# 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
The 2026 [NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament](https://www.edgepedia.org/ncaa-division-i-mens-basketball-tournament) was a single-elimination championship of 68 college teams in the United States, decided by Michigan's 69-63 win over UConn in the national championship game on April 6, 2026, at [Lucas Oil Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/lucas-oil-stadium) in [Indianapolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/indianapolis), Indiana.[1](https://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-men/d1) • [2](https://apnews.com/article/6bcf0716a22296d27aa9c253cb07fd21) It was the final men's tournament in the 68-team format; beginning in 2027 the field expands to 76 teams.[3](https://www.ncaa.org/championships/march-madness/expansion-what-to-know/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Champion | Michigan (37-3), coached by Dusty May, beat UConn 69-63 in the final at Indianapolis[1](https://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-men/d1) |
| Field and format | 68 teams, the last men's field of that size before expansion to 76 teams in 2027[3](https://www.ncaa.org/championships/march-madness/expansion-what-to-know/) |
| Key dates | Selection Sunday March 15; First Four March 17-18 in Dayton; Final Four April 4 and championship April 6[4](https://apnews.com/article/83a97346c5d05058d5a10cf62bff93a8) • [2](https://apnews.com/article/6bcf0716a22296d27aa9c253cb07fd21) |
| No. 1 seeds | Duke (overall top seed, 32-2), Arizona (32-2), Michigan (31-3), and defending champion Florida (26-7)[4](https://apnews.com/article/83a97346c5d05058d5a10cf62bff93a8) |
| Viewership | Final averaged 18.3 million viewers, the most-watched men's final since 2019; the tournament averaged 10.9 million, up 7% from 2025[5](https://apnews.com/article/8a5d88c243bddb09215e3979ed9824ce) |
| Notable trend | First-round average margin of 17.4 points, the highest since the field expanded to 64 and then 68 teams; all Sweet 16 teams came from power conferences[6](https://apnews.com/article/7e233ecc41e57b32869d73ad1d847d05) • [7](https://apnews.com/article/ff2f65e021742bab56793df8b6ad9a45) |
## Schedule and format
The Division I Men's Basketball Committee selected and seeded the 68 teams on Selection Sunday, March 15, 2026, and chose eight teams to play in the First Four.[4](https://apnews.com/article/83a97346c5d05058d5a10cf62bff93a8) • [8](https://utsports.com/documents/download/2026/3/21/G35_3-22-26_Virginia_NCAATr32.pdf) The First Four opened the tournament on Tuesday, March 17, and Wednesday, March 18, in Dayton, followed by the first and second rounds, regionals, and the Final Four.[9](https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2025-03-20/2025-march-madness-mens-ncaa-tournament-schedule-dates) • [10](https://www.ncaa.com/_flysystem/public-s3/images/2026/01/28/2026%20MBB%20Bracket.pdf)
**A shared championship week.** For the first time in college basketball history, the Division II and III men's national championship games, the [National Invitation Tournament](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-invitation-tournament) semifinals and final, and the Division I Men's Final Four all took place in the same city, Indianapolis, in the same week, from Thursday through Monday.[11](https://www.ncaa.org/news/media-center-ncaa-mens-final-four-weekend-in-indianapolis-also-features-dii-diii-nit-titles/)
## Selection and seeding
Duke took the overall top seed on Selection Sunday, with Arizona, Michigan, and defending champion Florida also on the top line.[4](https://apnews.com/article/83a97346c5d05058d5a10cf62bff93a8) The Big Ten received nine bids, with the ACC and Big 12 eight apiece.[4](https://apnews.com/article/83a97346c5d05058d5a10cf62bff93a8)
The most discussed selection was Miami (Ohio), which entered the tournament 31-1 after an undefeated regular season but, following its single loss the week before, was seeded 11th and assigned a First Four game against SMU.[4](https://apnews.com/article/83a97346c5d05058d5a10cf62bff93a8) In the East Regional, the top seed Duke met 16-seed Siena, with 2-seed UConn, 4-seed Kansas, and 5-seed St. John's also placed there.[2](https://apnews.com/article/6bcf0716a22296d27aa9c253cb07fd21)
## Tournament play
**A chalk-heavy opening.** The top four seeds in each region went 16-0 across the first two days, as the top four seeds had the year before, and the first-round average margin of victory was 17.4 points, the highest since the tournament expanded to 64 and then 68 teams.[6](https://apnews.com/article/7e233ecc41e57b32869d73ad1d847d05) The last perfect bracket in ESPN's men's competition fell in the 44th game of the tournament, when 6-seed Tennessee beat 3-seed Virginia 79-72.[13](https://apnews.com/article/f45ee69a8213108c5876987400949cfe)
**A high-major Sweet 16.** The second weekend contained no mid-major programs for the second straight season. The Big Ten pushed a league-record six teams into the Sweet 16, with the SEC sending four, the Big 12 three, the Big East two, and the ACC one.[7](https://apnews.com/article/ff2f65e021742bab56793df8b6ad9a45) The closest thing the round had to an underdog was 4-seed Nebraska (28-6), which had never won an NCAA tournament game before this season.[7](https://apnews.com/article/ff2f65e021742bab56793df8b6ad9a45) In the East, 5-seed St. John's blew a 12-point lead against Kansas before Dylan Darling, who had not made a shot all day, scored at the buzzer for a 67-65 win that sent the Red Storm to the second weekend for the first time since 1999.[7](https://apnews.com/article/ff2f65e021742bab56793df8b6ad9a45) • [14](https://apnews.com/article/582c32938cdf14d2bf0454059f9e10a6)
## Championship game
Michigan survived a physical contest with UConn, winning 69-63 for the program's first national title since 1989.[1](https://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-men/d1) • [15](https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2026/04/07/michigan-wins-national-title-uconn-1989-first-title) Michigan was the first team to start five transfers in a national championship game.[15](https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2026/04/07/michigan-wins-national-title-uconn-1989-first-title)
The game drew an average of 18.3 million viewers on TBS, TNT, truTV, and [HBO Max](https://www.edgepedia.org/hbo-max) according to Nielsen, the most-watched men's final since 2019, with a peak of 20.4 million between 11:00 and 11:15 p.m. EDT, a 23% increase from the 2024 final.[5](https://apnews.com/article/8a5d88c243bddb09215e3979ed9824ce) Across the whole tournament, the average of 10.9 million viewers on CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV was the second-most watched March Madness since 1994, and the Final Four averaged 14.2 million, an 11% jump from 2024.[5](https://apnews.com/article/8a5d88c243bddb09215e3979ed9824ce)
## Context: the last 68-team field
The 2026 tournament was the last in the 68-team format used since 2011. Beginning with the 2026-27 season, the men's and women's fields expand from 68 to 76 teams, adding eight teams to each championship; after the expanded Opening Round, 64 teams remain, so the traditional first-round rhythm of 32 games across two days is preserved.[3](https://www.ncaa.org/championships/march-madness/expansion-what-to-know/) The expansion and the associated financial increase were approved by the Division I men's and women's basketball committees, their oversight committees, the Division I Finance Committee, the Division I Board of Directors, and the NCAA Board of Governors.[16](https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2026-05-07/ncaa-reveals-new-76-team-bracket-di-mens-and-womens-basketball-championships) Detroit will host the 2027 men's Final Four at [Ford Field](https://www.edgepedia.org/ford-field).[15](https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2026/04/07/michigan-wins-national-title-uconn-1989-first-title)
## References
1. [DI Men's Basketball Championship History, NCAA.com](https://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-men/d1)
2. [The Latest: Selection Sunday, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/6bcf0716a22296d27aa9c253cb07fd21)
3. [March Madness Expansion: What to Know, NCAA.org](https://www.ncaa.org/championships/march-madness/expansion-what-to-know/)
4. [Duke, Arizona, Michigan, Florida get top seeding for March Madness, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/83a97346c5d05058d5a10cf62bff93a8)
5. [Michigan's win over UConn averages 18.3 million for most-watched NCAA men's final since 2019, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/8a5d88c243bddb09215e3979ed9824ce)
6. [Call it March Mildness. Dominant performances by top seeds are now the norm, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/7e233ecc41e57b32869d73ad1d847d05)
7. [Bracket Reset: NCAA Tournament down to a Sweet 16 of high-majors, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/ff2f65e021742bab56793df8b6ad9a45)
8. [2026 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship game program, University of Tennessee](https://utsports.com/documents/download/2026/3/21/G35_3-22-26_Virginia_NCAATr32.pdf)
9. [2026 March Madness: Men's NCAA tournament schedule, dates, NCAA.com](https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2025-03-20/2025-march-madness-mens-ncaa-tournament-schedule-dates)
10. [2026 MBB Bracket, NCAA.com](https://www.ncaa.com/_flysystem/public-s3/images/2026/01/28/2026%20MBB%20Bracket.pdf)
11. [NCAA Men's Final Four weekend in Indianapolis also features DII, DIII, NIT titles, NCAA.org](https://www.ncaa.org/news/media-center-ncaa-mens-final-four-weekend-in-indianapolis-also-features-dii-diii-nit-titles/)
12. [VCU comeback helps deliver record NCAA first-round viewership, Axios Richmond](https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2026/03/23/vcu-upsets-unc-ncaa-first-round-ratings-record)
13. [March Madness: An eighth grader from Pittsburgh is all alone with a perfect women's NCAA bracket, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/f45ee69a8213108c5876987400949cfe)
14. [Dylan Darling hits driving layup at buzzer, St. John's beats Kansas 67-65, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/582c32938cdf14d2bf0454059f9e10a6)
15. [Michigan tops UConn to win NCAA title, Axios Detroit](https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2026/04/07/michigan-wins-national-title-uconn-1989-first-title)
16. [NCAA reveals new 76-team bracket for DI Men's and Women's Basketball Championships, NCAA.com](https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2026-05-07/ncaa-reveals-new-76-team-bracket-di-mens-and-womens-basketball-championships)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › US college basketball (NCAA, NAIA) › Tournaments, seasons, and conferences*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license