What is March Madness and how does it work?

March Madness is indeed a beloved tradition in American sports, drawing millions of participants eager to fill out their brackets and compete against friends, family, and colleagues. However, the task of filling out a perfect bracket, predicting the outcome of all 67 games in the tournament, is an incredibly challenging feat.

 What is March Madness and how does it work?

According to the NCAA, the odds of filling out a perfect bracket are estimated to be about one in 120 billion. This staggering statistic underscores the unpredictable nature of the tournament, where upsets and unexpected outcomes are commonplace, making it exceedingly difficult to accurately predict every game’s result.

Despite the slim odds, the allure of March Madness and the excitement of bracketology continue to captivate fans each year, as they eagerly anticipate the drama, surprises, and memorable moments that define the tournament. While achieving a perfect bracket remains an elusive dream, the thrill of participating in this annual ritual and witnessing the unpredictable nature of college basketball is what makes March Madness truly special.

What are March Madness brackets?

After whittling down the 68-team field, the Selection Committee seeds them from No. 1 to 68.

Before the tournament’s first round is the First Four, in which the four lowest-seeded conference winners, and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams, compete in what is essentially a single-elimination play-in. Four teams are eliminated, and the four winners of the First Four earn themselves a first-round berth.

The 64-team first-round field is divided into four regional brackets — the South, Midwest, East and West. Within each region, the teams are also seeded from one to 16.

The No. 1 seeds this year are UConn, North Carolina, Purdue and Houston.

For context, a 16-seed has only ever beaten a No. 1 seed twice in NCAA history. In 2018, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County shocked the basketball world when it soundly thumped No. 1 seeded Virginia. And last year, No. 16 Fairleigh-Dickinson did it again when it edged top-seeded Purdue.

Furthermore, only two First Four teams have ever made the Final Four: Virginia Commonwealth University in 2011 and UCLA in 2021, according to CBS Sports.

How many rounds are in March Madness?

Following the First Four, the NCAA Tournament consists of six rounds: the first and second rounds, the Sweet 16, the Elite Eight, the Final Four and the title game.

The First Four is being held on March 19-20 in Dayton, Ohio.

The first round kicks off on March 21, and the second round on March 23. The first and second rounds are being played in eight cities: Brooklyn, Charlotte, Indianapolis, Omaha, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, Spokane and Memphis.

The Sweet 16 and Elite Eight will be played in Boston, Dallas, Detroit and Los Angeles from March 28-31.

The Final Four and the title game will be held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, home of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, on Saturday, April 6 and Monday, April 8.

How long does March Madness last each year?

March Madness lasts about three weeks, starting with the First Four on Tuesday, March 19, and ending with the title game on Monday, April 8.

How long has March Madness been around?

The first men’s tournament, which was won by the University of Oregon, was played in 1939 with only eight teams, according to NCAA.com. The tournament expanded to 16 teams in 1951, 32 in 1975 and 64 in 1985.

A 65th team was added in 2001 to accommodate the Mountain West Conference, and in 2011, another three teams were added to create the First Four.

According to Statista, North Carolina has the most Final Four appearances in history with 21, followed by UCLA with 18 and Kentucky with 17.

According to NCAA.com, UCLA has the most titles of any team with 11, followed by Kentucky with eight and North Carolina with six. Of those 11 UCLA titles, 10 came under the late John Wooden, who many consider the greatest college coach of all time.