March Madness Basketball Squares
An online squares pool for the NCAA tournament
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Running a pool for the office, the team, or a group of friends? Basketball squares are the same game as Super Bowl Squares, and unlike a bracket, nobody is out after the first upset. Set up a board, share the link, and everyone picks their squares from their phone.
The 2027 tournament
The 2027 men's tournament expands to 76 teams and runs three weeks, from Selection Sunday on March 14 to the championship on April 5 in Detroit. Games are on nearly every day, so pick a round, a day, or the Final Four.
Men's NCAA tournament
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Sun · March 14
Selection Sunday
Bracket revealed
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Tue–Wed · March 16–17
Opening Round
12 games · Dayton and Wichita
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Thu–Fri · March 18–19
First Round
32 games · 16 a day
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Sat–Sun · March 20–21
Second Round
16 games · 8 a day
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Thu–Fri · March 25–26
Sweet 16
8 games · 4 a day
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Sat–Sun · March 27–28
Elite Eight
4 games · 2 a day
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Sat · April 3
Final Four
2 games · Ford Field, Detroit
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Mon · April 5
Championship
Ford Field, Detroit
Matchups are set on Selection Sunday. The women's tournament runs the same weeks and works exactly the same way.
How basketball squares work
The rules are the same as Super Bowl Squares. Players claim squares, then numbers are randomly assigned to the rows and columns. At halftime and the final buzzer, the last digit of each team's score determines the winning square. Basketball scores change digits constantly, so the lead square changes hands all game long.
Example: halftime score
Duke 41 — UNC 38
Duke's last digit is 1 and UNC's is 8. The square where column 1 meets row 8 wins.
Men's college games are two halves, so most pools pay at halftime and the final. Women's and NBA games are four quarters. Decide up front whether the final counts overtime, and put it in the rules.
Read the full squares rulesSet up your March Madness pool
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Create your board
Choose a game and a 25, 50, or 100-square grid. Add your rules, price per square, and payouts before inviting players.
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Invite your players
Share the board link in the office chat or the team group text. Players choose their squares online, and you can track who has paid.
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Draw numbers before tip-off
Once picks are complete, randomly assign the numbers. Use the halftime and final scores to find the winners and pay out according to your rules.
Playing more than one tournament game?
With games on nearly every day for three weeks, you have a few ways to cover more than one. All of them work well; pick the one that fits your group.
Final Four weekend: one grid, three sets of numbers
Everyone picks their squares once. Choose 3 sets of numbers when you set up the grid, and both semifinals and the championship each get their own random row and column numbers. Three games, one board, six chances to win.
Best when you want one link to share, one pot, and one set of picks to manage.
A full day of games: one grid, four sets of numbers
Pick four games from one day, like a Sweet 16 Thursday or the first four games of the opening round, and choose 4 sets of numbers. Each game gets a fresh draw, so the same square can win at noon and lose at night.
Best for a group that will follow a whole day of basketball from one set of picks.
Separate grids
Run a separate board for each game, or one per round. Each has its own matchup, its own picks, and its own payouts, so people can join just the games they care about.
Best when you want a bigger pot on the championship game, or a fresh board every round. Orders of four or more grids qualify for a volume discount.
Either way, you handle collecting payments and paying winners; the site helps you organize the pool.
A spring fundraising opportunity
March is a long way from football season, and that's the point. Booster clubs, youth teams, PTAs, and charities can run a squares fundraiser while the tournament has everyone's attention, with a new game to sell against nearly every day. The championship game is the natural finale: one board, one Monday night, and the whole school or office watching.
Example: $10 squares, Final Four weekend
- One 100-square grid with 3 sets of numbers: $1,000 collected
- Your cause keeps half: $500
- Prizes: the other $500, split across the three games
Six winners over three days keeps supporters watching, and talking about your cause, all weekend.
Set your square price and payout split before you open the board, and put both in the rules so everyone sees them. Our squares fundraiser guide walks through pricing, splits, and selling out the board step by step.
Start your March Madness pool
Create your board and have it ready to share by Selection Sunday.
More Ways to Play Squares All Year
Super Bowl Squares
The big one. Run the classic 100-square pool for the biggest game of the year.
Thanksgiving Squares
Set up an online football squares pool for Thanksgiving Day.
Christmas Squares
Set up an online squares pool for the NFL and NBA Christmas Day games.
NFL Playoff Squares
Set up a squares pool for Wild Card weekend, the Divisional round, or Championship Sunday.
College Football Playoff & Bowl Game Squares
Set up a squares pool for a bowl game, any playoff round, or the National Championship.