March Madness printable bracket: Download a free 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket PDF here

The 2026 NCAA Tournament is finally here, and what fun is March Madness without a bracket? 

Fortunately, you've come to the right place. Sporting News has every type of college basketball fan covered with our 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket in printable, PDF form, complete with the full field of 68 on Selection Sunday. Download it, print it, fill it out, trash talk your co-workers.

This year's tournament schedule begins with the First Four on March 17 in Dayton, Ohio. The Big Dance ramps up with the first and second rounds March 19-22 and concludes with the Final Four and national championship games April 4-6 in Indianapolis.

In addition to the printable bracket below, you'll also find tips and tools to help you fill it out, including picks and analysis from TSN's expert writers.

MARCH MADNESS HQ: Live NCAA bracket | TV schedule | Women's bracket

Printable March Madness bracket 2026

Download Sporting News' printable NCAA Tournament bracket (PDF) by clicking here.

BRACKETOLOGY: SN's final projections for 2026 March Madness Field of 68

When are March Madness brackets due in 2026?

The deadline to submit a men's NCAA Tournament bracket is 12:15 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 19 — the start time of the first game of the first round. Online bracket pool contests will lock after tipoff.

First Four games (March 17-18) do not count for most March Madness bracket pools.

How to fill out a March Madness bracket

1. Your bracket will consist of 64 teams — after completion of the First Four play-in games — divided evenly among the West, Midwest, East and South regions.
2. The first round will be determined by the NCAA selection committee on a seeding system: A 1-seed (considered the best team in its region), will play a 16-seed (considered the worst), a 2-seed will play a 15-seed, and so on. Pick which team you expect to win the first round and have them advance to the second by writing their name on the ensuing matchup line.
3. From there, repeat the process until you have predicted the entire tournament throughout the first and second rounds, Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four and NCAA championship game.
4. Predict the score of the championship game as a final potential tiebreaker with anyone who may have the same score as you by the end of the tournament.

SN AWARDS: All-America team | Player of the Year | Coach of the Year

How does a March Madness bracket work?

The most common scoring method features one point for every correct prediction in the first round; two points for every prediction in the second round; four points for the Sweet 16; eight points for the Elite Eight; 16 points for the Final Four; and 32 points for picking the NCAA champion.

This scoring method places greater weight on correct predictions further into the tournament. For example, simply predicting the correct NCAA Tournament champion is worth as many points for your bracket (32) as a perfect first round. Keep this in mind as you make your picks.

First Four games are not typically used in scoring, which begins in Round 1. An incorrect prediction in any of the First Four play-in games will not result in penalties or lost points.

HISTORY OF UPSETS BY SEED:
16 vs. 1 | 15 vs. 2 | 14 vs. 3 | 13 vs. 4 | 12 vs. 5

March Madness bracket tips from SN's experts

So you've printed a bracket. Need a hand filling it out? Sporting News' staff of college basketball experts will fill out their own brackets on Selection Sunday, sharing the method to their madness. In the meantime, here's a list of tools you can use to win your office pool.

Best March Madness bracket names: Having trouble coming up with the perfect pun for your bracket pool? SN wants to help: Consult our list of funny, cheesy bracket names guaranteed to earn you compliments.

Average total points in March Madness final: Here's how to score your NCAA Tournament bracket tiebreaker based on history.

Play the odds when picking Final Four, national champs: Don't get too cute. Your Final Four should include a lot of chalk.

March Madness schedule 2026

The 2026 NCAA Tournament begins March 17-18 with the First Four play-in games. The first and second rounds will be held from March 19-22 followed by the Sweet 16 (March 26-27) and Elite Eight (March 28-29) a week later. This year's Final Four will take place April 4-6 from Indianapolis.

More NCAA Tournament news from Sporting News

Sporting News' 2025-26 college basketball All-Americans: SN's Mike DeCourcy names the 15 best players from the 2025-26 college basketball season.

Sporting News Player of the Year: Cameron Boozer stepped out of his dad's shadow at Duke and immediately showed why he's college basketball's best freshman in a season stocked with first-year talent.

Sporting News Coach of the Year: Tommy Lloyd is 5-for-5 making the NCAA Tournament since taking over at Arizona, following a career as Mark Few's right-hand man at Gonzaga. Now he joins Few as one of the great coaches to win The Sporting News Coach of the Year award after winning a Big 12 that's loaded with NCAA title contenders this year.

Best March Madness bracket of all time: What is the longest an NCAA Tournament bracket has stayed perfect?

37 best teams that didn't win the NCAA Tournament: Sporting News picks teams from the past three decades that didn't deliver a title. Which was the best? 

Ranking the top 80 upsets in March Madness history: The NCAA Tournament has given us plenty of bracket-busting games over the years. The best part? They've never gotten old, and never will.