How to run your 2026 March Madness pool: Play for prizes, create an NCAA Tournament game

The CBS Sports 2026 NCAA Men's and Women's Games have returned for March Madness 2026 office pools.

By Ryan Wooden

Mar 10, 2026 at 9:31 am ET • 4 min read

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We're less than one week away from Selection Sunday. For those who will be filling out their 2026 March Madness bracket, now is the time to do your research before the 2026 NCAA Tournament gets underway. Although last year failed to provide much drama in the form of big-time upsets, this year could be different. Parity seems to have gripped the sport, as only one school will enter the tournament with fewer than two losses.

Looking at the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket, a number of big-name programs are again in the mix. Duke, Arizona, Michigan and UConn will be taking aim at the No. 1 seeds, but UConn and Florida are not far behind. On the women's side, familiar programs are again at the top. Among them are UConn, UCLA, South Carolina, Texas and Vanderbilt, with LSU, Oklahoma, Michigan and Iowa right behind. With the action so close, now is the time to set up your 2026 Men's March Madness pools and 2026 Women's March Madness pools.

If you're looking for a NCAA Tournament bracket game home, CBS Sports is the perfect place. You can play Bracket Games free on the CBS Sports App in pools with your friends and join free Men's and Women's Bracket Challenges to potentially win big prizes.* Get started right here.

How to create a 2026 NCAA Tournament pool with friends and family

Run your own free 2026 March Madness pool on CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports app and invite all of your friends, family, and co-workers to play against you during this year's tournament.

To start a bracket pool for Men's March Madness, go to the Create Men's Bracket Pool page, name your group and choose if you want a locked pool where you control the invites or an open pool that everybody can share. After that, just confirm your rules and then you can copy and share your personal pool link with friends or have CBS Sports send them emails.

For a Women's March Madness pool, you can follow the exact same process but start at the Create Women's Bracket Pool page in order to start your pool for the Women's NCAA Tournament.

How to play 2026 March Madness Brackets for prizes

There are CBS Sports NCAA Bracket Challenges for the men's and women's tournaments and a trip to each 2027 Final Four on the line in both challenges. It's easy to compete for those epic trips.

For the Men's Challenge, simply click this link, click the "Join Now" button and enter.* Fill out your men's bracket after it is revealed on Sunday, March 15, and the winner of the trip to the 2027 Final Four will be chosen from among the entrants. If you've already created brackets in pools with friends, you can quickly enter the Challenge by importing an already-created bracket.

You can also enter the Women's CBS Sports Bracket Challenge later that night after the Selection Show at 8 p.m. ET. Importing your brackets from your women's pools is a convenient option for filling your Women's Challenge brackets as well.

The men's bracket deadline is March 19 when first round action tips off, while the women's bracket deadline is March 20. To be eligible, follow the steps above to join the Men's Challenge and then join the Women's Challenge here before each tournament begins.

2026 NCAA Tournament Men's teams to watch

Now that you know where to play 2026 NCAA Men's Bracket Games, here are some teams to watch as the Tournament approaches:

Florida Gators: The defending national champions continue to creep up in the rankings. After starting last week at No. 7, they have reached No. 5. For the third consecutive season, the Gators have registered at least 20 wins. Last year en route to winning the championship, they notched 36. It was just the fourth time they had won 30 or more games in program history. Of the 30-win seasons, they won the national title three times.

Arizona Wildcats: Arizona won the Big 12 regular-season title this season, securing four wins over ranked teams in February. The Wildcats also won non-conference games against Florida, UCLA, UConn, Auburn and Alabama, establishing themselves as national championship contenders. They have won three conference titles under head coach Tommy Lloyd, who surpassed former Butler coach Brad Stevens for the most wins by any men's coach in his first five seasons with a school. Seven players are scoring at least nine points per game for Arizona, headlined by freshman guard Brayden Burries. Join the CBS Sports 2026 NCAA Men's Bracket Game here.

2026 NCAA Tournament Women's teams to watch

Now that you know where to play 2026 NCAA Women's Bracket Games, here are some teams to watch as the 2026 NCAA Tournament approaches:

UCLA Bruins: Cori Chase's squad made the Final Four for the first time in program history last season and are cementing their status as a contender in 2026. The Bruins are off to a 26-1 start with a perfect 16-0 mark in the Big Ten and Lauren Betts continues to dominate after an All-American season in 2024-25. The center is averaging 16.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.3 blocks per game and leads an experienced UCLA roster whose top six scorers are all seniors.

Vanderbilt Commodores: Vanderbilt has used NIL to reshape its athletic department as has found success in football and men's basketball. However, the women's squad might be the university's best shot at a national championship this season, as the Commodores are 24-3 overall and 10-3 in the SEC. Sophomore guard Mikayla Blakes is averaging 25.9 points per game this season and Vanderbilt checks in at No. 5 in the latest AP poll. Join the 2026 Women's Bracket Game here.