The Latest: Start time, how to watch the 2026 bracket reveal

By Canadian Press on March 15, 2026.

March Madness Selection Sunday is here.

The men’s and women’s brackets for the 2026 NCAA Basketball Tournament will be revealed this evening, setting the schedule for more than two weeks of competition.

Stick around for live updates below to see how it all shakes out.

Bubble teams breathe a sigh of relief

A handful of teams sitting on the NCAA Tournament bubble were relieved when VCU defeated Dayton in the Atlantic 10 championship game.

Most bracketologists expected the Rams to make the 68-team field — win or lose.

The only way most thought Dayton would make the field was by clinching the league’s automatic and taking away an at-large bid from someone else.

When the bracket is released, the last team to make the tournament is likely to find out it was the beneficiary of Dayton’s loss.

How unbeaten UConn women’s teams have fared in NCAAs

This is the 10th time the UConn women have entered an NCAA Tournament unbeaten.

The Huskies won the national championship six of the previous nine times: 1995, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2014 and 2016.

The 1997 UConn team suffered its first and only loss in a regional final to eventual national champion Tennessee.

UConn’s 2017 team fell in overtime in an NCAA semifinal to Mississippi State that snapped the Huskies’ record 111-game winning streak.

The 2018 team also lost an NCAA semifinal in overtime, this time to eventual national champion Notre Dame.

First-timers in the Big Dance

California Baptist and Queens will make their NCAA Tournament debuts.

The California Baptist Lancers (25-8) beat Utah Valley in the WAC Tournament finale to earn a spot. The Queens Royals (21-13) knocked off Central Arkansas to win the Atlantic Sun championship and land a place in their first season eligible; they received full Division I status last July.

Queens continues to move through a merger process with Elon University.

Two more programs might feel like this is their NCAA debut. Tennessee State last made the field in 1994, and Hofstra accomplished the feat in 2001

Impact transfers

The transfer portal is an increasingly important part of major college sports. Here are a few transfers to watch in the NCAA Tournament.

Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan: Lendeborg arrived from Alabama-Birmingham and led the Wolverines to a dominant showing in the Big Ten.

Silas Demary Jr., UConn: The 6-foot-4 point guard, who transferred in from Georgia, injured his left ankle during the Big East Tournament, so that’s an issue to watch.

Henri Veesaar, North Carolina: The Tar Heels need a big tournament from Veesaar, the 7-footer who came over from Arizona, now that Caleb Wilson is out.

MJ Collins Jr., Utah State: Collins was mostly a reserve for Vanderbilt last season but now averages 17.6 points per game at Utah State

TJ Power, Penn: The Ivy League has lost a ton of talented players to other conferences recently, but Penn has reversed the trend a bit with Power, who scored 44 points in the Ivy Tournament final against Yale.

Where the women’s opening weekend games will happen

The host schools for the first weekend of the women’s tournament were announced yesterday.

Host schools include likely No. 1 seeds UConn, UCLA, South Carolina and Texas as well as Duke, Iowa, Louisville, LSU, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma, TCU, Vanderbilt and West Virginia.

The Southeastern Conference and Big Ten lead the way with five host schools each.

Which teams are streaking into the tournament?

There’s something to be said for streaking into the NCAA Tournament. Six teams bring double-digit winning streaks into the Big Dance.

Here’s a look at them:

14 – High Point hasn’t lost since Jan. 14.

12 – UMBC hasn’t lost since Jan. 29 against Vermont.

11 – Duke’s last loss came against rival North Carolina on Feb. 7.

10 – Akron has won a few close games during its streak, including two three-point affairs in the Mid-American Conference Tournament.

10 – McNeese needed triple overtime to beat University of Texas Rio Grande in the Southland Conference Tournament semifinals.

NCAA field is loaded with top NBA talent

The NCAA Tournament field is filled with future NBA starters, maybe even stars.

Duke forward Cameron Boozer, BYU forward AJ Dybantsa and Kansas guard Darryn Peterson are widely considered to be the top three draft picks this summer. North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson, Houston’s Kingston Flemings, Illinois’ Keaton Wagler, Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr., Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr., Tennessee’s Nate Ament, Arizona’s Brayden Burries and Florida’s Thomas Haugh also could be lottery picks.

And the rest of the first round could be packed with players taking the stage for March Madness.

Conference tourneys finished in women’s draw

All the automatic bids in the NCAA women’s draw have been filled with the completion of four conference championship games Sunday.

College of Charleston beat Hofstra 68-56 in the Coastal Athletic Association final.

Murray State beat Evansville 91-70 for the Missouri Valley Conference’s automatic bid.

Fairleigh Dickinson beat No. 3 seed Long Island 79-57 in the Northeast Conference.

Holy Cross beat Lehigh 77-70 in the Patriot League final.

The wins by College of Charleston and Murray State assured that Hofstra (11-22) and Evansville (10-25) wouldn’t reach the NCAA Tournament with losing records.

Will Houston end up playing in Houston?

Many bracket prognosticators have Houston earning a No. 2 seed — and landing in the South Region. That would put the Cougars in line for Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games in Houston.

The Cougars wouldn’t play in their home arena. Instead they would be at the Toyota Center, where they beat Florida State in early December. It also could mean another advantage for a team that got to stay in the Lone Star State for the 2025 Final Four in San Antonio.

It also seems a little manipulated since Rice replaced Houston in September as the host institution for the regional site.

“I don’t know if it’s fair,” Florida coach Todd Golden said earlier this week. “If we have to run into that issue, there’s worse problems in the world. (But) I would enjoy somebody else in Houston than Houston.”

Who is on the bubble?

Missouri: The Tigers could have removed all doubt but lost their final three games.

Miami (Ohio): The RedHawks went 31-0 in the regular season before losing in their first game in the Mid-American Conference Tournament. The consensus is they’ll get in anyway.

Texas: The Longhorns will have to sweat it out after dropping three in a row.

SMU: The Mustangs beat Syracuse in the ACC Tournament before losing to Louisville. Is that enough?

Auburn: A particularly polarizing team thanks to its unusual resume and the antics of Bruce Pearl — the father of Tigers coach Steven Pearl — on national broadcasts. Auburn is just 17-16 on the season but played one of the toughest schedules around.

Oklahoma: The Sooners endured a nine-game losing streak earlier in the season but later won six in a row to move back into contention for a bid.

San Diego State: The Aztecs lost to Utah State in the title game of the Mountain West Tournament.

A look at Michigan

Michigan is the betting favorite to win the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines are plus-325 to win it all, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

Michigan won the Big Ten regular season and will face Purdue in the title game Sunday. Regardless of the outcome, they are a lock to be a No. 1 seed in the bracket — and for good reason.

The Wolverines are unique size and depth in the post. They are led by 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara and 6-9 forwards Morez Johnson Jr. and Yaxel Lendeborg, a formidable frontcourt that averages nearly 40 points and 22 rebounds.

A look at Florida

Florida sputtered in the Southeastern Conference Tournament after delivering one of college hoops’ top turnarounds. The defending national champion Gators were 5-4 in early December and unranked by January before getting hot down the stretch.

They are ultra physical and the best rebounding team in the country, with big men Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh leading the way.

They won 12 in a row before losing to Vanderbilt in the SEC semifinals but are the fourth choice at plus-600, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

A look at Duke

Duke is one of college basketball’s true bluebloods, a renowned program with five national championships. The Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season and tournament champs are led by freshman Cameron Boozer and have a strong case for being the overall No. 1 seed.

They have won 11 in a row while locking down the top spot in the NCAA’s NET rankings as well as two key advanced analytical sites, kenpom.com and barttorvik.com.

The Blue Devils last won the national title in 2015 and are the second choice at plus-333 to cut down the nets in Indianapolis, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

A look at Arizona, one of the betting favorites

It’s hard to find a better starting five than what the Wildcats put on the floor. Brayden Burries, Koa Peat, Jaden Bradley, Motiejus Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov share the basketball and the spotlight — and rarely beat themselves.

The Wildcats (32-2) claimed the Big 12 regular season and the conference tournament. They have won nine in a row and are the third betting choice at plus-425 to win it all, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

Big Ten seeking a breakthrough

The Big Ten hasn’t won a national championship in men’s basketball or women’s basketball in more than 25 years.

Both droughts have a decent shot of ending this year.

Michigan opened Sunday as a slight favorite to win the national title in the men’s draw, according to BetMGM Sports. UCLA has the second-best odds of winning the women’s championship.

The last Big Ten men’s team to win the national title was Michigan State in 2000. The Big Ten hasn’t won it all in women’s basketball since Purdue did it in 1999.

NCAA could discuss expanding March Madness after this year’s tournaments

If you like the tourney at 68 teams, enjoy the moment!

Discussions continue on whether to expand the field by at least four teams and possibly more — but those talks won’t have legs until after this year’s version of March Madness finishes, senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt said last month.

The NCAA Tournament expanded from 64 to 68 teams in 2011.

In an NCAA first, teams that fail to submit player availability reports will have to pay up

The NCAA announced that schools participating in the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments could face fines starting at $10,000 if they fail to submit the player availability reports required for the first time this year.

Player availability reports are intended to combat betting-related pressure, solicitations and harassment that athletes receive from bettors connected to playing status. Conference availability reports have become common in recent years.

Teams must submit initial reports the night before competition and provide any updates at least two hours prior to the scheduled tip time.

A player will be designated as “available” if, according to the team, he or she has more than a 75% chance to play. A player is “questionable” if he or she has up to a 75% chance to play and “out” if he or she won’t play. Athletes will be assumed to be available unless designated as questionable or out.

Pursuit of glory? Cold, hard cash? An AP poll breaks down why people fill out March Madness brackets

A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about one-quarter of Americans fill out a men’s March Madness bracket “every year” or “some years,” while 16% fill out a women’s tournament bracket “every year” or “some years.”

Another 14% fill out a bracket for both tournaments at least “some years.”

So, a sizeable chunk of Americans are into NCAA bracketology, but what’s behind the hype?

Among those who fill out brackets at least “some years,” about 7 in 10 say a reason for their participation was for the glory of winning, the chance to win money or the fact that other people were doing it.

They’re less likely to be motivated by support for a specific school or team — and in particular, to say this was a “major” reason for their participation.

NCAA tourney selection committee won’t let travel concerns dictate bracketing

The NCAA Tournament Selection Committee has enough to sift through this weekend without playing air traffic controller.

The 12 committee members have worked up the eagerly anticipated 68-team bracket by following the same basic principles the panel always does: giving the top teams the highest seeds, making each of the four regions as competitive as possible and trying to keep as many teams close to home as it can.

For those that inevitably will have to travel great distances for March Madness, organizers of the men’s and women’s tourneys are pleading for patience.

The partial government shutdown, increasing security concerns arising from conflict in the Middle East, the high volume of spring break travelers and a greater demand for charter flights may cause additional travel snafus in an already challenging month.

Who invented the March Madness bracket? Staten Island bar and Kentucky postal worker stake claims

Could it really be true? That, of all of college basketball’s urban myths, one of New York’s five boroughs is actually the birthplace of filling out an NCAA Tournament bracket?

Before all those office pools truly defined March, betting the bracket was the supposed brainchild of an Irish pub owner in Staten Island — a “creative businessman,” his son calls him — whose straightforward idea of plunking down 10 bucks to pick the Final Four teams and the national champion turned the unassuming spot into a bustling attraction where the special of the day could be a million-dollar payout.

“We created a pool that just blew up over time,” current bar owner Terence Haggerty said. “Looking back at it now, how did we pull it off? How did we do it? It was crazy.”

When and where the women’s games will be played

March 18-19: The First Four matchups will be played at campus sites.

March 20-23: The first- and second-round games will also be on campuses.

March 27-30: The Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games will be held at two venues — one in Fort Worth, Texas, and the other in Sacramento, California.

April 3 and April 5: The Final Four and championship game will be at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix.

When and where the men’s games will be played

March 17-18: The First Four will be played in Dayton, Ohio.

March 19-22: The first and second rounds are in Buffalo, New York; Greenville, South Carolina; Oklahoma City; Portland, Oregon; Philadelphia; San Diego; St. Louis; and Tampa, Florida.

March 26-29: The regional semifinals (Sweet 16) and finals (Elite Eight) will take place in Houston (South), Washington (East), Chicago (Midwest) and San Jose, California (West).

April 4 and April 6: The tournament ends with the Final Four and championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

How to watch the tournaments

Every game of the men’s tournament will be aired. Here’s a schedule that will be updated with matchups — either on CBS, TBS, TNT or TruTV and their digital platforms, including Paramount+. TBS will broadcast the Final Four and national title game this year. The NCAA will also stream games via its March Madness Live option.

Every game of the women’s tournament will similarly be aired. See a schedule that will be updated with those matchups — on ESPN’s networks and streaming services. The championship game will be aired on ABC for a fourth straight season.

What does ‘bubble watch’ mean?

Bubble watch is a term to track the teams that are teetering between making and not making the NCAA Tournament. These teams are considered to be “on the bubble.”

Teams that win conference tournaments secure automatic berths — often at the expense of others. So, bubble watch is essentially keeping tabs on teams that need to win to get in or need others to lose to sneak in.

Where did the term ‘March Madness’ come from?

March Madness is the catchphrase given to college basketball’s postseason, and many consider it the perfect term to capture the craziness that often happens in conference tournaments and NCAA brackets.

Magazine writer Henry V. Porter coined the phrase in 1939 while writing about the Illinois High School Association’s state tournament. It gained traction nationally after former CBS broadcaster Brent Musburger used it in reference to the NCAA Tournament in 1982. Both entities tried to trademark the term, which led to a lawsuit.

A federal court in 1996 ruled the phrase had “’dual use” beyond the high school tournament, and the sides now share marketing rights.

Women’s NCAA Tournament format

The women’s bracket is arranged similarly to the men’s side, with a few exceptions. The play-in games, along with the first- and second-round games, usually are played at the home arenas of the top four teams in each region.

Neutral sites begin in the Sweet 16.

Men’s NCAA Tournament format

A total of 68 teams make the NCAA Tournament.

Eight of those teams start in a preliminary round called the play-in games. The four winners there make it into the field’s traditional 64-team, single-elimination bracket played at neutral sites across the country.

Teams are seeded 1 through 16 and split up into four regions. A 12-member NCAA selection committee determines the field. Seeds are determined by wins, losses, strength of schedule and other metrics.

The top four teams are No. 1 seeds, the next four are No. 2 seeds and on down the line. The games start with 1 versus 16, 2 versus 15, etc., in each region.

What time will March Madness brackets be revealed?

The men’s NCAA Tournament field is set to be revealed at 6 p.m. ET on CBS.

The women’s NCAA Tournament field is set to be revealed at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The Associated Press