Get Ready For March Madness!
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Every spring, the NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball championships grip the United States. Known as "March Madness," the tournaments turn even casual basketball fans into devoted followers of teams they have never watched before. Here is everything you need to know about the championships, which begin on March 17, 2026.
March Madness history
Henry Porter, an Illinois high school official, first used the term “March Madness” in 1939 to describe an intense high school basketball tournament. In the early 1980s, sports announcer Brent Musberger borrowed the phrase during a men's NCAA championship game, and it stuck.
The women’s NCAA championships have also taken place every March since the early 1980s. However, until recently, "March Madness" only referred to the men’s tournament. It was not until 2022 that the NCAA finally allowed the use of the phrase and logo for the women’s championship as well.
Team selection
The championship comprises 68 teams. The 32 winners of the Division I conference tournaments automatically qualify. An additional 36 teams are invited by the NCAA selection committee. These teams are chosen based on factors such as win-loss records, strength of schedule, and rankings. Since there are no firm rules, the committee’s choices often spark debate and surprise among fans and analysts.
March Madness structure
March Madness is a single-elimination tournament. This means that if a team loses a game, it is out of the competition. Four of the initial 68 teams are eliminated in the tournament's opening round, known as the First Four.
The remaining 64 teams are split into four regions of 16 teams each. The teams are then ranked 1 through 16. The first-round games pit the top teams in each region against the bottom teams. For example, the No. 1 seed plays the No. 16 seed, the No. 2 seed plays the No. 15 seed, and so on. Theoretically, this gives the higher-ranked teams the best chance to advance to the next round. However, every year there are numerous unexpected upsets.
2026 tournament schedule
The 68 teams for both the men's and women's tournaments will be revealed on March 15. The men's First Four games will take place on March 17 and 18. The women's First Four games will be on March 18 and 19. Both will be followed by the first full round of 64 teams.
The men's semifinals and finals, collectively known as the Final Four, will be played on April 4 and April 6 in Indianapolis. The women's Final Four is scheduled for April 3 and April 5 in Phoenix.
March Madness fan brackets
Every year, millions of Americans try to guess the winners of all 63 games. However, the odds of getting every single one right are about 1 in 9.2 quintillion. That is because there are so many possible combinations of winners in each round. Hence, it is not surprising that no one has yet successfully predicted the outcome of every game. Gregg Nigl of Columbus, Ohio, came the closest. He correctly guessed 49 games in 2019.
Resources: NCAA.com, NPR.com, Wikipedia.org, sportingnews.com
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36 Comments
lwk_maeveabout 5 hoursomg. I watch March madness every year since I was born! btw GO DUKE!!
ninjaxzabout 10 hoursI love it can’t wait
skolvikings_181 dayDuke is gonna win or Arizona. But I like Texas so maybe there is a chance we win!- laner2 daysArkansas for it all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- cotefyvumygu2 daysUCLA
g-dude3 daysAwww darn Purdue won BIG10 championship
35birnbaumj3 daysWar Eagle Auburn made last lost in final four but hey they went far
gonrookking3 daysGo Tennessee👏👏
curry_guy3 daysLETS GO OHIO STATE
duporovykigo6 daysOHIO STATE IS THE BEST
