How to run your 2026 March Madness pool: Play for prizes and create your NCAA Tournament game
Selection Sunday is only two weeks away, so it’s time to do your homework before making your picks for the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Although last year’s brackets didn’t see any big upsets, the parity of college basketball means this year could be different. Until 2018, no No. 16 seed had ever beaten a No. 1 seed. Today it happened twice. Could this happen again in the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket? On the men’s side, a number of powerhouses all have a good chance of making some noise. Duke, Arizona, Michigan and Iowa State are all in position to claim the top spot in the 2026 March Madness bracket.
Recent national champions like UConn and Florida are close behind. On the women’s side, UConn entered the weekend’s matchup undefeated, with UCLA and South Carolina among their top competitors. With the action so close, now is the time to set up your 2026 Men’s March Madness Pools and your 2026 Women’s March Madness Pools.
If you’re looking for an NCAA Tournament game at home, CBS Sports is the place to be. You can play Bracket Games for free on the CBS Sports app in pools with your friends and enter free Men’s and Women’s Bracket Challenges to potentially win big prizes.* Start here.
How to Create a 2026 NCAA Tournament Pool With Your Friends and Family
Run your own free March Madness 2026 pool on CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports app and invite all your friends, family and colleagues to play against you in this year’s tournament.
To create a bracket pool for Men’s March Madness, go to the Create Men’s Bracket Pool page, name your group, and choose whether you want a locked pool where you control the invites or an open pool that everyone can share. After that, simply confirm your rules, then you can copy and share your personal pool link with friends or ask CBS Sports to send them emails.
For a women’s March Madness pool, you can follow the exact same process but start with the Create a Women’s Pool page to start your pool for the women’s NCAA tournament.
How to play March Madness 2026 brackets to win prizes
There are CBS Sports NCAA Bracket Challenges for the men’s and women’s tournaments and a trip to each 2027 Final Four at stake in both challenges. It’s easy to compete for these epic journeys.
For the Men’s Challenge, simply click this link, click the “Register Now” button and enter.* Fill out your men’s bracket after it is revealed on Sunday, March 15, and the winner of the 2027 Final Four trip will be chosen from among the participants. If you have already created brackets in groups with friends, you can quickly participate in the Challenge by importing an already created bracket.
You can also participate in the Women’s CBS Sports Bracket Challenge later tonight after the selection show at 8 p.m. ET. Importing your brackets from your women’s pools is also a convenient option for filling out your Women’s Challenge brackets.
The deadline for the men’s group is March 19, at the start of the first round, while the deadline for the women’s group is March 20. To be eligible, follow the steps above to join the Men’s Challenge, then join the Women’s Challenge here before the start of each tournament.
2026 NCAA Tournament Men’s Teams to Watch
Now that you know where to play the 2026 NCAA men’s games, here are some teams to watch as the tournament approaches:
Florida Gators: Don’t look now, but the defending national champions are back in the mix. The seventh-ranked Gators entered the weekend on an eight-game winning streak and were atop the SEC standings. Florida features a balanced attack with six players averaging double-digit scoring. They are led by junior forward Thomas Haugh, who is averaging 16.9 points, six rebounds and two assists. The Gators are 5-3 against ranked opponents, including recent wins over Alabama and Kentucky.
Arizona Wildcats: Arizona opened the season with 23 straight wins before suffering its first loss against Kansas on February 9. The Wildcats then lost their second straight to Texas Tech, but they have several impressive wins this season, including wins over Houston, BYU, UConn, Alabama and Florida. Arizona has a plethora of offensive playmakers, and the Wildcats can cause havoc on the defensive side of the court as well. Tommy Lloyd’s men will be battle-tested heading into the 2026 March Madness brackets, and the Wildcats will be looking for a No. 1 seed with a strong finish to the regular season. Join the CBS Sports 2026 NCAA men’s bracket game here.
2026 NCAA Tournament Women’s Teams to Watch
Now that you know where to play the 2026 NCAA Women’s Bracket Games, here are some teams to watch as the 2026 NCAA Tournament approaches:
UCLA Bruins: Cori Chase’s team reached the Final Four for the first time in program history last season and solidifies its status as a contender in 2026. The Bruins are off to a 26-1 start with a perfect 16-0 mark in the Big Ten and Lauren Betts continues to dominate after an All-American season in 2024-25. The center is averaging 16.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.3 blocks per game and leads an experienced UCLA team whose top six scorers are all seniors.
Vanderbilt Commodores: Vanderbilt used NIL to remodel its athletic department and had success in football and men’s basketball. However, the women’s team might be the university’s best chance at winning a national championship this season, as the Commodores are 24-3 overall and 10-3 in the SEC. Sophomore guard Mikayla Blakes is averaging 25.9 points per game this season and Vanderbilt ranks No. 5 in the latest AP poll. Join the Women’s Bracket Game 2026 here.
How to compete in the 2026 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Bracket Games
Ready to set up your 2026 NCAA Tournament pools? Start from the Bracket Lobby to play the 2026 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Bracket Games with friends and for a chance to win trips to the 2027 Final Four.
*No purchase necessary. See rules for details.
