- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,150,293
- Reaction score
- 59
One of the biggest competitions in college sports is back!
The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, known as March Madness, begins March 17. The women's NCAA tournament begins the next day, March 18.
Whether you're cheering for your favorite team or making a bracket for fun, here's what you need to know about March Madness 2026.
This story will be updated with men's and women's printable brackets once they release Sunday evening.
Selection Sunday for the men's and women's brackets is March 15.
The 68 teams participating in the NCAA men's basketball tournament will be announced at 6 p.m. ET. The announcement for the NCAA women's basketball tournament will take place at 8 p.m. ET.
Selection Sunday for the men's tournament airs on CBS. The women's tournament announcement will broadcast on ESPN. Streaming options include Paramount+ (for the men), the ESPN app (for the women) and Fubo (for both), which gives a free trial to new subscribers.
Streaming services with live TV should also have the shows available live.
The men's NCAA tournament begins March 17, with the First Four. The women's NCAA tournament begins a day after, on March 18, also with the First Four.
Here's the full men's schedule:
Here's the women's schedule:
The men's March Madness bracket will be revealed March 15.
The women's March Madness bracket will also be announced March 15.
Brackets open on Selection Sunday, which is March 15 this year.
Fans typically need to submit their March Madness brackets before the first game of the first round tips off March 19. The first round for the women's tournament tips off March 20.
You can download, print and fill out your bracket by hand, or you can submit your bracket virtually through NCAA.com’s Official Bracket Challenge. Just select who you think will win each game, all the way through the championship games.
According to the athletic governing body's website, here are a few tips for a successful bracket:
Remember, your goal is to accumulate as many points as possible. If you make a bracket on ESPN for the tournament challenge but aren't sure who to pick, there are a few autofill bracket options. You can choose to have the higher seed in each matchup automatically picked, have a random winner selected for each game or have ESPN generate a bracket using its Basketball Power Index.
You can also start a bracket and let a computer fill in the rest, either making random selections or using the smart bracket system to pick.
No one has ever submitted a perfect bracket for the NCAA March Madness tournament, per the NCAA website.
The longest verifiable streak of correct picks in an NCAA tournament bracket was 49. This streak occurred in 2019 when an Ohio man correctly predicted the tournament into the Sweet 16.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Printable NCAA tournament brackets for March Madness 2026
Continue reading...
The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, known as March Madness, begins March 17. The women's NCAA tournament begins the next day, March 18.
Whether you're cheering for your favorite team or making a bracket for fun, here's what you need to know about March Madness 2026.
March Madness 2026 printable bracket
This story will be updated with men's and women's printable brackets once they release Sunday evening.
When is Selection Sunday?
Selection Sunday for the men's and women's brackets is March 15.
What time is Selection Sunday?
The 68 teams participating in the NCAA men's basketball tournament will be announced at 6 p.m. ET. The announcement for the NCAA women's basketball tournament will take place at 8 p.m. ET.
What channel is Selection Sunday?
Selection Sunday for the men's tournament airs on CBS. The women's tournament announcement will broadcast on ESPN. Streaming options include Paramount+ (for the men), the ESPN app (for the women) and Fubo (for both), which gives a free trial to new subscribers.
Streaming services with live TV should also have the shows available live.
When does March Madness start in 2026?
The men's NCAA tournament begins March 17, with the First Four. The women's NCAA tournament begins a day after, on March 18, also with the First Four.
Here's the full men's schedule:
- Selection Sunday: March 15.
- First Four: March 17-18.
- First round: March 19-20.
- Second round: March 21-22.
- Sweet 16: March 26-27.
- Elite Eight: March 28-29.
- Final Four: April 4.
- NCAA championship game: April 6.
Here's the women's schedule:
- Selection Sunday: March 15.
- First Four: March 18-19.
- First round: March 20-21.
- Second round: March 22-23.
- Sweet 16: March 27-28.
- Elite Eight: March 29-30.
- Final Four: April 3.
- NCAA championship game: April 5.
When will the men's March Madness bracket be revealed?
The men's March Madness bracket will be revealed March 15.
When will the women's March Madness bracket be revealed?
The women's March Madness bracket will also be announced March 15.
When do March Madness brackets open?
Brackets open on Selection Sunday, which is March 15 this year.
You must be registered for see images
When do March Madness brackets lock?
Fans typically need to submit their March Madness brackets before the first game of the first round tips off March 19. The first round for the women's tournament tips off March 20.
How to fill out a March Madness bracket
You can download, print and fill out your bracket by hand, or you can submit your bracket virtually through NCAA.com’s Official Bracket Challenge. Just select who you think will win each game, all the way through the championship games.
According to the athletic governing body's website, here are a few tips for a successful bracket:
- Do your best to win about 50 games.
- Upsets are inevitable.
- Don't stress about the early rounds and picking those first-round upsets.
- Watch your last eight and then the Final Four picks.
Remember, your goal is to accumulate as many points as possible. If you make a bracket on ESPN for the tournament challenge but aren't sure who to pick, there are a few autofill bracket options. You can choose to have the higher seed in each matchup automatically picked, have a random winner selected for each game or have ESPN generate a bracket using its Basketball Power Index.
You can also start a bracket and let a computer fill in the rest, either making random selections or using the smart bracket system to pick.
Has anyone ever had a perfect March Madness bracket?
No one has ever submitted a perfect bracket for the NCAA March Madness tournament, per the NCAA website.
The longest verifiable streak of correct picks in an NCAA tournament bracket was 49. This streak occurred in 2019 when an Ohio man correctly predicted the tournament into the Sweet 16.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Printable NCAA tournament brackets for March Madness 2026
Continue reading...
