Bracketology: Welcome to the 76-team field!

updated 10/27/26, 7:55am ET

A new season is dawning, and so is a new era. The expansion to a 76-team field is here. Eight more at-large bids increase the opening rounds on Wednesday and Thursday to 12 games instead of four. Bracketology is here to provide the breakdown of the field all season. The first in-season projections will begin Nov. 10 and be updated every Tuesday. Bracketology moves to twice a week in January.

Bracket Watch

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While the expanded 76-team field will have a great impact on how we view the bubble -- expect more Power-4 teams with a few more mid-majors -- it does not impact the top seeds. They are playing for the top prize. South Carolina enters the season as the No. 1 overall seed, with UConn at No. 2. Both teams have the most overall talent in the country and, interestingly enough, both head coaches, Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma, are from Philadelphia and could each be playing in a regional there, provided they remain the top two seeds on Selection Sunday (March 14).

the bracket

New team =Re-entered bracket =

Automatic Qualifier:Projected = Confirmed =

Region 1-Philadelphia

Columbia

College Park

Chapel Hill

Iowa City

Region 4-Las Vegas

Durham

Los Angeles

Nashville

Ann Arbor

Region 2-Philadelphia

Storrs

South Bend

Seattle

Baton Rouge

Region 3-Las Vegas

Los Angeles

Lexington

Austin

Louisville

on the bubble

Multi-bid Conferences

number of teams in bracket

• 13

  Big Ten

• 10

  SEC

• 10

  ACC

• 10

  Big 12

• 3

  Pac-12

• 2

  Summit League

• 2

  Big East

• 2

  Ivy

Men's Bracketology

by Joe Lunardi

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