Expanded March Madness bracket: Here's what a 76-team NCAA Tournament would have looked like in 2026

Expanded March Madness bracket: Here's what a 76-team NCAA Tournament would have looked like in 2026 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The NCAA Tournament is expanding, in spite of backlash from fans and coaches alike. The move from 68 teams to 76 became official on Thursday on both the men's and women's side, changing the dynamics of the tournament more dramatically than any adjustment in the last 40 years.

The basics won't change too much. The Thursday after Selection Sunday will still begin with a 64-team bracket, and the rest of the tournament will play out as normal.

Tuesday and Wednesday, however, will feature a total of 12 games: six between the last 12 automatic qualifiers and six between the last 12 at-large teams. That means an additional four at-large teams will earn spots in the round of 64, while four fewer automatic qualifiers will make it to that portion of the bracket.

Here's a look at the new bracket:

The changes will adjust the bracket pretty significantly. For example, there were no power-conference teams below a No. 11 seed in the 2026 bracket, but this new format would have allowed one to enter the round of 64 as low as No. 13. That would redefine the meaning of a 13-over-4 upset, as California knocking off Alabama wouldn't be quite the same type of Cinderella story as the Hofstra's of the world.

What would the 2026 bracket have looked like under the 76-team format? Here's the answer.

DECOURCY:Why expansion ruins the NCAA Tournament bracket

What a 76-team March Madness bracket would look like

The final eight at-large teams are comprised of the selection committee's first four out and the top four teams remaining on Selection Sunday in the wins above bubble (WAB), which has become popular during the selection process. The WAB rankings are different today because they were impacted by NCAA Tournament and NIT games.

By that standard, these would be the last 12 teams in, with all playing in a Tuesday or Wednesday opening-round game:

Here's the complete bracket.

East Region

• No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 Siena/Furman
• No. 8 Ohio State vs. 9 TCU
• No. 5 St. John's vs. No. 12 Oklahoma State/Virginia Tech
• No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 13 Akron
• No. 6 Louisville vs. No. 11 VCU
• No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 14 Cal Baptist
• No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 UCF
• No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 Kennesaw State/Wright State

St. John's drew Northern Iowa in the first round but, in this scenario, would face either Oklahoma State or Virginia Tech while VCU would start its tournament against Louisville rather than North Carolina due to the reshuffling. Siena would also have to play into a matchup with Duke, which may have made its upset bid impossible.

South Region

• No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Lehigh/Prairie View A&M
• No. 8 Clemson vs. No. 9 Iowa
• No. 5 Vanderbilt vs. No. 12 South Florida
• No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 13 Northern Iowa
• No. 6 North Carolina vs. No. 11 Auburn/San Diego State
• No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 14 Hofstra
• No. 7 St. Mary's vs. No. 10 Texas A&M
• No. 2 Houston vs. No. 15 Penn

North Carolina would avoid VCU in this scenario, which may be a welcome sight, instead drawing Auburn or San Diego State while South Florida drops to a No. 12 seed and takes on Vanderbilt rather than Louisville.

BENDER:Expanding the CFB Playoff to 24 is an idea that needs to be eliminated

West Region

• No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 16 Long Island/Queens
• No. 8 Villanova vs. No. 9 Utah State
• No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 12 McNeese
• No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 13 High Point
• No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 Texas/NC State
• No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 14 Hawaii
• No. 7 Miami vs. No. 10 Missouri
• No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 15 Idaho/Tennessee State

Wisconsin avoids High Point in this scenario but faces a tough McNeese team, while High Point drops to a No. 13 seed but faces the team it nearly took down in the second round: Arkansas. BYU would still face the winner of Texas vs. NC State, as the first two 11-seed play-in games remain unchanged in the new bracket.

Midwest Region

• No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 16 Howard/UMBC
• No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 9 Saint Louis
• No. 5 Texas Tech vs. No. 12 Indiana/Oklahoma
• No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 13 California/Arizona State
• No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 11 Miami (Ohio)/SMU
• No. 3 Virginia vs. No. 14 Troy
• No. 7 Kentucky vs. No. 10 Santa Clara
• No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 15 North Dakota State

Texas Tech would face Indiana or Oklahoma, rather than Akron, under this format, with Alabama taking on either California or Arizona State rather than Hofstra. The result is Akron dropping to a No. 13 seed and Hofstra dropping to a No. 14 seed elsewhere in the bracket.