Do not know enough about college basketball to fill out a bracket? No problem. Squares games are 100% luck. Just pick your squares, and every scoring play across 67 tournament games could make you a winner.
March Madness squares work just like Super Bowl squares, but instead of one game, your grid can be used across the entire NCAA Tournament. A 10x10 grid creates 100 squares, each representing a unique combination of score digits. Winners are determined at halftime and at the final buzzer using the last digit of each team's score.
The beauty of tournament squares is the sheer volume of action. With 67 games played over three weeks, there are tons of chances for any square to hit. Unlike brackets where one upset can bust your picks, squares are pure luck, perfect for people who do not follow college basketball at all.
Brackets reward basketball knowledge. Squares reward pure luck. Run both and let everyone in your group participate their way. Create a bracket on OnlineBracketMaker.com →
Four simple steps to three weeks of tournament excitement.
Select any NCAA Tournament game from our list. You can create one game per round or follow a single matchup.
Send one link to your office, watch party, or group chat. No app downloads, no accounts. Works for remote teams too.
Players claim squares by entering their name. Once enough squares are claimed, randomize the numbers with one click. See what makes a good grid for tips.
Scores update live during each game. Winners are highlighted automatically at halftime and at the final buzzer.
Cannot tell a Gonzaga from a Gonzalez? Does not matter. Squares are 100% luck. Everyone has the same chance to win, whether they have watched zero games or every one.
Unlike the Super Bowl where you get four quarters, the tournament gives you three weeks of games. More games means more winners and more excitement.
A bracket-busting upset that ruins your picks? That is just another exciting game for your squares grid. The wilder the score, the more fun it is.
Already running a bracket? Add a squares game too. It gives people a second way to play and keeps engagement high all tournament long.
College basketball scores tend to be higher and more evenly distributed than football, which means the "best" and "worst" numbers are less extreme. Still, some digits come up more often than others.
Because basketball has free throws (1 point), two-pointers, and three-pointers, the last digit of scores cycles through all possibilities more regularly. That means every square has a real shot. There are no truly "dead" numbers like in football.
You can create your game anytime. The tournament bracket is revealed on Selection Sunday (March 15, 2026), with the First Four games starting March 17-18, 2026. Share your game early to fill up your grid before the first tip-off.
Yes, create a new squares game for each tournament game you want to follow. Each game has its own grid and its own winners. Some groups pick one game per round, while others create grids for every game.
College basketball uses two halves, so winners are determined at halftime and at the final buzzer. Look at the last digit of each team's score to find the winning square. If the halftime score is 38-31, you would look for the square at column 8, row 1.
If you choose "With Overtime" format, the end of regulation and the final score (after OT) are separate winners. In standard mode, the final score is used regardless of whether the game went to overtime. Our overtime guide explains both formats.
The grid works the same way, 10x10 with random numbers. The main difference is basketball uses two halves instead of four quarters, so there are 2 winners per game instead of 4. Also, basketball scores are higher and more varied, making all number combinations more viable. See our game comparison guide for more.
Not at all. Squares are 100% luck based. Read our guide on squares for non-sports fans to see why everyone enjoys it.
Brackets require you to predict which teams will win each game, rewarding basketball knowledge. Squares are purely based on the score digits, 100% luck. Many groups run both so everyone can participate. Create a bracket here.
Yes, 100% free. No premium features, no hidden fees, no catch.
Run squares for any sport, any game.
Tips, guides, and strategies from our blog.
Everything you need to know about running basketball squares during the NCAA Tournament.
Step-by-step guide for organizing a squares game at the office for any sport.
Beyond sports: use squares for baby showers, award shows, and more.
Why you do not need to know anything about basketball to enjoy a squares game.
Create your March Madness squares in under a minute. Free, easy, and your group will love it.