Organize Your 2026 March Madness Pool for Prizes and Fun

Selection Sunday is almost here, and basketball fans everywhere are buzzing about the 2026 NCAA Tournament. This year’s March Madness looks wild, with teams like Gonzaga, Duke, and UConn ready to shake things up.

If you want to make the tournament even more fun, setting up a March Madness pool is a great way to get friends, family, or co-workers involved. In this post, you’ll find some tips on creating your own NCAA Tournament bracket pool, plus a few of the top teams to keep an eye on in both the men’s and women’s tournaments.

How to Set Up Your 2026 March Madness Pool

Honestly, setting up a March Madness pool isn’t as complicated as it might sound. Whether you’re a bracket pro or just giving it a try for the first time, CBS Sports has a super straightforward platform for managing your pool.

Here’s a quick guide to get you rolling:

Create Your Men’s Bracket Pool

Head over to the Create Men’s Bracket Pool page. The process is pretty painless:

• Name your group and pick between a locked pool (where you send out the invites) or an open pool (anyone can join).
• Set your rules and either share your custom pool link or let CBS Sports email invites for you.

Create Your Women’s Bracket Pool

For the women’s tournament, you’ll follow almost the exact same steps. Start at the Create Women’s Bracket Pool page and set things up for the Women’s NCAA Tournament.

Join CBS Sports Bracket Challenges for Big Prizes

If you’re feeling ambitious, you can join the CBS Sports NCAA Bracket Challenges. These challenges give you a shot at winning trips to the 2027 Final Four.

Here’s how you can jump in:

Men’s Bracket Challenge

To get in on the Men’s Bracket Challenge, just hit the “Join Now” button and fill out your bracket after it drops on Sunday, March 15. The trip to the 2027 Final Four goes to one lucky winner from the entries.

If you already have a bracket from a pool with friends, you can just import it into the Challenge—super convenient.

Women’s Bracket Challenge

You can also join the Women’s CBS Sports Bracket Challenge after the Selection Show at 8 p.m. ET that same night. Importing brackets from your women’s pools makes it quick to fill out your Women’s Challenge bracket.

Just don’t forget the deadlines: March 19 for the men’s bracket and March 20 for the women’s.

Teams to Watch in the 2026 NCAA Tournament

With your pools set up and challenges joined, let’s talk about some of the squads you probably shouldn’t ignore this year. These teams have impressed all season and could easily shake up your bracket in March.

Men’s Teams to Watch

Gonzaga Bulldogs

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are back for their 27th straight NCAA Tournament after snagging the West Coast Conference title. With a 30-3 record and their seventh 30-win season in the last decade, they’re a popular pick for a deep run.

Florida Gators

The Florida Gators, last year’s champs, have climbed to No. 5 in the rankings. They’ve hit at least 20 wins for three straight seasons, and after a 36-win year, they look as tough as ever.

Given their history of winning national titles in 30-win seasons, it’s hard not to consider them for your bracket.

Houston Cougars

Kelvin Sampson’s Houston Cougars have made the Sweet 16 or better six years running. They finished the regular season at 26-5 and went 14-4 in the Big 12.

With standouts like Emmanuel Sharp, Milos Uzan, and freshmen Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac, Houston’s got the firepower to make some noise.

Women’s Teams to Watch

UConn Huskies

UConn’s women have been a powerhouse, racking up 11 national championships since 2000. After a bit of a dry spell, the Huskies are back on top, heading into March Madness at 34-0.