The first round of the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament concluded on Friday, March 20, 2026. The event features 68 teams in a single-elimination format across multiple venues in the United States.[2]
According to the NCAA Bracket Challenge, only 224 perfect brackets remained out of more than 36 million entries submitted across major platforms entering Saturday's second round.[1]
Roughly 14,000 perfect brackets survived after three upsets on Thursday, March 19. The number fell further on Friday despite no major upsets.[1]
No. 1 seed Michigan State's win over its first-round opponent on Saturday afternoon reduced the count to 207 perfect brackets.[1]
The largest reduction occurred from No. 7 seed Kentucky's overtime victory over No. 10 seed Santa Clara at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Otega Oweh hit a 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds left in regulation, allowing Kentucky to score the final eight points in overtime. About 6,000 brackets were eliminated.[1]
Utah State's 86-76 win over Villanova eliminated roughly 3,200 more brackets.[1]
Saturday's second-round schedule included potential bracket challenges: No. 11 Texas vs. No. 3 Gonzaga at 7:10 p.m. ET, No. 11 VCU vs. No. 3 Illinois at 7:50 p.m. ET, and No. 12 High Point vs. No. 4 Arkansas at 9:45 p.m. ET.[1]
The NCAA identified Michigan State vs. Louisville as a key matchup, noting a Louisville win would leave just 74 perfect brackets.[1]
A perfect bracket covering all 63 games offers significant bragging rights.[2]
Sources
- NCAA, "Bracket Challenge - Men's Basketball", accessed March 21, 2026, https://www.ncaa.com/bracket-challenge/mens-basketball
- NCAA/Wikipedia, "NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament", accessed March 21, 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Division_I_men%27s_basketball_tournament
