Nicknames-only March Madness printable bracket PDF for free: Make your picks based on mascots

The 2026 NCAA Tournament is finally here which means its time for everyone's favorite March tradition: filling out a bracket.

One of the many wonderful things about March Madness is that you don't have to be an expert to participate. In fact, the NCAA tournament often features so many shocking upsets and Cinderella stories that many professionals who analyze college basketball for a living end up with busted brackets by end of the first day.

Sometimes, the tournament is so unpredictable that bracket picks based on mascots, team colors or flipping a coin could result in a better bracket than an "expert" who spent hours memorizing rosters, listening to podcasts and analyzing matchups from every possible angle. Case in point? When my now eight-year-old daughter was a baby, she filled out her first bracket my choosing one of two cheese puffs dangled in front of her for every matchup. Naturally, she beat me.

If you're looking to make your March Madness picks this year solely based on school nicknames (as my daughter did), you came to the right place. We did the work for you: replacing every university name on the bracket with their nickname so you can spend less time Googling and more time filling in your picks.

This year's tournament features a three-way tie between Wildcats, Tigers and Panthers for most common nickname. There are 13 big cats, nine types of birds, eight types of dogs and four school nicknames based on weather.  If you're wondering, "Wildcats" have won the most national championships with 12 thanks to Kentucky, Villanova and Arizona.

The tournament 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 with nicknames, you'll also find some basic tips and tools to help you fill it out.

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

March Madness printable bracket PDF with nicknames and mascots

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

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MORE BRACKETS: Funny bracket names and puns | Printable bracket (traditional)

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.

REGION PREVIEWS: East | West | Midwest | South

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.