Filling out a March Madness bracket can be a stressful experience. So we put it off or we start it and don't finish or we get stuck on one particular matchup and can't make a decision. It happens to the best of us. The important thing isn't when you fill out your bracket. It's whether you got it in on time.
March Madness brackets are due before the first game is played on Thursday for the men and Friday for the women.
March Madness bracket due dates
Men's brackets are due Thursday, March 19 at...
- 12:15 p.m. ET
- 11:15 a.m. CT
- 9:15 a.m. PT
The first men's matchup is between 9-seed TCU and 8-seed Ohio State in Greenville, SC.
Women's brackets are due on Friday, March 20 at...
- 11:30 a.m. ET
- 10:30 a.m. CT
- 8:30 a.m. PT
The first women's matchup is between 14-seed Charleston and 3-seed Duke.
Can you edit your bracket after games start?
No, your bracket is locked as soon as the first tipoff in the first round. You cannot edit it after that point.
Why? Well, it's simple. Your bracket reflects your predictions before games begin. If you could go in and edit your bracket, you could change your picks based on outcomes that have already happened or are clearly going to happen. It would allow you to change your picks for games that haven't been played yet based on injuries or other indicators. Locking in brackets puts everyone on a level playing field, whether they finished their bracket on the night of Selection Sunday or left it to the last minute.
However, if you filled out your bracket online and submitted it early, you can still go back in and change things right up until the first game begins.
What if I missed the deadline?
Unfortunately, missing the deadline means your bracket won't count for most bracket challenges. However, you can still get in on the bracket action.
ESPN offers a Second Chance challenge. You can sign up after the second round ends and build your new bracket from the Sweet 16 onward.
That opportunity counts if you got your bracket in and it was ruined on the first weekend. We don't have to talk about it.
Why aren't brackets due before the First Four games?
While they're not officially called play-in games, the First Four games are effectively play-in games. The bracket is a field of 64. The First Four games help set that complete field.
So brackets aren't locked at the start of the First Four because those games aren't part of the main bracket.
There's an argument not to look at your bracket as complete until the results from those First Four games are in though. The outcomes of the games, especially the No. 11 seed matchups, can actually have a big impact on a region.
2026 First Four matchups
- Midwest 16-seed: Howard beat UMBC, 86-83
- West 11-seed: Texas beat NC State, 68-66
- South 16-seed Prairie View A&M vs. Lehigh — Wed. March 18 at 6:40 p.m. ET
- Midwest 11-seed: Miami (OH) vs. SMU — March 18 at 9:15 p.m. ET