NCAA tournament expansion to 76 teams, explained
Here is the official 2027 NCAA tournament bracket for March Madness and the DI men's basketball tournament.
The 2027 tournament will be the first in the 76-team era. The NCAA announced the expansion from 68 to 76 teams on Thursday, May 7, 2026.
2027 NCAA tournament: Bracket, schedule for March Madness
Click or tap here for another look at the printable bracket.
2027 NCAA tournament schedule for March Madness
Here is the schedule for this year's tournament.
- Selection Sunday: Sunday, March 14
- Opening Round (12 games): Tuesday, March 16 and Wednesday, March 17
- First Round (32 games): Thursday, March 18 and Friday, March 19
- Second Round (16 games): Saturday, March 20 and Sunday, March 21
- Sweet 16 (eight games): Thursday, March 25 and Friday, March 26
- Elite Eight (four games): Saturday, March 27 and Sunday, March 28
- Final Four: Saturday, April 3 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan
- NCAA championship game: Monday, April 5 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan
These are the sites for the men's tournament in 2027:
| 2027 MARCH MADNESS LOCATIONS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Dates |
City |
Venue |
|
First Four |
March 16 & 17 |
Dayton, OH/Second site TBA |
UD Arena/Second site TBA |
|
First/Second |
March 18 & 20 | Pittsburgh, PA | PPG Paints Arena |
| First/Second | March 18 & 20 | Omaha, NE | CHI Health Center |
| First/Second | March 18 & 20 | Fort Worth, TX | Dickies Arena |
| First/Second | March 18 & 20 | Spokane, WA | Numerica Veterans Arena |
|
First/Second |
March 19 and 21 |
Charlotte, NC |
Spectrum Center |
| First/Second | March 19 and 21 | Minneapolis, MN | Target Center |
| First/Second | March 19 and 21 | Louisville, KY | KFC Yum! Center |
| First/Second | March 19 and 21 | Sacramento, CA | Golden 1 Center |
|
South Regional |
March 25 & 27 |
Frost Bank Center |
Frost Bank Center |
|
West Regional |
March 25 & 27 |
Los Angeles, CA |
Crypto.com Arena |
|
Midwest Regional |
March 26 & 28 | Kansas City, MO | T-Mobile Center |
|
East Regional |
March 26 & 28 |
New York, NY |
Madison Square Garden |
| Final Four | April 3 & 5 | Detroit, MI | Ford Field |
