March Madness

What Is a March Madness Bracket Pool?

A March Madness bracket pool is the classic NCAA Tournament game. Participants pick the winner of all 63 games—from the First Four through the national championship—before the tournament starts. As games are played, a leaderboard updates based on correct picks. Organizers can set custom round scoring (e.g., more points for later rounds) and tiebreakers (like the total score of the championship game). Bracket pools are ideal for office competitions, friend groups, and anyone who wants to test their college basketball knowledge over the three weeks of March Madness.

How Scoring Works

Most bracket pools use by-round scoring: you earn points for each correct pick, with more points for later rounds. For example, 1 point for the First Round, 2 for the Second Round, 4 for the Sweet 16, 8 for the Elite Eight, 16 for the Final Four, and 32 for the championship game. When two or more players are tied, a tiebreaker decides the winner—commonly the predicted total combined score of the championship game. Pick My Square lets you customize round weights and set your own tiebreaker.

How to Run One

Office or large group: Create your pool, name it (e.g., “Office Bracket 2026”), then share the link by email or chat. Everyone fills out their bracket before the first game. You can remind people to submit by Selection Sunday or the day before the First Four.

Friends and family: Same steps—create the pool, share the link. Everyone picks from their phone or computer. The live leaderboard and “Results vs My Picks” view keep the tournament fun for the whole group.

Features

  • Full 63-game bracket
  • Custom round scoring
  • Live leaderboard
  • Results vs My Picks
  • Tiebreakers (e.g., championship total score)
  • Real-time updates as games finish

Create Your Bracket Pool

Free. Share a link; players join from any device.

Create Bracket Pool

Compare: Bracket Pool vs March Madness Squares

Want a simpler, game-by-game option? March Madness squares uses a 10×10 grid where one square wins per tournament game. Great for watch parties or when you’re starting mid-tournament. Learn about March Madness squares.

FAQ

A March Madness bracket pool is where participants pick the winner of all 63 NCAA Tournament games before the tournament starts. As games are played, a leaderboard updates based on correct picks. Custom scoring (e.g., more points for later rounds) and tiebreakers are supported.

Common scoring gives points per correct pick, often more points for later rounds (e.g., 1 for First Round up to 32 for the championship). The organizer sets round weights. Ties are broken by a tiebreaker, such as total score of the championship game.

Picks must be in before the first tournament game. Many groups set a deadline on Selection Sunday evening or the day before the First Four.

Yes. Create the pool and share the link. Everyone fills out their bracket; the live leaderboard updates as games finish. No app required—players use any browser.

The total combined score of the championship game is a common tiebreaker. The player whose predicted total is closest to the actual total wins. Pick My Square supports custom tiebreakers.

Yes. Share the pool link; players can open it on their phone, tablet, or computer. No app to download.

No. Create a free account on Pick My Square, create your bracket pool, and share the link. Players join from their browser. You can run everything from a phone or laptop.

A bracket pool has everyone pick the winner of all 63 games before the tournament; a leaderboard updates as games complete. March Madness squares uses a 10×10 grid where one square wins per game based on score digits. Bracket pools are best for full-tournament competition; squares are great for watch parties and game-by-game excitement.
Learn How Football Squares Works
Link copied