March Madness 2026 Bracket Challenge

Official March Madness 2026 Bracket Challenge Rules
  • All brackets MUST be submitted by Thursday, March 19th, 12:00 PM EST to be considered valid.
  • Brackets MUST be submitted through this website in order to be entered. Emailed bracket files will not be considered.
  • All bracket submissions are final. Brackets will not be manually edited once they are submitted.
  • The first four play-in games are not part of the bracket challenge. If you select a seeding with a play-in game, your pick will be recorded as the winner of the play-in game.
  • There is a non-refundable entry fee of $25 per bracket, and you may submit as many brackets as you wish.
  • All brackets must be paid for before the start of the second round. Any brackets not paid for before Saturday, March 21st, 8:00 AM EST will be automatically dropped from the pool.
  • Payment must be made through Venmo (Jeff-Green-72). Please include your bracket name in your payment.
  • Approximate payouts:
    • 1st: 40% of total pot
    • 2nd: 25% of total pot
    • 3rd: 17.5% of total pot
    • 4th: 12.5% of total pot
    • 5th: 5% of total pot
  • Note: $2 from each entry will go toward costs of running the pool. Finalized payouts will be calculated and released based on the number of paid entries received by Saturday, March 21st.

Bracket Scoring Guidelines

  • Each game is worth the following based on the round:
    • 1st (Round of 32): 1 point
    • 2nd (Sweet 16): 2 points
    • 3rd (Elite 8): 4 points
    • 4th (Final Four): 6 points
    • 5th (Championship Game): 9 points
    • Tournament Winner: 12 points
  • In any round, the following points are awarded for upsets:
    • 2-3 differential in team seeding: 2x multiplier for round points
    • 4 or more differential in team seeding: 3x multiplier for round points
    • Win by a 14, 15, or 16 seed: 4x multiplier for round points
  • Example Scoring:
    • A 14-seed beats a 3-seed in the 1st round: 4 points (4 x round score of 1)
    • A 5-seed beats a 1-seed in the 4th round: 18 points (3 x round score of 6)
    • A 9-seed beats an 8-seed in the 1st round: 1 point (no upset multiplier)
    • A 9-seed beats a 1-seed in the 2nd round: 6 points (3 x round score of 2)
    • A 14-seed beats an 11-seed in the 2nd round: 8 points (4 x round score of 2)