How does March Madness work?
68 teams enter a fixed bracket. They play single-elimination games, round by round, until one champion is left. Lose once, and your season is over.
One loss, and a team goes home. 63 games in the main bracket pick the champion.
How teams get in
32 teams get in by winning their conference tournament.
That spot is called an automatic bid.
The selection committee picks the other 36 teams.
Those picks are called at-large bids.
The committee also seeds every team, from 1 to 16.
The whole field is named on Selection Sunday.
In 2027, that is Sunday, March 14.
How the bracket runs
The field splits into four regions of 16 teams.
First, the First Four trims 68 teams to 64.
Eight teams play four games for the last spots.
Then each round cuts the field in half.
A high seed meets a low seed first: 1 plays 16, 2 plays 15.
Winners move on. Losers go home.
The last four teams are the Final Four.
Two more games leave one champion.
The 2027 rounds, with dates
| Round | 2027 dates | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| First Four | March 16 and 17 | 8 play, 4 move on |
| First Round | March 18 and 19 | 64 |
| Second Round | March 20 and 21 | 32 |
| Sweet 16 | March 25 and 26 | 16 |
| Elite Eight | March 27 and 28 | 8 |
| Final Four | April 3 | 4 |
| Title game | April 5 | 2 |
How your bracket fits
Before the games start, you pick the winner of each game.
Your bracket covers the 63 games in the main bracket.
You choose your champion, your Final Four, and your upsets.
The counts on this site help you choose. The calls stay yours.
Next step: how to fill out a bracket.
Five questions start your bracket. Your picks finish it.
Our picker opens on Selection Sunday, March 14, 2027. Five answers start your bracket. You name your team and your upsets, and you can flip any pick.
Common questions
How does March Madness work?
68 teams enter a fixed bracket in four regions. Teams play single-elimination games, and each round cuts the field in half: 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, then 2, until one champion is left. A team that loses goes home.
How do teams get into March Madness?
32 teams get in by winning their conference tournament, which earns an automatic bid. The selection committee picks the other 36 teams as at-large bids and seeds every team from 1 to 16 in its region.
How many games does a champion win?
A champion from the main bracket wins six straight games. A team that starts in the First Four wins seven: its First Four game plus six more.
More bracket basics
- What is the First Four?
- When does March Madness start?
- What is an automatic bid?
- What is an at-large bid?
- How to fill out a March Madness bracket
- What is a March Madness bracket?
- How does bracket scoring work?
- When is Selection Sunday 2027?
- How many teams are in March Madness?
- What is March Madness?
- What is a seed in March Madness?
- How many games are in March Madness?
- How many rounds are in March Madness?
- What is the Final Four?
Make your calls on the eight matchups waiting on the home page.