Brackets

ENTRY FORMS
This year, we will be using a new pool host (poolhost.com)

Link: https://www.poolhost.com/joinpool/1/81029/melee2026

Unlike the previous three years with CBSSports limiting the number of entries to 10 per account, pool host does not limit the number of entries each person can submit. The only limit is on the total number of brackets, which is set to 1000. 

 

2026 Information

Bracket:
Selection Sunday, March 15, 2026. The bracket will be available sometime after the teams have been selected Sunday night.

Bracket Close:
Entries must be received before noon EDT on Thursday, March 19, 2026 (before the start of the first game of Round 2).

NCAA 68 Game Format – IMPORTANT

The NCAA has expanded the tournament field from 65 teams with one Play-in Game to 68 teams with four Play-in Games. In each case, 64 teams compete in the MEANINGFUL Tournament’s bracket.

The NCAA increased the number of Play-in Games from one to four. The region and the bracket of each Play-in Game, now called The First Four Match-ups, will be announced during the March 15th Selection Sunday show.

As in the past, points will not be awarded for picking the winners of First Four Match-up play-in games. Does anyone care about the play-in games anyway?

Brackets will be accepted after the NCAA announces the seeds on Selection Sunday, March 15th. If you are concerned the outcome of the First Four Match-ups may impact your bracket, wait until after the Play-in Games have been completed on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, to submit your brackets.

We will treat the first four match-ups similarly to how the single play-in game was managed in the past few years. When the brackets are posted on Selection Sunday, we will show both play-in teams in the First Four Match-up slots on the bracket (example: XU/PU).

After determining the First Four Matchups winners, the MarchMelee bracket will be updated on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. Tournament participants will not be rewarded or penalized for the outcomes of First Four Match-up games. The winning teams of the First Four Match-ups will be shown in the 64-Team bracket after the First Four Match-up games have been played.

 

SCORING

Round  Points
1 2
2 3
Sweet 16 5
Elite 8 8
Final 4 13
Championship 21

*****

Super Squares

***WE WILL NOT BE HOSTING SUPER SQUARES IN 2026***

Each square will have 127 chances of winning throughout the tournament.

Each and every game will determine a winning square, and each game will payout twice, once at half-time and once for the final score.

Winning squares will be determined by the LAST digit in the score for each team at half-time and final. Once the squares are filled and confirmed, numbers will be randomly assigned and those numbers will not change throughout the tournament. So, as an example, if you have 5 and 8 as your square, you have that for the entire tournament. Every time the score at half-time and the final score for every game in the tournament ends in a 5 and an 8, you win.

Example:

At half-time, the score is 49-40. The winning square would be 9,0
At the end of the game, the score is 95-83. The winning square would be 5,3.

The winning score will the horizontal numbers and the Losing score will be the verticle numbers.

For the first round of the tournament, each half-time winning square wins $4.00, and each final winning square wins $8.00. You can win multiple games, multiple times, as there are 32 games in the first round. (see below for full payout information). Technically, you can win up to 64 times, or $384 during the first round.

It’s easy to play. Just go to http://marchmeleesquares.com/2020/supersquares/ and pick your squares. Each square is $20. After picking your square(s), hit the submit button, enter your name and email address and then send me your payment! Then just follow along.

If you have any questions or are unsure how to play, do not hesitate to send me an email at kstruck@gmail.com

This contest is open to anyone, so feel free to forward on to anyone who may be interested.

Payout Schedule:

Games Total Games Half-Time Final Total Payout
First Four – Play in Games 4 $0 $0 $0
Second Round – Regionals 32 $4 $8 $384
Third Round – Regionals 16 $8 $16 $384
Regional Semifinals – Sweet 16 8 $12 $20 $256
Regional Finals – Elite 8 4 $20 $40 $240
National Semifinals – Final Four 2 $40 $80 $240
National Championship 1 $80 $300 $380
National Championship Reverse*** 1 $0 $80 $80
Total Payouts* $1,964
*$36 Commissioner’s fee

*$36 will be used to pay for software and hosting the website.

**The Championship game will pay out the winning square and also the reverse of the winning square. Ex: If the winning score is 99-85 then the 9,5 square wins $380 and the 5,9 square wins $80.