It's officially March Madness, which means it's time to fill out a bracket and let the cards fall where they may. Maybe you, the reader, can fill out the first perfect bracket in recorded history. Never say never. It's a beautiful time of year, full of hope and optimism as 68 teams duke it out for the national championship.
Let's dive in, with updates throughout the night as the bracket is announced.
Printable March Madness bracket for 2026 NCAA Tournament
In order to print out the bracket, simply click on the image above. That should open a .PNG file in another tab. Right click, select 'PRINT' in the drop-down menu, and you're golden. Get an extra sheet of paper to do the math (joking... unless), let your gut lead the way, and may the odds be ever in your favor.
Where to get other printable March Madness brackets
You can't do better than the FanSided bracket (we're biased), but if you'd rather search elsewhere — perhaps to compete in a nationwide pool or just for a different look — you can find quality printable options at NCAA.com, CBS Sports and ESPN.
As someone who has filled out a bracket for ESPN's tournament challenge since the beginning of time (and has competed in several ESPN pools among friends and cohorts), it's hard to go wrong with the Worldwide Leader in Sports.
Full 2025 March Madness schedule and key dates
March Madness Round | Dates | Location |
|---|---|---|
First Four | March 17-18 | Dayton, OH (UD Arena) |
First Round | March 19-20 | Various (Listed Below) |
Second Round | March 21-22 | Various (Listed Below) |
Sweet Sixteen | March 26-27 | Various (Listed Below) |
Elite Eight | March 28-29 | Various (Listed Below) |
Final Four | April 4 | Indianapolis, IN (Lucas Oil Stadium) |
National Championship | April 6 | Indianapolis, IN (Lucas Oil Stadium) |
First and Second Round Locations: Buffalo, NY (KeyBank Center - March 19 & 21), Greenville, SC (Bon Secours Wellness Arena - March 19 & 21), Oklahoma City, OK (PayCom Center - March 19 & 21), Portland, OR (Moda Center - March 19 & 21), Tampa, FL (Benchmark International Arena - March 20 & 22), Philadelphia, PA (Xfinity Mobile Arena - March 20 & 22), San Diego, CA (Viejas Arena - March 20 & 22), St. Louis, MO (Enterprise Center - March 20 & 22)
Sweet 16 and Elite Eight Locations: Houston, TX (Toyota Center - March 26 & 28), San Jose, CA (SAP Center - March 26 & 28), Chicago, IL (United Center - March 27 & 29), Washington D.C. (March 27 & 29 - Capital One Arena)
The First Four will be held at Dayton University, an annual tradition, before the winners advance to the full first round field — 64 teams playing 32 games, spread across the country in various locations listed above. Those same locations will host the second round, before the next weekend's Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight (also referred to as the Regional Finals) move to new locations.
The Final Four and the National Championship Game will both be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana — home to the NFL's Indianapolis Colts.
Best strategies to fill out your March Madness bracket
Let's be honest: there is zero proven strategy, at least not one that is publicly available. It is statistically improbable, damn near impossible, to predict every single game correctly. So much luck and variance factors into a single elimination tournament of this scale. Even the experts have never come close to going 63-for-63 on predictions, and that's without even accounting for the evenly matched First Four games.
History does provide us with some statistical guardrails, however. Since KenPom's inception in 1997, every national champion has met the following criteria: top 40 in offensive efficiency and top 25 in defensive efficiency. That whittles the pool of potential champs down to 11. Not exactly a small number, but it's helpful and historically accurate guidance: with popular teams like Arkansas, North Carolina and Kansas failing to meet the criteria.
Team | Offensive Efficiency Rank | Defensive Efficiency Rank |
|---|---|---|
Duke | 4 | 2 |
Michigan | 8 | 1 |
Arizona | 7 | 3 |
Florida | 9 | 6 |
Houston | 16 | 4 |
Iowa State | 22 | 5 |
UConn | 26 | 11 |
Michigan State | 24 | 12 |
Gonzaga | 30 | 9 |
Virginia | 28 | 16 |
Tennessee | 35 | 14 |
It's better safe than sorry, so picking one of those 11 teams to win it all is the best bet. That's not to say the trend won't be broken eventually — it's bound to happen one of these days, and there are plenty of explosive offensive teams who feel particularly adept this year. But all top eight seeds are on this list for a reason, and it's hard for Cinderellas to sustain a run all the way through the finish line.
Follow your gut. So your research, listen to (some) of the experts. But at the end of the day, there's simply no way to predict every game with confidence. Teams who shouldn't win will invariably win — and vice versa. So buckle in and enjoy the ride. Who knows, maybe you'll be the one to break through and become the first verified perfect bracket of all time.