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March Madness is the colloquial term for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's and women's college basketball tournaments. The tournament is held annually from mid-March to early April and consists of 68 teams that qualify either by winning their conference title or by being chosen by the NCAA's selection committee. The tournament is single-elimination, and the winners are crowned the men's and women's college basketball national champions of Division I. The event is extremely popular among basketball fans, with millions of people filling out brackets to predict the winners of the games.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| First Used | 1939 by an Illinois high school official, Henry V. Porter |
| Tournament Format | Single-elimination tournament |
| Teams | 68 |
| Tournament Time | Mid-March to the beginning of April |
| Participants | Men's and women's college basketball teams |
| Association | National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) |
| Tournament Games Broadcasters | CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV |
| Bracket Challenge Game | Official bracket game of the NCAA |
| First Tournament Winner | Oregon |
| Tournament Popularity | One of the greatest annual sporting events in the US |
| Tournament Cancellation | 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
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What You'll Learn
The tournament format
The tournament officially begins with the First Four, four games played between the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams. The winners of these games advance to the Round of 64, where the tournament format becomes a single-elimination bracket with 64 teams. These 64 teams are ranked 1 through 64 by the Selection Committee, with the best team in college basketball, based on regular season and conference tournament performance, sitting at No. 1. The first-round matchups are determined by pitting the top team in each region against the lowest-ranked team, the second-highest team against the second-lowest, and so on.
The tournament continues in this single-elimination format until the Final Four round, where just four teams remain. These four teams are the winners of their respective regions (East, South, Midwest, and West), and they compete in two games to determine the two teams that will play for the National Championship.
The March Madness tournament has become a significant part of American popular culture, with millions of people filling out brackets each year to predict the winners of the games. It is also a lucrative event, with the NCAA earning approximately $1 billion in revenue while businesses lose more than $16 billion due to decreased employee productivity.
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How to participate
March Madness is one of the most popular annual sporting events in the US. It is a single-elimination tournament played mostly during March to determine the men's college basketball national champion of the Division I level in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The tournament consists of 68 teams and was first conducted in 1939.
Understand the Selection Process
The 68 teams are selected, seeded, and placed in a bracket by an NCAA committee made up of 10 to 12 members. The brackets are broken up into four regions: Midwest, East, South, and West. The committee aims to create a bracket that is equally competitive in each region. Thirty-one of the 68 teams automatically qualify to play in the NCAA Tournament because they won their respective conference tournaments. The remaining 37 teams are chosen by the committee. The committee determines seeding by wins, losses, strength of schedule, and other metrics.
Make Your Predictions
Millions of people fill out their own brackets each year, attempting to predict the winners of each round. This has become a nationwide phenomenon, with spectators and sports bettors competing to see who has the most accurate bracket. You can find a printable bracket on the official NCAA website.
Follow the Games
All tournament games are broadcast by CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV under the program name NCAA March Madness. You can follow the live updates, watch the games, and keep up with the bracket announcements to see how your predictions are doing.
Join a Bracket Contest
Participate in bracket contests that award money and other prizes for correctly predicting the outcomes of the most games. In 2023, Sports Illustrated reported that an estimated 60 to 100 million brackets are filled out each year.
Understand the Terminology
Familiarize yourself with the statistics, terms, and acronyms commonly used during March Madness. For example, understand the difference between an automatic bid (given to teams that win their conference tournaments) and an at-large bid (given to the remaining teams selected by the committee). This will help you make more informed decisions when filling out your bracket.
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The history of March Madness
March Madness is an informal term that refers to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's and women's college basketball championship tournaments. The tournament is held annually, usually from mid-March through the beginning of April. The first NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, which would later become known as March Madness, was held in 1939. The inaugural tournament featured eight teams and saw Oregon beat Ohio State 46-33 for the title. The tournament gradually began to draw top teams and more television revenue over the next two decades. The field doubled to 16 teams in 1951, then to 32 in 1975, and eventually expanded to its modern format of 64 teams in 1985. In 2001, a 65th team and a "play-in game" were added, and in 2011, three additional opening-round games brought the field to its current size of 68 teams.
The term "March Madness" was first used in reference to basketball by an Illinois high school official, Henry V. Porter, in 1939. However, it did not become associated with the NCAA tournament until CBS broadcaster Brent Musburger used it during his coverage of the 1982 tournament. Today, the tournament has become a significant part of American popular culture, with millions of people filling out brackets each year to predict the winners of the games. The tournament has also gained a reputation for its upsets of favoured teams.
The first women's tournament was held in 1982 with 32 teams and later expanded to 64 teams in 1994. In response to protests from players in the 2021 women's tournament about the differing facility quality and branding, both the men's and women's tournaments were branded as "NCAA March Madness" starting in 2022, featuring variations of the same tournament-wide logo.
The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament consists of 68 teams ranked 1 through 68 by the Selection Committee. Four of those teams are eliminated in the opening round, known as the First Four, leaving a field of 64 teams for the first round. These teams are then split into four regions of 16 teams each, with each team ranked 1 through 16. The tournament is a single-elimination format, with the winners advancing to the next round until the final two teams compete for the national championship.
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The impact on popular culture
March Madness, the annual college basketball tournament, has become a staple of American popular culture. The tournament has captured the public imagination with its unpredictable nature, dramatic upsets, and the excitement of a knockout format. The term "March Madness", first used in this context in 1939, has become synonymous with the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
The tournament has become a significant cultural event, with millions of people tuning in to watch and participate in bracket contests. These contests, where people predict the outcomes of the games, have become a popular tradition, with an estimated 60 to 100 million brackets filled out each year. The unpredictability of the tournament, where a single loss can knock a team out, adds to the excitement and engagement of fans and casual observers alike.
March Madness has also become a prominent event for casual gambling in the US. The tradition of filling out brackets to predict game outcomes has spread beyond sports enthusiasts, drawing in casual observers and non-sports fans. It has become a common social activity, with friends, colleagues, and workplaces participating together. The difficulty of predicting the outcomes correctly, especially in the face of unexpected wins by underdog teams, adds to the excitement and engagement of the public.
The tournament has also had a significant impact on popular culture through its media coverage and branding. It receives extensive media attention, with wide coverage on television and across other platforms. The NCAA has also actively promoted the tournament, introducing a dedicated ""NCAA March Madness" logo and branding for tournament venues. The association with the NCAA and the widespread media coverage have contributed to the tournament's prominence in American popular culture.
Beyond the United States, March Madness has also gained international recognition. With international student-athletes from various nations and territories participating, the tournament showcases the global reach of basketball. The excitement and unpredictability of the tournament, combined with its extensive media coverage, have contributed to its growing global popularity and impact on world culture.
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The economic impact
March Madness is a major sporting event in the US calendar, with significant economic implications. The annual college basketball tournament, which usually takes place from mid-March to early April, involves 68 teams competing in seven rounds of single-elimination play. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) organises the event, which is officially branded as "NCAA March Madness". The tournament is a significant source of revenue for the NCAA, with broadcast rights providing the majority of this income. In 2024, the NCAA earned $1.38 billion in revenue, with $873 million coming from broadcast rights.
The NCAA distributes a portion of its March Madness revenue to the participating athletic conferences, based on their performance and the number of tournament games played by their teams. In 2024, the total amount of money awarded for games during the men's tournament was about $226 million. For example, in 2023, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) teams played 17 tournament games and received an estimated payout of $34 million.
The tournament also has a notable economic impact on businesses and fans. It is known for its bracket contests, where millions of people attempt to predict the winners of all the games. These bracket pools can result in significant financial losses for fans, with millions of dollars lost each year. Additionally, the tournament can cause workplace distractions, with distracted employees costing businesses an estimated $17 billion per year. The popularity of the tournament also leads to increased sales for retailers, with ticket prices for the 2025 Final Four games starting at around $137, and an estimated 19% increase in beer sales to keep up with cheering fans.
While the NCAA generates substantial revenue from March Madness, the players historically received no compensation. However, this may be changing due to a pending settlement, and players can now benefit from endorsement deals following a US Supreme Court ruling in 2021.
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Frequently asked questions
March Madness is an informal term for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's and women's basketball championship tournaments. The tournament consists of 68 teams and is played mostly during March.
The first NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was in 1939, with just eight teams. The term "March Madness" was first used to refer to basketball in 1939 by an Illinois high school official, Henry V. Porter, but it wasn't used in the NCAA tournament until 1982.
The 68 teams in the tournament are ranked 1 through 68 by the Selection Committee, with the best team in college basketball sitting at No. 1. Four of those teams are eliminated in the opening round (the First Four), leaving 64 teams for the first round. Fans fill out tournament brackets with their predictions before the tournament begins.
