March Madness bracket tiebreaker: Predicting total points in 2026 NCAA Tournament national championship game

The final step in completing your NCAA Tournament bracket is to predict the total final score of the national title game matchup for tiebreaking purposes. Although it may seem like a small detail, it can be the difference in earning bragging rights as the winner of your bracket pool or coming in second place.

If you're in this predicament and confused about what number to put for this year's national title game happening on April 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, we are here to help. Instead of putting 100 or 10,000 as a random final score, we are here to provide you with some past data that will hopefully get you on track to winning your bracket pool. 

The average total score of the national title game since 2010 is 135.2. The highest-scoring title game since that time period happened in 2019, when Virginia defeated Texas Tech 85-77 (162 total) in overtime. The lowest-scoring championship game in the same stretch occurred when UConn outlasted Butler 53-41 (94) in a dismal game to win the national title in 2011. 

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Over the last five years, the average total score of the national title game has been higher at 139.0.

Last year's title game between Florida and Houston came down to the final possession, with the Gators exiting San Antonio with a dramatic 65-63 (128 total) win over the Cougars. Before that, UConn won back-to-back national titles over Purdue and San Diego State, respectively, and the total score of both games landed at 135. 

Below is a complete list of every national title game since 2010, with final scores and total scores included for your convenience.

Every national championship total score 2010