The time has come—it’s March Madness bracket season! That unsolvable puzzle we all love, packed with chaos at every turn. It’s simply the best time of year for basketball fans.
But don’t let procrastination ruin your fun by waiting until the last second to submit your bracket to the office pool. We’ve got you covered with everything you need to know about the timing of the biggest sporting event on the calendar!
When Do March Madness Brackets Need To Be Finalized?
For the men’s tournament this year, the deadline is Thursday, March 20, at 11:30 a.m. ET. While some pools might have slight variations in their final cutoff times, it’s best to err on the side of caution. Most bracket contests officially start just after noon on Thursday, and many platforms lock entries a bit earlier—so don’t wait until the last minute!
2024 March Madness Schedule
- Selection Sunday: March 16
- First Four: March 18-19 (Tuesday-Wednesday)
- First round: March 20-21 (Thursday-Friday)
- Second round: March 22-23 (Saturday-Sunday)
- Sweet 16: March 27-28 (Thursday-Friday)
- Elite Eight: March 29-30 (Saturday-Sunday)
- Final Four: April 5 (Saturday)
- NCAA championship game: April 7 (Monday)
Notice that the “First Four” games occur before your bracket submission deadline. Most mainstream and office pools won’t include these games directly but will allow you to advance the winners to the first round. For example, two seasons ago, Fairleigh Dickinson and Texas Southern faced off in a play-in game, with the winner set to play top-seeded Purdue. If you filled out your bracket early, you would have picked “Fairleigh Dickinson/Texas Southern” to potentially advance past Purdue with a bold upset pick.
The four play-in games determine the final two 16 seeds and the last two 11 seeds in the tournament. While these teams enter as significant underdogs, they’ve pulled off surprises before, so don’t rule out the unexpected!
Pro Tip
If you have a gut feeling about a play-in team, go ahead and include them in your bracket early. Assume they’ll win their play-in game and submit your bracket accordingly. If they lose and you’d prefer a different pick, you can still adjust your bracket before the pool locks. The worst-case scenario is forgetting to change your pick, but your bracket will still be viable with all games filled in.
Waiting for all the play-in games to finish before submitting your bracket puts you at risk of missing the deadline. Instead, secure your submission early to ensure you’re in the game!
Remember This
Your bracket isn’t like the SATs—you don’t just hand it in and walk away. It’s a living document that stays open until the pool locks. Once your bracket becomes available on Sunday night, review and tweak it over the next 72 hours to make sure every game is picked. Most platforms will highlight any empty spots, but every year, brackets get submitted incomplete, sinking participants before the action even starts!
MORE: Best Rivalries in College Basketball
Now that you know when your picks are due, the next step is deciding which teams to choose. Stay tuned from late on Selection Sunday all the way up to your bracket lock time. We’ll provide everything you need—from power rankings and sleeper picks to the best bets. Have questions? We’ve got statistically backed answers to help you dominate your bracket pool!
Enjoy the madness and may your bracket be ever in your favor!
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