The 2023 NCAA Tournament is here. Below you can find a printable March Madness bracket plus a full rundown of the NCAA men's basketball tournament, which begins with the First Four on March 15 and ends with the championship game on April 4. Keep track of the latest news, scores and results from every game with The Sporting News' live March Madness bracket.
Your bracket will consist of 64 teams — after completion of the First Four play-in games — divided evenly among the West, Midwest, East and South regions.
The first round will be determined by the NCAA selection committee on a seeding system: A 1-seed (considered the best team in its region), will play a 16-seed (considered the worst), a 2-seed will play a 15-seed, and so on. Pick which team you expect to win the first round and have them advance to the second by writing their name on the ensuing matchup line.
From there, repeat the process until you have predicted the entire tournament throughout the first and second rounds, Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four and NCAA championship game.
Predict the score of the championship game as a final potential tiebreaker with anyone who may have the same score as you by the end of the tournament
How to make your March Madness bracket work
You can use whatever methodology you want to fill out your bracket, but higher seeds are usually favored in their respective matchups, especially in earlier rounds. That doesn’t guarantee victory, however: Upsets happen every year and have been known to bust brackets.
Picking one or two early upsets won’t bust your bracket— and could actually score you points — but don’t pick a team to go far in the tournament unless you’re confident in their ability. Otherwise, you could potentially cost yourself a higher score.
Your bracket can be altered as much as you want before the tournament starts; once play has begun, however, it is locked in. Make sure you feel comfortable with your bracket before you submit it — and don’t leave it incomplete!
HOW DO I SCORE THE BRACKET?
How to make your March Madness bracket work
The most common scoring method features one point for every correct prediction in the first round; two points for every prediction in the second round; four points for the Sweet 16; eight points for the Elite Eight; 16 points for the Final Four; and 32 points for picking the NCAA champion.
This scoring method places greater weight on correct predictions further into the tournament. For example, simply predicting the correct NCAA Tournament champion is worth as many points for your bracket (32) as a perfect first round. Keep this in mind as you make your picks.
First Four games are not typically used in scoring, which begins in Round 1. An incorrect prediction in any of the First Four play-in games will not result in penalties or lost points.
WHEN DO MARCH MADNESS BRACKETS COME OUT?
When do March Madness brackets come out?
The March Madness bracket will be released on Sunday, March 13. It will feature 60 locked-in teams and four empty spaces. The teams that fill those spaces will be determined by First Four games, and the final 64-team bracket will not be set until the day before the NCAA Tournament proper begins.
When are March Madness brackets due?
Brackets are locked in once play begins during Round 1 of the NCAA Tournament at noon ET on Thursday, March 17.