Perfect brackets in 2026 NCAA men's tournament dwindle to 224 after first round
Authored by freebet.icu, 22 Mar 2026
The first round of the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament concluded on Friday, March 20. Of more than 36 million brackets entered on major platforms tracked by the NCAA, 224 remained perfect entering the second round on Saturday, according to the NCAA Bracket Challenge.[1]
About 14,000 perfect brackets survived Thursday's games, which included a trio of upsets. Friday produced no additional major upsets, but the total still fell sharply. After top seed Michigan advanced to the Sweet 16 on Saturday afternoon, 207 perfect brackets remained intact.[1]
No. 7 seed Kentucky's overtime victory over No. 10 seed Santa Clara at Enterprise Center in St. Louis busted around 6,000 brackets. Kentucky guard Otega Oweh hit a 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds left in regulation, setting up an 8-0 overtime run.[1]
Utah State defeated Villanova 86-76, eliminating another 3,200 perfect brackets.[1]
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| No. 11 Texas vs. No. 3 Gonzaga | 7:10 p.m. |
| No. 11 VCU vs. No. 3 Illinois | 7:50 p.m. |
| No. 12 High Point vs. No. 4 Arkansas | 9:45 p.m. |
The NCAA forecast suggests a Louisville victory over Michigan State would leave only 74 perfect brackets.[1]
The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament features 68 teams in a single-elimination format across six rounds, culminating in the national championship on April 5 in Indianapolis.[2] No publicly tracked perfect bracket has ever been recorded through all 63 games.[3]
Sources
- NCAA, "Bracket Challenge," accessed March 21, 2026, https://www.ncaa.com/bracket-challenge
- NCAA, "2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament," March 2026, https://www.ncaa.com/march-madness/mens
- NCAA, "March Madness FAQ: Bracket odds and more," accessed March 2026, https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2024-03-11/march-madness-faq-bracket-odds-announcers-and-everything-need-know-about-2024-ncaa-mens