BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — March Madness is back, and so is the Mountain Citizen’s NCAA bracket challenge after a successful debut last year.

The official bracket printed in March 18 edition of the Mountain Citizen is the only bracket that may be used in the contest.

Participants have until noon Thursday, March 19 to submit their completed entries for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card.

The 2026 NCAA men’s tournament bracket was announced Sunday, March 15, with the First Four scheduled for March 17-18 and the first round beginning March 19.

The women’s bracket also was announced Sunday, March 15, with the First Four set for March 18-19 and the first round starting March 20.

Because the First Four will already be underway, contestants are asked to simply fill in the winner on their bracket. No points will be awarded for First Four games.

Completed brackets may be turned in by dropping them off at the Mountain Citizen office at 20 West Main Street in Inez, emailing a photo of the bracket to mountaincitizenonline@gmail.com or submitting it through Messenger on the Mountain Citizen Facebook page.

All brackets must be completed in ink or marker, and each participant’s name must be printed clearly and legibly. Picks that cannot be read will not be counted. No late brackets will be accepted (noon March 19 is a hard deadline).

Scoring for the contest will follow a Fibonacci-style point system, with values increasing each round: 2 points for the first round, 3 for the second, 5 for the third, 8 for the fourth, 13 for the fifth and 21 for the championship round.

Please write in a final score for the championship match-up to be used as a tie-breaker if necessary.