March Madness Bracket Pools
Create a March Madness bracket pool for your friends, family or office. Collect complete NCAA tournament brackets and follow your group’s points from the Round of 64 through the championship.
First 5 member entries free per contest.
One bracket through the championship
Choose a winner in each matchup and submit the complete bracket before the pick deadline. Correct selections earn the points assigned to each round.
- The bracket begins with the Round of 64.
- Each league has its own round values and bonus settings.
- The championship combined score provides the optional tiebreaker.
How to run a March Madness pool
Select your tournament
Choose an available March Madness contest and check its tournament dates. Name the league, then sign in or create an account to finish creating it.
Agree on scoring before bracket picks
Review the league’s points per round and any seed or win-margin bonuses. Use the example below to explain how later rounds and enabled bonuses contribute to a member’s total.
Invite members to fill out brackets
Send invitations from NLSP or share the league link. Once picks are available, members join with an account and submit the full bracket from the Round of 64 through the final before the displayed deadline.
Track the tournament standings
Follow the contest leaderboard as results are scored. Members can compare correct picks and points; the championship combined-score prediction is the tiebreaker when enabled.
The first 5 member entries per contest are free. The commissioner pays $1 USD for each additional member who submits picks.
Choose an available contestLevel 1 base points
A correct game winner earns the points assigned to that round. An incorrect winner earns 0. Commissioners can change the round values before the event starts; this example shows how the points add up.
Optional bonus points
The seed bonus adds the seeds of your correctly picked winners, applies the league’s percentage factor, then rounds that total to the nearest whole point. Each correctly picked win counts, so the same team can contribute its seed again in later rounds.
Win-margin predictions are available from the Elite Eight onward. Choose 1–4, 5–8, 9–13 or 14+ points. You must predict both the winner and the correct range. An incorrect winner earns no base points or bonuses.
The examples below use a 25% seed factor and a 3-point win-margin bonus. Levels 2 and 3 add separately to Level 1.
Pick deadline and championship tiebreaker
Submit the full bracket before the contest’s pick deadline. When the tiebreaker is enabled, include a prediction for the combined score of both teams in the championship game.
Common questions
Does the bracket include the First Four?
The NLSP March Madness bracket begins with the Round of 64 and continues through the championship.
Can I run only a March Madness pool?
Yes. Create a league with that contest. Adding other sports or tournaments is optional.
When can I create this pool?
The league creation page lists contests currently open for setup. Each contest shows its event dates and pick deadline.
Related pool formats
Pool setup checklistReady to run the league
Create your league
Choose your first contest and invite your members.
First 5 entries free per contest, then $1 for each additional member who submits picks.
Paid by the commissioner. Prices in US dollars.