Record 36 Canadians set to compete in 2026 NCAA men’s march madness tournament

Another season of Canadian excellence across NCAA Division I men’s basketball will culminate on the sport’s biggest stage.

A total of 168 Canadians suited up for 102 Division I programs during the 2025–26 season, leaving their mark across conferences from coast to coast.

As Championship Week unfolded — delivering buzzer-beaters, upset runs and Cinderella stories — many Canadians helped guide their programs through the grind of conference tournament play, where teams often battled through three games in four days to punch their tickets to the 68-team field.

When the bracket was revealed on Selection Sunday for the 2026 NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament, a record 36 Canadians representing 24 different programs earned spots in the national tournament field.

The milestone marks the largest Canadian presence in tournament history and reflects the continued rise of Canadian talent throughout the NCAA ranks. The record total was also boosted by the qualification of programs with deep Canadian representation, led by the LIU Sharks with five Canadians on their roster, while the South Florida Bulls feature four.

Canadian participation in March Madness has steadily grown over the past decade, though the path to this year’s record has not been linear. After reaching a previous high of 30 players in 2022, Canadian representation declined over the following three tournaments — dropping to 26 in 2023, 21 in 2024, and a recent low of 20 in 2025 — before surging to a new record in 2026.

Ontario remains the primary pipeline for Canadian NCAA talent, producing 19 of the 36 players in this year’s tournament field. Quebec follows with nine representatives, while Alberta contributes three, with additional players coming from several other provinces across the country.

Toronto leads all cities with six players in the tournament, followed by Montreal with five. Ottawa, Edmonton and Brampton each have two players represented, while additional Canadians hail from cities such as Ottawa, Kitchener, Calgary, Winnipeg and Waterloo.

Canadian players are represented across many of the sport’s most competitive leagues, including four in the Big 12, four in the American Conference, three in the SEC and West Coast Conference, and two in the Atlantic 10, among others.

36 Canadians in the 2026 NCAA Tournament

Much of the Canadian success this March emerged at the mid-major level. While no Canadian-led program captured a high-major conference tournament title, 14 teams featuring Canadian players secured automatic bids by winning their conference championships.

The Canadian contingent spans every stage of the college development pipeline, comprising six true and three redshirt freshmen, nine sophomores, five juniors, eight seniors, and three graduate students.

The presence of several first-year contributors highlights the next generation of Canadian talent already impacting the Division I game, while experienced veterans continue to anchor some of the tournament’s top programs.

Despite the large Canadian presence in the bracket, relatively few bring prior March Madness experience. Only seven of the 36 players have previously appeared in the NCAA tournament, meaning many will be experiencing the national spotlight for the first time.

Canadian talent is distributed across all four regions of the bracket, though the South Region features the highest concentration with ten players spread across eight teams. The Midwest includes eight teams with Canadian representation, while nine teams in the East feature at least one Canadian player. The West Region rounds out the bracket with two teams represented.

Several Canadians enter the tournament following standout offensive seasons. Five rank among the top 20 Canadian scorers in Division I, while nine averaged double-digit points during the regular season, highlighting the growing offensive influence of Canadian players across the NCAA landscape.

Eight Canadian players have already eclipsed the 500-point mark this season, including Houston guard Emanuel Sharp and LIU forward Jamal Fuller, both central to their teams’ scoring production. A handful of others — including Alabama guard Aden Holloway, LIU guard Malachi Davis and Santa Clara’s Elijah Mahi — enter the tournament within striking distance of the milestone.

2025-26 Canadian NCAA men’s basketball stats tracker – Per game (March Madness)

Below is a closer look at several of the top teams and Canadian players set to represent the country in the 2026 tournament.

Xaivian Lee – No. 1 Florida Gators (26-7, SEC at-large)

After a breakout campaign with the Princeton Tigers, Canadian guard Xaivian Lee transferred to the Florida Gators seeking a bigger stage and the opportunity to compete for a national championship.

That opportunity has arrived.

The Gators enter the 2026 NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament as the No. 1 seed in the South Region following a dominant regular season that saw the program capture the Southeastern Conference regular-season title with a 16–2 conference record.

Florida surged into the postseason riding a 12-game winning streak, establishing itself as one of the nation’s most complete teams before that run came to an end in the SEC tournament semifinals with a 91–74 loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Lee has played an important role throughout the Gators’ season.

The six-foot-four Toronto native averaged 11.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists across 33 appearances while adapting quickly to the physical pace of SEC play.

Several standout performances highlighted the campaign. Lee recorded 19 points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals in a March victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs, while a 10-assist performance at Ole Miss showcased the playmaking ability that made the transfer such a coveted addition.

Florida’s Canadian presence extends beyond Lee. The roster also includes 7-foot-9 centre Olivier Rioux from Terrebonne, Quebec. After redshirting during last season’s championship run, Rioux appeared in several games this year and recorded the first points of his collegiate career.

Lee is also appearing in the second NCAA tournament of his career, bringing prior March Madness experience from his time at Princeton. With a top seed secured, the defending champions now turn their attention toward another potential deep March run, with eyes on back-to-back championships.

Emanuel Sharp – No. 2 Houston Cougars (28-6, Big 12 at-large)

Few programs in the country have maintained the level of consistency displayed by the Houston Cougars men’s basketball over the past several seasons, and Canadian guard Emanuel Sharp has been part of that sustained success.

Houston entered the Big 12 championship game riding a five-game winning streak, but fell just short in the title matchup, dropping a 79–74 decision to the Arizona Wildcats.

Despite the setback, the Cougars remain one of the most battle-tested teams in the country heading into the 2026 NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament.

Sharp’s career record now sits at 128–20, placing him as the winningest Canadian in NCAA Division I history. The veteran guard has been part of multiple deep tournament runs and continues to play a key role in Houston’s disciplined, defensive-minded system.

This season, the Tampa-developed guard averaged 15.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals across 34 games.

Sharp will also be making his fourth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, the most among Canadians in this year’s field.

Aden Holloway – No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide (23-9, SEC at-large)

Charlotte native Aden Holloway, who made his Canadian national team debut at the GLOBL JAM in Toronto last summer, enters the NCAA tournament as one of the most productive Canadian guards in Division I this season.

Holloway averaged 16.8 points per game, ranking among the top Canadian scorers in Division I, while helping lead the Alabama Crimson Tide back to the NCAA tournament.

Alabama finished third in the SEC with a 13–5 conference record, navigating one of the toughest leagues in the country. The Crimson Tide won nine of their final eleven games entering the postseason before suffering a narrow 80–79 upset loss to Ole Miss in the SEC tournament.

The tournament appearance will mark Holloway’s third straight trip to March Madness, giving Alabama valuable postseason experience in the backcourt.

Ishan Sharma – No. 9 Saint Louis Billikens (29-5, A-10 at-large)

Sophomore guard Ishan Sharma has delivered a breakout season for the Saint Louis Billikens, playing a key role in one of the most successful campaigns in program history.

The six-foot-five Milton, Ontario native provided consistent perimeter production, averaging 9.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting an efficient 42.5 percent from three-point range. Sharma connected on 79 three-pointers this season and hit at least one from beyond the arc in 31 of 34 games, establishing himself as one of the team’s most reliable floor spacers.

His impact extended beyond individual numbers.

Saint Louis set program and Atlantic 10 Conference records with 360 three-pointers while also establishing a new school mark for total points (2,879). The Billikens finished the regular season with a 15–3 conference record, earning a share of the A-10 title and tying a school record with 29 wins.

Sharma’s shooting ability was on full display in January, when he erupted for a career-high 29 points against St. Bonaventure, knocking down 9-of-12 from three-point range in one of the top single-game shooting performances in the conference this season.

After beginning his collegiate career at Virginia, Sharma has quickly carved out a significant role in his first season with the Billikens, bringing both experience and scoring punch to a veteran roster.

Saint Louis now returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019, with Sharma’s perimeter shooting expected to play a key role as the Billikens look to carry their record-setting offense into March.

Elijah Mahi – No. 10 Santa Clara Broncos (26-8, WCC at large)

Canadian guard Elijah Mahi helped guide the Santa Clara Broncos men’s basketball to their first NCAA tournament appearance in decades.

Santa Clara reached the West Coast Conference championship game before falling to the Gonzaga Bulldogs, but the Broncos’ strong résumé secured an at-large bid.

Mahi played a major role in the program’s breakthrough season, averaging 13.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals while logging over 30 minutes per game.

The program holds a unique place in Canadian basketball history. Santa Clara was the college home of Hall of Fame point guard Steve Nash, who famously led the Broncos to NCAA tournament victories during the mid-1990s.

Another Canadian, forward Chris Tadjo, remains on the roster after transferring from the Iowa Hawkeyes, though injuries prevented him from appearing this season.

Santa Clara will open tournament play against the Kentucky Wildcats in the Midwest Region.

Josh Omojafo – No. 11 South Florida Bulls (23-8, American Champions)

The South Florida Bulls men’s basketball team enter March as one of the most explosive offensive teams in the country.

Under head coach Bryan Hodgson, South Florida captured the American regular season and conference title while setting a record with six 100-point games in a single season. The Bulls averaged 88.4 points per game, the highest scoring mark in conference history.

Canadian guard Josh Omojafo, making his second straight NCAA tournament appearance, has been a major contributor during the team’s late-season surge. The six-foot-five Toronto native averaged 11.7 points and 5.2 rebounds, including a 33-point performance against George Washington.

South Florida’s historic season also included several program milestones. The Bulls earned their first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2011–12 season and just the fourth in program history. Their No. 11 seed ties the highest seed in program history, while the team also tied the program record for wins in a season and set a new single-season record for field goals made.

South Florida also features a young Canadian core that includes talented freshmen Tristan Beckford, Adriel Nyorha, and Onyx Nnani.

With the Bulls riding a eleven-game winning streak, the program enters the tournament as one of the most dangerous mid-major teams in the bracket.

Jamal Fuller & Malachi Davis – No. 16 Long Island University (24-10, NEC Champions)

No NCAA tournament team features more Canadian players than the LIU Sharks, who carry five Canadians on their roster.

The Sharks captured the Northeast Conference championship after defeating Mercyhurst in the title game in Brooklyn.

At the heart of the team’s success is a familiar Toronto basketball connection.

Former Central Tech Blues teammates Jamal Fuller and Malachi Davis have developed into one of the most productive duos in the conference.

Fuller filled the stat sheet throughout the season, averaging 16.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, one steal and one block per game, earning First-Team All-NEC honours.

Davis, a native of Scarborough, added 14.5 points and 3.4 assists per game, leading the Sharks with 116 assists while also earning his second consecutive First-Team All-NEC selection.

The Canadian presence on LIU’s roster extends well beyond the Toronto natives.

Shadrak Lasu, a six-foot-eight forward from Winnipeg, Manitoba, started all 32 games this season and averaged 5.2 points and 5.4 rebounds in 23 minutes per game, providing a strong interior presence.

Senior forward Caleb Johnson of North Preston, Nova Scotia appeared in 22 games, contributing 2.3 points and 2.1 rebounds while adding frontcourt depth.

Rounding out the Canadian contingent is guard Max Ndlovu-Fraser from North Vancouver, British Columbia, who saw action in six games during the season.

The championship marked LIU’s eighth NCAA tournament appearance and the program’s first since the 2017–18 season. The Sharks now face a daunting opening matchup against the Arizona Wildcats, the tournament’s No. 1 seed in the West Region.

Ose Okjie – No. 16 Howard Bison (23-10, MEAC Champions)

After three seasons of steady development, senior guard Ose Okojie has emerged as a central figure for the Howard Bison, helping guide the program back to the national stage.

Under head coach Kenneth Blakeney, now in his seventh season, Howard has built a consistent winner in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, returning to the NCAA Tournament behind a balanced and disciplined group.

A native of Brampton, Ontario, Okojie — a 2025–26 MEAC All-Defensive Team selection — has long been known for his impact on the defensive end. This season, the six-foot-five guard expanded his offensive game, averaging 10.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 25 minutes per game while shooting 56 percent from the field.

That increased production has been especially evident down the stretch, with Okojie scoring in double figures in eight consecutive games entering the tournament.

His growth was on full display in Dayton.

Okojie delivered a career-high 23 points, leading four players in double figures as Howard defeated the UMBC Retrievers 86–83 in the NCAA First Four at the University of Dayton Arena.

The victory marked the first NCAA Tournament win in program history and pushed the Bison to 24 wins, matching a school record set during the 1986–87 season.

Howard enters the main draw riding an eight-game winning streak, having secured its tournament berth with a win over North Carolina Central in the MEAC championship game.

With momentum building, the Bison now face a formidable challenge against the Michigan Wolverines, the No. 1 seed, in the opening round.