March Madness is the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, a single-elimination tournament involving 68 college teams. The tournament takes place in March and April and crowns the national champion in collegiate basketball. The NCAA tournament was established in 1939 with eight teams. Throughout the decades, it involved more teams and has become one of the most widely followed sporting events in the United States. The games are played in different cities, with preliminary rounds played in regional stadiums and the Final Four in football stadiums. Stadiums such as Madison Square Garden and the Superdome have been used previously. The committee keeps changing the locations every year to bring the tournament closer to other fan bases.
Four teams play in the ‘First Four’ to qualify into the regular 64-team bracket. The tournament goes from the First Round through the Sweet 16, Elite Eight, and Final Four to conclude with the National Championship Game. The teams are seeded according to regular-season records, and conference championships, and also consider the traveling fans. The teams are ranked and paired by the selection committee to create a competitive bracket. Top seeds play lower seeds in the early rounds, due to its unpredictability the underdog teams also beat the top-ranked teams.
What comes after Sweet 16 in March Madness?
After the Sweet 16 victory in March Madness, the winner is qualified for the Elite Eight round. Below is a table outlining the structure of the rounds in March Madness, including seed matchups, as per the NCAA:
| Round | Number of Teams | Seed Matchups |
| First Four | From 68 to 64 | Four games: Two between No. 16 seeds and two between the lowest at-large seeds |
| First Round | From 64 to 32 | 1 vs. 16, 2 vs. 15, 3 vs. 14, 4 vs. 13, 5 vs. 12, 6 vs. 11, 7 vs. 10, 8 vs. 9 |
| Second Round | From 32 to 16 | Winners from the First Round |
| Sweet 16 | From 16 to 8 | Winners from the Second Round |
| Elite Eight | From 8 to 4 | Winners from Sweet 16 |
| Final Four | From 4 to 2 | Winners from Elite Eight |
| National Championship | From 2 to 1 | Winners from the Final Four |
FAQs on March Madness
A. UCLA has the most titles with 11.
A. Selection Sunday is the day when teams and matchups are announced.
A. Yes, the 2020 March Madness tournament was canceled due to COVID-19.
A. The March Madness Tournament is known for upsets, brackets, and intense games.
