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NCAA MEN'S DIVISION I BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
TOURNAMENT POOLS |
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BRACKET POOL |
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officepoolstop.com/MyPool/49375
Password: 2023 |
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2026 BRACKET POOL BANTER |
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NOTEWORTHY BRACKETS (out of 164 total) |
MOVERS/LOSERS |
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Number of UPSETS by
seed in the 2026 Tournament: Updated 03/20/26, 10:30pm Day
2, evening session: 1 of 4 Day
2, afternoon session: 1 of 8 Day
1, evening session: 4 of 8 Day
1, afternoon session: 2 of 8 TOTAL NUMBER OF UPSETS: 8 of 28 (29%) [last
year only 17%
overall] TOTAL NUMBER OF OVERTIME GAMES: 2 That's interesting. Or not Updated 03/20/26,
8:40pm The #9 seeds swept the #8 seeds this year, the first time that has happened since 2016. 13 brackets correctly predicted that. Updated 03/20/26,
7:00pm The afternoon session of Day 2 was fairly lackluster, except for the first game where #7 Kentucky banked in a buzzer-beater against #10 Santa Clara to send it to overtime and eventually pulled away for the victory. The only seed upset was an 8v9 game. Only 2 brackets went perfect in the first half of Day 2: Updated 03/20/26,
12:40am After Day 1, 10 brackets have only 2 losses the fewest losses thus far. And even last place to this point is batting .500. Updated 03/19/26,
10:00pm Boy, things change quickly. The Day 1 evening session began with an overtime game, saw one play-in team winner #16 Howard challenge a 1-seed Michigan, another play-in team #11 Texas BEAT #6 BYU, and #10 Texas A&M easily handle #7 St. Mary's. The last
perfect bracket of our pool remained perfect through Game 10, but then both Texas and Texas
A&M had upsets and gave 2 losses to Smokey
Bourbon 3. Don t mess with Texas. All brackets now have a loss,
but only one bracket has only one loss: Her only loss was the 12v5 upset of High Point over Wisconsin. Updated 03/19/26,
9:30pm After the first game of the Evening Session of Day 1 (ninth game) of the Tournament, ONLY ONE PERFECT remains: That was thanks to the #11 VCU upset of #6 UNC in OT. Although it was an upset by seed and by spread, 45% of our brackets predicted it. Updated 03/19/26,
7:00pm After the Afternoon Session of Day 1 of the Tournament, there are only 3 perfect brackets: But everybody has at least 3 wins. Of the First Round games, the only unanimous picks are: #1 Florida over #16 Prairie View #1 Arizona over #16 Long Island (fins down) Updated 03/19/26,
6:00pm The 5v12 upset happened again in our first 5v12 matchup of the tourney: #12 High Point upset #5 Wisconsin 40 brackets (24%) predicted this. After Game 6 of the Tournament, there are only 3 perfect brackets: But everybody has at least 2 wins. |
Below are some snapshots of our Bracket Pool Standings Most Bracket points earned in
each category After First Round Updated 03/19/26,
5:30pm
Most popular Champions Updated 03/19/26, 9:30pm
Brackets with Champion alive: 164 (100%) |
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2026 ENTRY INFORMATION |
Updated 03/15/26 |
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***** IF YOU PREDICT A
PERFECT BRACKET, ALL PLACE WINNINGS ARE CANCELED & PERFECT BRACKET TAKES
ALL ***** |
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*** SAME POOL SETUP AS LAST YEAR *** |
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Entry Form: |
We are using the same third-party vendor as we did
last year. You will need to create a free log-in account if you do not have
one from last year. You will be able to create several brackets within the
same account, but you will need to pay for each bracket you submit. |
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WEBSITE FOR SUBMITTING
BRACKETS AND FOLLOWING STANDINGS League URL: officepoolstop.com/MyPool/49375
You can create multiple brackets by
clicking "Create Clone" on your "Settings" page. |
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Entry Fee: |
$5
per Bracket DO NOT PAY THROUGH
officepoolstop.com they
will add services fees. Please
pay in the following ways (in order of preference): 1.
PayPal:
https://www.paypal.me/brianbaldwin 2.
Venmo:
https://venmo.com/BrianBaldwin570 3.
Cash
(in person or mail address at bottom of page) 4.
Check
(via in-person or mail address at bottom of page) |
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Deadline: |
THURSDAY, March 19, 2026, 12:15pm ET |
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Winnings: |
ALL ENTRY FEES ARE
PAID OUT IN WINNINGS 1st Place ~60%
of total received, minus smaller prize amounts 2nd Place ~30%... 3rd Place ~10%... Best Pick Percentage* $10 Strength of Victory $5 Average Place* $10 Extreme Average Place* $10 Middle Place* $10 Last Place* $5 * Best Pick
Percentage is the
entry with the best overall win percentage for the entire bracket. Due to the
nature of the scoring system, Best Pick Percentage may or may not be one of
the top three finishers. There have also been in the past multiple entries
tied for the best overall win percentage. In that case, the Best Pick prize
is split evenly. * Average
Place is the bracket
which is closest to the average value (the arithmetic mean) of all of the
brackets' total points. It is calculated by summing the total points of all
the brackets and then dividing by the number of brackets. This place should
land somewhere in the middle of the pack. * Extreme
Average Place is the
position closest to the average of the sum of the total points of the 1st
Place position and the total points of the Last Place position ({high points
+ low points}/2}. It is the average of the two extreme values of points.
Another way of looking at it is that you are extremely average. [I know, I
know. The mathematicians amongst us probably have issues with this
explanation]. * Middle Place is the median of the brackets' rank
this place should land squarely in the middle. * Last Place. You're pathetic. Here's your money back. ** BRACKET POOL SCORING RULES &
TIE-BREAKERS ** FINE PRINT: Although very unlikely, if the number of
entries increase dramatically, I might add more prize positions
Commissioner's discretion. I will decide shortly after entry deadline. Also,
I have no idea how the new software will track the winnings. If I can add the
3 average places back (at $10 each), I will adjust the other winnings to make
that happen. |
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2025 PRIZES |
Updated 04/08/25 |
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BRACKET
POOL ADVICE (DON'T TAKE IT) UPDATED for 2026 |
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Here are some
specific facts about past NCAA tournaments and the current teams. Perhaps
this will help you fill out your brackets, perhaps it will not. And, just
like stocks, past performance does not guarantee future returns. [notes
based on 2026 Tournament results] |
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Updated 03/20/26,
7:00pm First
Round (Round of 64) Big South: 1-29 all time in Round of 64. High Point is their rep again this year. [Big South is now
2-29 all time with #12 High Point's upset of #5 Wisconsin. That was also High
Point's first Tournament win] Since inception in 2011, a First Four team has won a Round of
64 in every tourney except 2019 and last year (2025). [this year #11 Texas was able to do it] 5 teams made Sweet 16. 2 teams made Final 4 (VCU 2011, UCLA 2021). Last year (2025), all 1s, 2s, 3s and 4s won their First Round
game. Prior to that, the last time that happened was 2017. It's happened just
7 times since 1985. [so far no losses among top 4 seeds] Since 2000, only once have the No. 6 seeds won all four
meetings with No. 11 seeds in a single tournament (2004). [#11 VCU beat #6 UNC and #11 Texas beat #6 BYU in this year's
tourney] The last time all No. 8 seeds swept all four meetings vs. No.
9 seeds was in 2016, and then 14 years before that. The 9 seeds swept the
2019 tourney. [so far, 8 seeds are 0-3 vs 9 seeds] There has only been one tournament where 7 seeds were swept by
10 seeds (1999). Multiple No. 11 seeds have advanced to the Second Round (Round
of 32) in 8 of last 11 tournaments. Last year, only 1 advanced. [now in 9 of last 12 tourneys; both #11 VCU and #11 Texas
advanced] Since 2015, the 6v11 has been 24-24. [now
currently 25-26] Since 2000, only once have the No. 6 seeds won all four
meetings with No. 11 seeds (2004). [cannot happen this year] No. 12 seeds have won 52 first-round games since the field
expanded in 1985. [now currently 53 with three more games to go] There were only 6 years (1988, 2000, 2007, 2015, 2018 and
2023) to NOT have a 12 seed win. No. 12 seeds went 2-2 last year. [No. 12 seeds are currently 1-0] No. 13 seeds have beaten a No. 4 in 11 of past 16 NCAA
Tournaments. No. 14 seeds have won at least 1 game in 6 of the last 12
years, but two No. 14 seeds winning in the same tourney has only happened
three times (2015, 1995, 1986). First
Round all-time record [2026
results]
Teams entering the Tournament with losing records have only
won 1 game ever. Nobody had a losing record entering this year's tourney. Maryland is 16-1 in First Round since 1998. They should have put us in as an at-large even with the most
loses in a season in Maryland's history. Gonzaga has won their first NCAA tournament game in each of
the last 16 seasons. Second
Round (Round of 32) At least one double-digit seed has reached the Sweet 16 every
year but two since 1985 (1995, 2007). And 18 times there have been at least three double-digit seeds
to make the Sweet 16. Duke is the No. 1 overall seed in this year's NCAA Tournament.
The No. 1 overall seed has also lost in the Second Round only three times. A #14 seed has never beaten a #11 seed (7-0). Gonzaga lost in the Second Round last year. Prior to that,
they had gone to 9 straight Sweet 16s. |
Sweet
16 It is NOT common for the top four seeds in a region to reach
the Sweet 16. Since 1985, it's happened in only 21 of 160 regions (13%). Only three times in the past 26 years
have we had a Sweet 16 in which all the 2 seeds were still alive (2009, 2019,
2024). # of times Lower Seeds reached Sweet 16 since 1985: 16: 0 15: 4 Florida Gulf Coast
(2013), Oral Roberts (2021), Saint Peter's (2022), Princeton (2023) 14: 2 Cleveland State (1986),
Chattanooga (1997) 13: 6 12: 22 11: 27 10: 24 9: Only 6 times UTEP (1992),
UAB (2004), Northern Iowa (2010), Kansas St (2018), Florida St (2018), FAU
(2023). #9 Seeds often face the #1
seed in the Second Round. In 11 of last 15 tourneys, an 11 seed has reached the Sweet
16. Elite
8 Last year, all four No. 1 seeds reached the Elite Eight. But that
was the first time that happened since 2016. Before that, it was 2009. Only 4 times have all Elite Eight participants been seeded
fourth or better (1995, 2007, 2009, 2025). 12 out of the last 14 years, a No. 7 seed or lower has cracked
the Elite Eight (but not last year). Since 1985, the only low seeds (#9-#16) to reach Elite 8: 15: 1 (Saint Peter's 2022) 14: 0 13: 0 12: 2 (Missouri 2002, Oregon
St 2021) 11: 8 10: 9 9: 4 (Boston College 1994,
Florida St & Kansas St 2018, FAU 2023) |
Final
4 Number of No. 1 Seeds at Final Four since 1985: 0: 3 times (2006, 2011, 2023) 1: 16 times 2: 14 times 3: 4 times 4: 2 times (2008, 2025) Since 2010, only 22 of the 60 (37%) Final Four appearances
have come from No. 1 seeds. Last year, all Final Four teams were No. 1 seeds. Teams seeded 5 or lower have made the Final Four in 13 of the
last 15 tournaments. Every seed from 1-11 has made a Final Four. Since 1985, the only low seeds (9-16) to reach Final 4: 11: 5
(LSU 1986, Geo Mason 2006, VCU 2011, Loyola-Chi 2018, NC State 2024) 10: 1
(Syracuse 2016) 9: 2
(Wichita St 2013, FAU 2023) It has been 30 years since a No. 6 seed made
the Final Four; Juwan Howard and the Fab Five at Michigan. No. 7 seeds have reached the Final Four only 4 times: 1984 Virginia (lost in semis) 2014 UConn (won title) 2015 Michigan State (lost in
semis) 2017 South Carolina (lost in
semis) In 10 of the last 12 years, a team
seeded 7th or worse has reached the Final Four (did not happen in 2019 and
2025). Four No. 5 seeds have made the final game, but No. 5 seeds
have never won the national championship. 2023 was the first time there was a 4v5 Championship Game. TRUE
BLUE BLOODS: Only four times since 2008 has a Final Four not involved
Kentucky, Duke, Kansas or UNC (2013, which now has a
vacated championship by Louisville; 2021, 2023, and 2024). Championship No. 1s have won 14 of the past 18 titles and 26
of 40 overall (65%) since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985. In that
same span, No. 2 and No. 3 seeds have each won 4 championships. Since 1998, only twice has a team seeded worse than 3rd won
the national title, and both were UConn (No. 4 seed in 2023 and No. 7 seed in
2014). During that time span, No. 1 seeds have won 19 of 27 titles. Low seeds (9-16) have never made the Championship Game. 7 of the last 11 National Champs have NOT won their Conference
Tourney. No team has lost their Conference Quarterfinal game and won
the National Championship. Only 4 times has the No. 1 overall seed won the NCAA
Tournament since the selection committee began ranking the No. 1s in 2004: 2007 Florida 2012 Kentucky 2013 Louisville (later
vacated) 2023 UConn Duke is this year's overall No. 1 seed. Only once has a conference with fewer than 4 teams in Tourney
produced the National Champion since 1990: Big East in 2024 with UConn as
Champ (Big East only had 3 teams in Tourney). Since Michigan State won the National Championship in 2000, no
Big Ten school has won the title. In those 24 seasons, seven different Big
Ten schools have played in the championship game (Michigan State, Illinois,
Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan, and Purdue). In eight chances, the
conference is 0-8 in the final game. A top-three seed has won the National title 24 of the past 26
seasons. Only
11 times since they started seeding has there been a 1v1 in
National Championship game, but it has now happened two years in a row. Fewest point total in title game: #3 UConn beat #8 Butler
53-41 (94pts) in 2011. UConn is 6-0 in championship games. |
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BRACKET POOL HISTORY |
Updated 03/30/24 |
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Previous
Pool Champions |
Most
Correct Picks Per Round |
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Any and all rules for any Madness of March pool may change at any time
up to the tip-off of the first game of that pool. Any changes will be posted on this and/or its respective website. |
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