With the gap between the top and bottom seeds seemingly having shrunk, we could see some close games in the annual NCAA basketball tournament.

Jeff Le

March Madness

What happens in case of a tie in March Madness? NCAA basketball overtime rules explained

Roddy Cons

Digital sports journalist

Scottish sports journalist and content creator. After running his own soccer-related projects, in 2022 he joined Diario AS, where he mainly reports on the biggest news from around Europe’s leading soccer clubs, Liga MX and MLS, and covers live games in a not-too-serious tone. Likes to mix things up by dipping into the world of American sports.

Update: Mar 20th, 2026 14:23 EDT

The biggest basketball tournament in collegiate sports is upon us, with 68 teams gearing up to challenge to become the NCAA Division I men’s national champion. March Madness 2026 will kick off on Thursday March 19.

Why have there been more March Madness upsets in recent years?

The lay of the land in college basketball means underdogs have never had a better chance of causing an upset, with the NCAA transfer portal, NIL deals and the increasing emphasis on three-pointers all cited as possible reasons. The gap between the top and bottom seeds appears to have shrunk in recent years, leading to closer matches between teams on the whole.

THE BRACKET 🤩

Fill out yours: https://t.co/Jt9eXr7f5T pic.twitter.com/9g8ciMYUhv
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 15, 2026

As a result, there’s every chance we could see a number of encounters go to overtime in the next few weeks.

What overtime rules are used?

March Madness overtime rules are the same as those in use during the NCAA regular season. That means if teams are level at the end of 40 minutes of regulation time, a minimum of five minutes of overtime will be played.

Should opponents remain on the same number of points at the end of those five minutes, another five-minute overtime period will be played to determine the winner. There is no limit to the number of overtime periods that can be played.

"AND IT GOES FOR THE WIN!" 🚨

On this day in 2018, Jordan Poole hit an iconic buzzer-beater for @umichbball 🔥#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/eMdNJpFaxE
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2024

What are longest matches in March Madness history?

Two matches have gone to quadruple overtime in March Madness history.

In 1956, Canisius Golden Griffins sneaked a 79-78 first-round victory against the NC State Wolfpack at Madison Square Garden, with St. Joseph’s Hawks edging out the Utah Utes in similar circumstances in the third-place match five years later.

In the 2023 tournament, only one match went to overtime - Kansas State’s 98-93 win over Michigan State in the Sweet 16. The UConn Huskies won last year’s edition, defeating the San Diego State Aztecs in the championship game.

Kentucky's slippery slope

March Madness

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