The March Madness bracket is assigned by the NCAA Selection Committee by seeding all 68 teams with a true seed between 1 and 68. The teams are then divided into four regions, with each seeded between No. 1 and No. 16. The top four teams in overall ranking are seeded No. 1 in each region, and if all make it to the Final Four, the highest-ranked play the lowest-ranked of the four. To provide competitive equilibrium, the committee cross-checks seed values regionally and reassigns placements accordingly.
The First Four consists of eight teams: four fighting for No. 16 seeds and four at-large teams competing for a seed line between No. 10 and No. 14. All First Four games have been played at the University of Dayton Arena since 2011, except the championship in 2021. The committee unveils the top 16 teams three weeks prior to Selection Sunday, although the final rankings are established later.
Conference opponents are divided to prevent early-round rematches. Teams are sometimes moved up or down a seed line for balance or to help with the teams with logistics. The final bracket is announced on Selection Sunday, the official beginning of the tournament.
How many 14-seed teams beat 3-seed teams?
There are a total of 23 teams from the No. 14 seeds that have beaten the 3 seeds since 1985, with an overall record of 23-133 record and a 14.74 win percentage, as per the NCAA.
| Year | Result | Score |
| 1986 | Cleveland State defeated Indiana | 83-79 |
| 1986 | Arkansas Little-Rock defeated Notre Dame | 90-83 |
| 1987 | Austin Peay defeated Illinois | 68-67 |
| 1988 | Murray State defeated NC State | 78-75 |
| 1989 | Siena defeated Stanford | 80-78 |
| 1990 | Northern Iowa defeated Missouri | 74-71 |
| 1991 | Xavier defeated Nebraska | 89-84 |
| 1992 | ETSU defeated Arizona | 87-80 |
| 1995 | Old Dominion defeated Villanova | 89-81 |
| 1995 | Weber State defeated Michigan State | 79-72 |
| 1997 | Chattanooga defeated Georgia | 73-70 |
| 1998 | Richmond defeated South Carolina | 62-61 |
| 1999 | Weber State defeated North Carolina | 76-74 |
| 2005 | Bucknell defeated Kansas | 64-63 |
| 2006 | Northwestern State defeated Iowa | 64-63 |
| 2010 | Ohio defeated Georgetown | 97-83 |
| 2013 | Harvard defeated New Mexico | 68-62 |
| 2014 | Mercer defeated Duke | 78-71 |
| 2015 | UAB defeated Iowa State | 60-59 |
| 2015 | Georgia State defeated Baylor | 57-56 |
| 2016 | Stephen F. Austin defeated West Virginia | 70-56 |
| 2021 | Abilene Christian defeated Texas | 53-52 |
| 2024 | Oakland defeated Kentucky | 80-76 |
FAQs on March Madness
A. UCLA has the most titles with 11.
A. The March Madness tournament expanded to 68 teams in 2011.
A. The March Madness games air on CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV.
A. They are eliminated from the March Madness tournament.
