March Madness
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9correct to beat the crowd
143 free March Madness trivia questions with answers — sports quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
50 free March Madness trivia questions with answers. Every March, 68 teams enter, one cuts down the nets, and millions of brackets get busted along the way. From Cinderella stories to legendary buzzer-beaters, March Madness delivers drama like nothing else in sports.
30 of 143 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01What is the name of the day, typically in mid-March, when the tournament bracket is revealed?
Selection Sunday
Selection Sunday, in mid-March, is when the selection committee unveils the full bracket and seedings in a live broadcast.
Q 02Since 1973 the national semifinals have been played on a Saturday and the championship game on which day?
Monday
Before the change, the title game itself was played on Saturday with the semifinals two days earlier.
Q 03Which school has won the most NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament championships?
UCLA
UCLA has 11 titles, the most of any school: 10 between 1964 and 1975 under one coach, plus one more in 1995.
Q 04What song traditionally plays over the highlight montage after the championship game?
One Shining Moment
"One Shining Moment" by David Barrett has been played over the tournament highlight montage at the conclusion of the championship game since 1987. It has become one of the most iconic traditions in college basketball.
Q 05What do players and coaches traditionally do after winning the NCAA championship game?
Cut down the nets
Cutting down the nets dates to 1947, when NC State coach Everett Case had players lift him to snip the net after a Southern Conference title.
Q 06In bracket terminology, what is the round of 16 teams called?
Sweet Sixteen
The Sweet Sixteen is the regional semifinal round of 16 teams, the first game of the second weekend after the first and second rounds.
Q 07What is the highest seed a team can receive in the NCAA Tournament?
1
A No. 1 seed is the best seed a team can receive; each of the four regions has one, and it opens against that region's No. 16 seed.
Q 08How many regions make up the NCAA Tournament bracket?
4
The bracket has 4 regions of 16 teams each; every region's winner advances to the Final Four, played at a single neutral site.
Q 09What term describes a lower-seeded team that makes a surprising deep run in the tournament?
Cinderella
A "Cinderella" team is a lower-seeded team that exceeds expectations by winning multiple games in the tournament. The term evokes the fairy tale of an unlikely hero rising to prominence.
Q 10Which legendary Bruins coach won 10 national championships in 12 seasons, including seven in a row?
John Wooden
John Wooden coached UCLA to 10 NCAA titles between 1964 and 1975, including an unprecedented seven consecutive championships from 1967 to 1973. He is widely considered the greatest college basketball coach of all time.
Q 11By what nickname was Duke's head coach from 1980 to 2022 universally known?
Coach K
Coach K is Mike Krzyzewski; the shorthand spared broadcasters his Polish surname as he led Duke from 1980 until retiring in 2022.
Q 12In what year was the first NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held?
1939
The first NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament was held in 1939, with just eight teams. Oregon defeated Ohio State 46-33 to win the inaugural championship.
Q 13From 2011 through 2026, what name did the NCAA men's basketball tournament's opening games, played before the round of 64, go by?
First Four
The First Four, introduced with the 2011 expansion to 68 teams, pits the last four at-large teams and the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers against each other.
Q 21By what two-word name is Duke's 1992 buzzer-beater against Kentucky commonly known?
The Shot
"The Shot" beat Kentucky 104–103 in overtime in the 1992 East Regional final; the same Duke player had also sunk UConn at the buzzer in the 1990 regional final.
Q 22Who hit the buzzer-beating three-pointer that won the 2016 national championship game 77–74?
Kris Jenkins
Kris Jenkins buried the three at the buzzer off Ryan Arcidiacono's pass to beat North Carolina 77–74 for Villanova; Arcidiacono was named Most Outstanding Player.
Q 23Which No. 6 seed stunned Houston's "Phi Slama Jama" on a last-second dunk in the 1983 title game?
NC State
NC State's Lorenzo Charles dunked Dereck Whittenburg's desperation heave for a 54–52 win, and the Wolfpack coach's frantic search for someone to hug became an iconic image.
Q 14Which city has been the traditional home of the tournament's play-in games since 2001?
Dayton
Dayton has hosted the play-in games at UD Arena since the single Opening Round game began in 2001; only in 2021, during the pandemic, were they played elsewhere.
Q 15In March Madness slang, what is a "bracket buster"?
A mid-major that upsets a highly ranked team
A bracket buster is a mid-major that upsets a highly ranked team and wrecks millions of brackets; Northern Iowa beating overall No. 1 seed Kansas in 2010 is a classic example.
Q 16Duke students camp for weeks in a tent city nicknamed "Krzyzewskiville" outside which arena?
Cameron Indoor Stadium
Cameron Indoor Stadium's tent city, or K-ville, forms ahead of major home games, especially the visit from the Tar Heels, and is named after the long-time head coach.
Q 17How many games must a team win to go from the play-in round to the national championship?
7
A play-in team needs 7 wins: its play-in game plus the six wins from the round of 64 through the championship game.
Q 18What is the term for the round of 8 teams remaining in the NCAA Tournament?
Elite Eight
The Elite Eight is the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament, when only eight teams remain. The winners of the Elite Eight advance to the Final Four.
Q 19In 2018, which No. 16 seed became the first to defeat a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament?
UMBC
UMBC's Retrievers were tied 21–21 at halftime, then routed the overall No. 1 seed 74–54 for the first No. 16 win since the field grew to 64 teams.
Q 20Which school won the national title the year after becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16?
Virginia
Virginia beat Texas Tech 85–77 in overtime in the 2019 final, one year after its loss to UMBC, with Kyle Guy named Most Outstanding Player.
Q 24Who was the 98-year-old team chaplain who became an icon during Loyola-Chicago's 2018 run?
Sister Jean
Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, 98, became a national sensation as Loyola-Chicago reached the 2018 Final Four as an 11-seed, tying the lowest seed ever to do so.
Q 25Which No. 15 seed was the first ever to reach the Elite Eight, in 2022?
Saint Peter's
Saint Peter's, the Peacocks from Jersey City, beat Kentucky, Murray State and Purdue before losing to North Carolina in the regional final.
Q 26Before UMBC's 2018 upset, how had No. 16 seeds fared against No. 1 seeds?
0–135
No. 16 seeds were 0–135 against No. 1 seeds before UMBC beat overall top seed Virginia by 20 in March 2018; a second No. 16 seed won five years later.
Q 27How many national championships did Duke win under the head coach who led the program from 1980 to 2022?
5
Duke won 5 titles under Mike Krzyzewski — 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010 and 2015 — across his 42 seasons in Durham.
Q 28Which No. 8 seed shot 78.6% to upset Georgetown in 'The Perfect Game' title game?
Villanova
Villanova went 22 of 28 from the floor to beat Georgetown 66–64 in 1985; through 2025 no seed lower than No. 8 had won the title.
Q 29Which team was the last to finish a season undefeated and win the national title, going 32–0 in 1976?
Indiana
Bob Knight's Hoosiers went 32–0; Kentucky's 38–1 team in 2015 came closest since, losing in the national semifinal.
Q 30Which program has made the most Final Four appearances in NCAA Tournament history?
North Carolina
North Carolina has reached 21 Final Fours and 12 title games, converting six of them into national championships.