March Madness 2026

by Katarina Ferreira

As March arrives, so does the absolute chaos and excitement of college basketball’s biggest event: March Madness! The 68-team bracket was released on March 15 for both men’s and women’s tournaments, and games began that week as well. To prepare for the round-the-clock, high-intensity college games where anything can happen, here’s what you need to know and some of the most popular picks.

Before the games began, over 36 million brackets were filled out for the men’s tournament, all hoping to finish with a perfect bracket — a feat so difficult, yet one everyone dreams about. There are four regions, with teams seeded from 1 (best) to 16 (worst) within each region. Throughout the bracket there is the “First Four,” which is essentially four play-in games: two 11-seed matchups and two 16-seed matchups. Then the bracket continues as usual, with the 1 seed playing the 16, the 2 playing the 15, and so on.

When it comes to brackets, there are some key teams to watch. Some people choose to wait until after the First Four games are completed, while others fill out their brackets before; regardless, making a perfect bracket is nearly impossible. In each bracket, there are teams that could potentially make deep runs: the 1 seeds for the men’s bracket are Duke, Florida, Arizona, and Michigan. For the women’s tournament, the 1 seeds are Texas, UCLA, South Carolina, and UConn, which is the overall No. 1 seed. While it may seem obvious to pick seeds 1–8 in every region and repeatedly choose the higher-seeded team until it’s a battle of 1-seeds in the Final Four, that rarely happens. There are always upsets, or “Cinderella stories,” that wreck everybody’s bracket — and for good reason. Knowing this, many people target 12-over-5 upsets and lower-seeded teams from competitive conferences. Also, even though the regular season often highlights dominant, fast-paced offenses, many teams that make deep runs tend to have experience and lockdown defense.

Ultimately, March Madness thrives on unpredictability. Whether it’s a buzzer-beater or a bracket-busting upset, the tournament delivers drama unlike any other in sports — it’s March! Knowing all of this, take time for consideration and research before you make a bracket. Best of luck trying to get a perfect bracket!

***Editor's Note: As of Monday, 3/30, the men's final four is set, with UConn playing Illinois and Arizona playing Michigan. On the women's side, both UConn and UCLA have made it to the final four, with the other two teams being decided tonight.

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