The 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, known as March Madness, saw millions of brackets eliminated after upsets in the first 16 games of the first round on March 19, 2026.[1]
The NCAA reported on March 20 that more than 36 million brackets submitted across major online sports platforms had dwindled to approximately 14,000 perfect entries, or 0.039% of the total.[1]
Key upsets included No. 9 seed TCU's 66-64 victory over No. 8 seed Ohio State, reducing perfect brackets to 14.5 million; Nebraska's 76-47 win over Troy, its first NCAA tournament victory after a 0-10 record in prior appearances[2]; No. 12 seed High Point's 83-82 defeat of No. 5 seed Wisconsin, dropping the total to 2.3 million; and Louisville's 83-79 win over USF.[1]
| Matchup | Score | Perfect Brackets Remaining (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| No. 9 TCU def. No. 8 Ohio State | 66-64 | 14.5 million |
| Nebraska def. Troy | 76-47 | ~12 million |
| No. 12 High Point def. No. 5 Wisconsin | 83-82 | 2.3 million |
| Louisville def. USF | 83-79 | ~1.15 million |
VCU's comeback from a 19-point deficit to defeat North Carolina further reduced perfect brackets to about 300,000, before Saint Louis's win over Georgia and Gonzaga's victory over Kennesaw State finalized the day at just over 14,000.[1]
The NCAA tournament features 68 teams in a single-elimination bracket, with the first round consisting of 32 games played over two days at 16 regional sites.[4] Games on March 19 included matchups at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon; Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina; and Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
For context, the NCAA reported 36,000 perfect brackets after the first day last year, compared to a recent low of 121 in 2021.[1][3] The second day of first-round games is scheduled for March 20, 2026, followed by the second round over the weekend.
Sources
- NCAA, "Men's Basketball Bracket Challenge," accessed October 2024, https://www.ncaa.com/bracket-challenge/mens-basketball
- Wikipedia, "Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball," accessed October 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebraska_Cornhuskers_men%27s_basketball
- CBS Sports, "March Madness 2021: Just 121 perfect brackets remain after wild Day 1 of NCAA Tournament," March 19, 2021, https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/march-madness-2021-just-121-perfect-brackets-remain-after-wild-day-1-of-ncaa-tournament/
- Wikipedia, "NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament," accessed October 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Division_I_men%27s_basketball_tournament
