How to run your 2026 March Madness pool: Play for prizes and make 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 19, 2026 at 10:23 am ET • 5 min read

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The NCAA Tournament field for the men and women are set and millions of people are finalizing their 2026 March Madness brackets and agonizing over their picks. The first round of the men's tournament begins on Thursday at 12:15 p.m. ET with Ohio State vs. TCU. The first round of the women's tournament kicks off at 11:30 a.m. ET on Friday with Duke vs. Charleston. Fans hoping to compete in 2026 NCAA Tournament pools have until tipoff of the first game for both the men and women to submit their entries.

The UConn Huskies are the only program to win both tournaments in the same season, having done so in 2004 and 2014. They have a shot at doing so again with the men earning a No. 2 seed and the women earning a No. 1 seed. 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:

Duke Blue Devils: Duke is the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament after winning both the ACC regular season and tournament titles. The Blue Devils are led by star freshman Cameron Boozer, who is widely considered the best player in college basketball. Boozer is averaging 22.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game heading into a first-round matchup against No. 16 seed Siena on Thursday afternoon. Duke made the Final Four last season, and now it will try to win its first national championship since 2015.

Houston Cougars: Kelvin Sampson has turned the Houston men's program into a juggernaut, guiding the Cougars to six consecutive Sweet 16 appearances. That includes a Final Four appearance in 2021 and then a trip to the national championship game last season. Houston earned a No. 2 seed in the 2026 March Madness bracket after finishing as runner-up to Arizona for the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles. The Cougars have a nice balance of experience and youth with seniors Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan joining forces with superstar freshmen Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac. 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:

UConn Huskies: UConn has been the dominant force in women's college basketball in the 21st century, winning 11 national championships since 2000. However, until the school's championship last year, the Huskies went through a drought by their standards, going seven NCAA Tournaments without a title. This year's team looks capable of keeping pace with any of the school's champions this century, though, with UConn entering March Madness at 34-0 and sure to be the No. 1 overall seed. Forward Sarah Strong and guard Azzi Fudd have formed a top duo at 18.5 and 17.7 points per game, respectively, as the Huskies will be a tough team to take out this March.

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.