How Many Teams Are In March Madness?

The NCAA Tournament features 68 teams, but only 64 make it to the First Round after the play-in games. Here’s how it breaks down:

Tournament Structure

• 68 total teams receive bids to March Madness.
• 32 teams earn automatic bids by winning their conference tournaments.
• 36 teams receive at-large bids from the NCAA Selection Committee.
• Four play-in games (known as the First Four) determine the final four spots in the 64-team bracket.

How Do Teams Qualify?

• Automatic Bids: Conference champions from leagues like the ACC, Big Ten, and SEC get in automatically.
• At-Large Bids: Teams that don’t win their conference but have strong résumés are selected by the NCAA.

How the First Four Works

The First Four consists of:

• Four lowest-seeded at-large teams facing off
• Four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers playing each otherThe winners advance to the First Round, completing the 64-team field

Has March Madness Always Had 68 Teams?

No. The tournament has expanded multiple times over the years:

• 1939: Started with just 8 teams.
• 1951: Expanded to 16 teams.
• 1985: Grew to 64 teams, the format most fans recognize.
• 2011: Expanded to 68 teams with the introduction of the First Four.

This format has been in place since 2011, expanding from the previous 64-team bracket that existed from 1985 to 2010.

Want to know when the action starts? Check out our guide to March Madness key dates.

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