March Madness is underway, but there's still time to fill out a bracket.
Millions of people across the country submit brackets for the men's and women's NCAA Tournaments each year. However, the 68-team format has created questions about when exactly they are required to submit their brackets.
Both the men's and women's tournaments feature the First Four, a series of four games where teams battle for spots in the first round. There are just about two full days between the announcement of the men's bracket on Selection Sunday and the opening First Four game on the following Tuesday. There's an extra day for the women's tournament, as the First Four begins on Wednesday.
When must fans submit their brackets this year? Here's what to know:
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
When do March Madness brackets close 2024?
March Madness brackets need to be submitted before the first game of the first round tips off. This is also the last time for fans to create or join groups in online bracket contests.
On the men's side, the first round will begin at 12:15 p.m. ET on Thursday when No. 8 Mississippi State and No. 9 Michigan State square off. The women's side also features Michigan State in the first game of the first round, as the No. 9 Spartans will face No. 8 North Carolina at 11:30 a.m. ET on Friday.
As a rule of thumb, fans should probably give themselves a bit of time before those tipoffs to submit their brackets to ensure they go through on their given website.
Do you have to submit a March Madness bracket before the First Four starts?
While the First Four is the official start of the men's tournament, fans are not required to fill out their bracket before those games begin. Instead, sites allow users to pick the winner of a given First Four game to move on past the first round -- and it can be either team.
For example, a user can choose No. 10 Colorado/No. 10 Boise State to beat No. 7 Florida in the South Region. Whether it's Colorado or Boise State, as long as the winner of Wednesday's First Four contest beats Florida in the first round on Friday, that will count as a correct pick for the user.
