# 2026 NCAA Basketball Tournament Pool **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** basketball-nba\ **Created:** [March 16, 2026, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2026-ncaa-basketball-tournament-pool/1028470 "2026-03-16T00:41:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2026-ncaa-basketball-tournament-pool/1028470/1 "2026-03-16T00:41:33Z")
It’s that time of year again - March Madness! As always, we have a tournament pool group on the ESPN app and website. Group name: **SDMB Bracketeers** Password: **cecil123** There is a limit of three brackets per participant. Brackets must be completed before the start of the first game on Thursday March 19. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2026-ncaa-basketball-tournament-pool/1028470/2 "2026-03-16T00:46:37Z")
Men’s: [ESPN Men's Tournament Challenge - Make Picks](https://fantasy.espn.com/games/tournament-challenge-bracket-2026/) Women’s: [ESPN Women's Tournament Challenge - Make Picks](https://fantasy.espn.com/games/tournament-challenge-bracket-women-2026/) ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2026-ncaa-basketball-tournament-pool/1028470/3 "2026-03-16T16:20:45Z")
Just checking the ESPN app this morning - the SDMB group for the men’s tournament does not show up under the women’s tournament tab. If anyone wants to do a women’s tournament pool they will have to create a new group. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2026, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2026-ncaa-basketball-tournament-pool/1028470/4 "2026-03-17T01:16:26Z")
I just submitted my bracket. I picked Duke to be upset in the Sweet 16 round because Screw Duke. My comment from last year’s thread: [2025 College Basketball Tournament Pool - #5 by Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-college-basketball-tournament-pool/1015713/5) Same comment applies this year. Go Gators - Defending National Champions! 🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊 ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2026, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2026-ncaa-basketball-tournament-pool/1028470/5 "2026-03-17T01:30:08Z")
I let my 6-year-old granddaughter enter a bracket in this pool. Her first pick was Long Island over Arizona. Bold move on her part. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2026, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2026-ncaa-basketball-tournament-pool/1028470/6 "2026-03-17T11:44:03Z")
Those are the ones who always win tournament pools - the people who have no clue what they’re doing. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2026, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2026-ncaa-basketball-tournament-pool/1028470/7 "2026-03-17T14:01:47Z")
If I win this one, that’s definitely me. I don’t follow college basketball, I haven’t watched a game in many years and I don’t have a clue. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2026, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2026-ncaa-basketball-tournament-pool/1028470/8 "2026-03-17T14:45:46Z")
It feels so weird to not have Oregon be in the tournament this year. Taking a longer-term view of things, it feels so weird for it to feel weird for Oregon not to be in the tournament. However, I just found out they are going to go ahead and have the tournament anyway, so I might as well do a bracket. I’ll try making a chalky one for a change. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2026, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2026-ncaa-basketball-tournament-pool/1028470/9 "2026-03-17T16:24:26Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > I picked Duke to be upset in the Sweet 16 round because Screw Duke. I suspect Duke will win, but neither of my brackets have them winning because I refuse to cheer for them for any reason. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2026, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2026-ncaa-basketball-tournament-pool/1028470/10 "2026-03-17T16:50:22Z")
Well, I’m in. Didn’t pick any greater upsets than one #11 beating a #6 and a few #10s winning games against #7s. That should ensure at least a few major upsets. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2026, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2026-ncaa-basketball-tournament-pool/1028470/11 "2026-03-19T11:56:13Z")
Bumping the thread since the brackets lock later this morning (the ESPN app says 11:15 - I assume that is time zone adjusted and I am in the Central Time zone). If you haven’t filled out a bracket, or it’s not complete, or you want to make some last minute adjustments, better hurry! One request - if your SDMB name isn’t obvious from your bracket name, maybe drop a note in this thread letting us know which one is yours. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2026, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2026-ncaa-basketball-tournament-pool/1028470/12 "2026-03-19T12:02:12Z")
I am 80563733. And proud of it. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2026, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2026-ncaa-basketball-tournament-pool/1028470/13 "2026-03-19T15:27:18Z")
Added a second bracket based on a random algorithm. Unless BYU and Miami of Ohio both make the Elite Eight, in that case I figured it out based on my extensive basketball knowledge and you should all sign up for my handicapping service. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2026, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2026-ncaa-basketball-tournament-pool/1028470/14 "2026-03-19T21:18:55Z")
Poor little Siena. Man, that was looking like THE major upset of the tournament. Apparently their starters played nearly the entire game? (I think one sub went in with just a few seconds left.) Those guys had to be exhausted by the end. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2026-ncaa-basketball-tournament-pool/1028470/15 "2026-03-21T12:29:42Z")
So, apparently my second bracket (which isn’t doing so great anyway) didn’t get added to the group, and I can’t tell if there is a way to add it now or not. If I select My Brackets, it shows my two brackets. My first bracket has a Show/Hide toggle, and when I toggle Show it shows that bracket in the SDMB group. My second bracket has Create Group and Join Group options. If I select Join Group then on the Groups page it shows the SDMB group under My Groups. If I select that group, it just shows me all the brackets currently in the group but I’m not seeing a way to add my bracket to the group. Likewise, if I open my second bracket, it also shows the Create and Join buttons at the top, but selecting Join and then the SDMB group gets me the same result. Am I missing something obvious? ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2026-ncaa-basketball-tournament-pool/1028470/16 "2026-03-21T13:07:31Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > So, apparently my second bracket (which isn’t doing so great anyway) didn’t get added to the group, and I can’t tell if there is a way to add it now or not. I was just looking at the group this morning and realized that my third bracket didn’t get added to the group. Not sure why that didn’t happen, although it’s certainly something I should have checked after creating the bracket. I don’t believe there’s a mechanism to add a bracket to a group after the tourney has started. I haven’t found one, anyway. No big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2026-ncaa-basketball-tournament-pool/1028470/17 "2026-03-21T13:44:46Z")
Yeah, like I said, that second bracket isn’t doing so great anyway. It’s at about 50% - I dashed it off at the last minute Thursday morning. It’s just annoying that the ESPN app makes it look like you can still add brackets to groups, but you really can’t. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2026-ncaa-basketball-tournament-pool/1028470/18 "2026-03-21T14:10:02Z")
Somehow I’m leading after round 1. Anyone want to just call it now? I’m getting a screenshot quick before my inevitable dive to mediocrity. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2026, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2026-ncaa-basketball-tournament-pool/1028470/19 "2026-03-23T13:13:04Z")
As noted in the March mini-rants thread in the Pit, I fully expected Iowa, Iowa State, and Kansas to all get stomped in their respective games on Sunday. ISU easily beat Kentucky, Kansas came back from a 14 point deficit in the final minutes to take a one point lead in the final seconds, only to lose on a layup at the buzzer, and Iowa led defending national champs Florida for most of the game, and did not make the same mistake as Kansas and held on to their one point lead at the end. So, at the end of the first weekend, we have Jahiegel in first place, Thing Fish in second, and Kimble and TroutMan tied for third. And only four brackets where the National Champ pick is out. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2026, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2026-ncaa-basketball-tournament-pool/1028470/20 "2026-03-23T13:46:01Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Kansas came back from a 14 point deficit in the final minutes to take a one point lead in the final seconds, only to lose on a layup at the buzzer Not quite right. Kansas never took the lead late in the game, although they tied it with 13 seconds left before losing by two on that last-second layup. > [@Shoeless](#): > > Iowa led defending national champs Florida for most of the game, and did not make the same mistake as Kansas and held on to their one point lead at the end. Again, not quite right. Iowa did lead for the most of the game, but they blew a double-digit second-half lead and Florida actually led by three with just under two minutes to go. Iowa cut the lead to one, and Florida made one of two FTs with 8 seconds to play. Iowa then hit a 3-pointer with 4 seconds left to win by one. Big 10 has six teams in the S16, while the SEC has four and the B12 has 3. Big East has two, and the ACC has one. Lowest seed still alive is Texas at #11. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2026-ncaa-basketball-tournament-pool/1028470.md?page=2)