Nearly 36 Million March Madness Brackets Broke on First Day as Surprises Wreak Havoc

March Madness fans were dealt an early blow in this year’s tournament, as nearly 36 million brackets were eliminated Thursday following a series of early upsets in the first round.

the NCAA reported on friday that of the more than 36 million groups completed on major online sports platforms, approximately 14,000 perfect groups remain through the first 16 games of the men’s tournament.

High Point Panthers fans look on before a game against the Wisconsin Badgers in the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, on March 19, 2026. (Soobum Im/Getty Images)

At a minimum, that’s around 35,986,000 broken supports.

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The biggest bracket buster was No. 9 seed TCU’s narrow 66-64 victory over No. 8 seed Ohio State, which left only 14.5 million perfect brackets intact. Nebraska’s first NCAA Tournament win over Troy, which was a brutal 76-47 blowout, eliminated another 2.5 million brackets.

But it was the surprises that reduced that number to more than 14,000.

Siena Saints fans watch during the first half of a game against the Duke Blue Devils in the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina, on March 19, 2026. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

High Point’s improbable 83-82 win over No. 5 Wisconsin as a No. 12 seed did the most damage, reducing the total number of flawless predictions to just 2.3 million, and that number was cut in half again when Louisville outlasted USF, 83-79.

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As the day progressed, that figure fell below the million mark. But TCU’s historic comeback over UNC left just over 300,000 perfect brackets.

Saint Louis’ dominant win over Georgia and Gonzaga’s long-awaited win over Kennesaw State rounded out the day with just over 14,000 brackets intact, leaving just 0.039% of the original brackets unblemished.

Nebraska Cornhuskers fans react during a first-round NCAA men’s basketball tournament game against the Troy Trojans at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on March 19, 2026. (Shane Bevel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

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According to the NCAA, last year’s number after the first day was 36,000. The lowest in recent memory was in 2021, when there were only 121 perfect brackets left.

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