposite Keanu Reeves. He’s appeared in a number of TV shows, including CBS comedy “Ghosts”, ABC drama “Big Sky” and HBO comedy “Silicon Valley”.

NORTH DAKOTA STATE

• Carson Wentz
• Bob Backlund
• Ilhan Omar
• Gilmore Schjeldahl
• Harold Schafer

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Wentz led the Bison to two straight FCS national titles as starting QB (during a stretch of five-straight for NDSU). He led the Eagles to an 11-2 record during their 2017 Super Bowl year, but was injured in Week 14 and saw Nick Foles bring it home. After five seasons in Philly, he bounced around with stops in Indianapolis, Washington, Los Angeles, Kansas City and spent last season in Minnesota… Inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013, Backlund had a 30-year career in pro wrestling, including two stints as WWF champion, the titles coming 16 years apart… An outspoken critic of President Trump, Omar has served in Congress since 2019. She earned a degree in political science and international studies at NDSU… Awarded the Bronze Star after his part in the Battle of the Bulge, Schjeldahl began a long career with plastics, which culminated with a personal favorite of mine, plastic-lined airsickness bags,… Schafer founded the Gold Seal Company, which created “Mr. Bubble” bubble bath.

• Winner: Michigan State. As important as those airsickness bags are for someone who hates flying…

No. 7 UCLA vs No. 10 UCF

UCLA

• Jack Black
• Nicolas Cage
• Tim Robbins
• Sydney Sweeney
• Alyssa Liu

On the bench: Gabrielle Union (actress), Dax Shepard (actor), Heather Locklear (actress), Mayim Bialik (actress), The Doors (band), Mila Kunis (actress)

A star-studded group, as one would expect just eight miles from Hollywood. Black got his start in acting when another UCLA alum, Tim Robbins, cast him in the 1992 film “Bob Roberts”. Black stood out in “High Fidelity” and was the star in “School of Rock” in 2003. He’s voiced Po in the “Kung Fu Panda” franchise and starred in the “Jumanji” and “Anaconda” remakes… Cage, the nephew of acclaimed director Francis Ford Coppola, attended UCLA film school, and got his breakthrough in 1986’s “Peggy Sue Got Married”, followed by “Raising Arizona” and “Moonstruck” in 1987. He had a nice run in the mid-90s with action flicks “The Rock”, “Con Air” and “Face/Off” and will star as John Madden in the bio pic of the former Raiders coach…   We mentioned Robbins before, and the UCLA Film School grad starred in two of my all-time favorite films (“Bull Durham” and “Shawshank Redemption”), so he makes the cut. He won a best supporting actor Oscar for his role in 2003’s “Mystic River”… The new “it” girl in Hollywood, Sweeney broke out in her role on HBO drama “Euphoria” and starred opposite Glen Powell in the rom-com “Anyone but You”…  Liu, who studies psychology at UCLA, won two gold medals in figure skating (individual and team) and was the breakout star of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

UCF

• Cheryl Hines
• Daniel Tosh
• Michelle Akers
• Scott Porter
• Chase Stokes

On the bench: Brian France (NASCAR CEO), David Blue (actor)

Hines’ most popular role is that of Larry David’s wife in “Curb Your Enthusiasm”. She’s the real-life wife to RFK Jr., U.S. health secretary… A comedian, Tosh hosted “Tosh.0” on Comedy Central from 2009 to 2020 and now hosts a podcast, aptly named “Tosh Show”… A four-time All-American at UCF, Akers won the Hermann Trophy in 1988, given to the nation’s top soccer player. She was a member of the first U.S. women’s national team in 1985 and played 155 times for her country, including the 1991 World Cup where she scored both goals in the final to give U.S. a 2-1 win over Norway and its first World Cup title… Porter played injured quarterback Jason Street on “Friday Night Lights” and more recently as Mayor Paul Randolph in Netflix’s “Ginny and Georgia”. He also competed in Season 11 of “The Masked Singer”, finishing runner-up as Gumball… Stokes is among the main characters on Netflix hit “Outer Banks”, playing John B.

• Winner: UCLA. The Bruins’ star-studded lineup will be a tough out.

No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 Furman

UCONN

• Meg Ryan
• Moby
• Bobby Moynihan Jr.
• Diana Taurasi
• Tony Todd

On the bench: Sue Bird (WNBA), Ray Allen (NBA)

A Fairfield, Connecticut native, Ryan studied journalism at UConn. She’s known for her work in rom-coms, notably “When Harry Met Sally…”, “You’ve Got Mail” and “Sleepless in Seattle”… Moby worked at the college radio station and began DJing at local bars. In the mid-90s, he had eight top-10 hits, including “Move (You Make Me Feel So Good)”. He’s sold more than 20 million records worldwide… Moynihan was a fixture on “Saturday Night Live’ from 2008-17. He’s voiced a number of animated roles, including King George in the recently released Pixar film, “Hoppers”… We couldn’t have a UConn list without a women’s basketball star. We went with Taurasi, a three-time WNBA champion, 2009 WNBA MVP and 11-time WNBA All-Star. She won three NCAA titles in Storrs and was a two-time National Player of the Year… Todd starred in the 90s horror film “Candyman”, has appeared in all the Final Destination movies and was great in “The Rock” as one of Ed Harris’ henchmen.

FURMAN

• Xavier Woods
• Victoria Jackson
• Clint Dempsey
• Amy Grant
• Herman Lay

Others on bench: Billy Napier (college football coach), Sam Wyche (former NFL coach), Brad Faxon (PGA Tour), Dottie Pepper (former LPGA Tour champion, golf commentator), Bear Rinehart (singer, Needtobreathe)

Part of WWE’s New Day, Woods graduated from Furman with degrees in psychology and philosophy. Woods has been with WWE in 2010, pairing with Kofi Kingston as one of the company’s more successful tag teams… Jackson attended Furman on a gymnastics scholarship before transferring to Auburn. She was a “Saturday Night Live” cast member from 1986-92 and had roles in 1980s comedy classics “Baby Boom” and “UHF”… Dempsey, or Deuce as we like to call him, brought a certain flair and edge to the U.S. men’s soccer national team. He played 141 times for USMNT, scoring 57 goals. He was one of the more successful Americans to play in the English Premier League, which included a strong run with Fulham and then a stint with the world’s greatest team, Tottenham Hotspur… Grant started college at Furman before transferring to Vanderbilt. A Christian pop singer, she hit No. 1 with “The Next Time I Fall” in 1986 and “Baby Baby” in 1991. She’s sold more than 30 million albums and has six Grammy Awards… The man behind Lay’s potato chips, Lay attended Furman on an athletic scholarship. His H.W. Lay & Company merged with Frito to become Frito-Lay corporation , the country’s largest selling snack food company.