Everything you need to know about the College Basketball Crown

The 2026 College Basketball Crown tournament is set to tip off on April 1st and last until April 5th and is put on by the Fox Sports network. The field is made up of eight teams being put into a single elimination tournament with NIL prize money being paid out throughout the tournament.

There is a $500k total prize pool being paid out after each round with $50k being gifted to teams that win their quarterfinal matchups, $100k to teams that win the semifinals, and $300k going to the winner of the tournament.

The eight teams playing are largely from the Big East, Big 12, and Big Ten conference as they are all partnered with Fox Sports Network.

Big wins deserve big bags.
In Vegas one win is all that separates you from $50K, $100K or $300K.
In the Crown it means a little bit more. pic.twitter.com/1o0R4VF5f9

Who is playing in the College Basketball Crown?

The eight teams playing in the 2026 CBC include three teams from the Big 12, two from the Big Ten, and one each from the Big East, ACC, and SEC. The opening quarterfinal matchups are as follows:

• Oklahoma Sooners vs. Colorado Buffaloes
• Baylor Bears vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers
• Stanford Cardinal vs. West Virginia Mountaineers
• Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. Creighton Blue Jays

Where is the College Basketball Crown played?

The entirety of the tournament takes place in Las Vegas with all four quarterfinal games being played at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and the semifinals and championship games taking place at T-Mobile Arena.

How to watch the College Basketball Crown

Being that the tournament is hosted by Fox Sports, all of the games will be broadcasts on the FS1 network for the quarterfinals and on Fox for the semifinals and championship game.

New College Basketball Crown format

The format of the tournament changed from 2025 to 2026 with the total number of teams participating being cut from 16 down to eight.

More: Oregon Ducks star guard Jackson Shelstad makes final decision before next season

From the 16-team field last season, Nebraska defeated UCF to win the first ever College Basketball Crown championship.

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