How many teams are in March Madness?

Sixty-eight teams compete in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, popularly known as March Madness. The single-elimination tournament determines the national champion of college basketball at the Division I level.

The teams are divided into four regions: East, West, South, and Midwest. Each region features sixteen teams seeded from one to sixteen, with the higher seeds facing the lower seeds in the first round. The winners progress through the rounds until two teams remain, who then face off in the national championship game.

Selection for the tournament occurs on "Selection Sunday," which typically falls on the Sunday before the third Thursday of March. The NCAA Selection Committee chooses the teams based on a variety of factors, including their performance during the regular season and conference tournaments.

Thirty-two of the teams earn automatic bids by winning their respective conference tournaments. The remaining thirty-six teams receive at-large bids, which are chosen by the selection committee. These bids are awarded based on the committee's evaluation of each team's overall strength.

The final four teams to earn an at large bid will have to face off in Dayton as part of the First Four, as well as the bottom four teams to get into the tournament via an automatic bid from winning their conference.