A look at some of what AP is planning for the 2026 college basketball tournament coverage. For questions, please email Dave Zelio (dzelio@ap.org).
For up-to-the-minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan at https://newsroom.ap.org. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact Customer Support at apcustomersupport@ap.org or 877-836-9477. You can also call the Sports Desk at (212) 621-1630; Sports Photos, ext. 1918; Graphics, ext. 6907. All times Eastern.
March 10: AP all-conference men's teams (ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC), all sent.
March 15: Selection Sunday. Men's bracket announced at 6 p.m., women's bracket at 8 p.m.
March 16: AP Top 25 polls, both by 1 p.m.
March 17: AP men’s All-America team announced, noon. By Dave Skretta.
March 17-18: Men’s tournament opens with First Four games in Dayton, Ohio.
March 18: AP women’s All-America team announced, noon.
March 18-19: Women’s tournament opens with First Four games, campus sites.
April 2: AP women’s player and coach of the year announcements.
April 3: Women’s Final Four (Phoenix). AP men’s player and coach of the year announcements (by Aaron Beard and John Marshall).
April 4: Men's Final Four (Indianapolis).
April 5: Women's national championship game, 2:30 p.m. (Phoenix).
April 6: Men's national championship game, approximately 8:30 p.m. (Indianapolis). Final women's Top 25 poll of season, noon.
April 7: Final men's Top 25 poll of season, noon.
BKC--NCAA TOURNAMENT — After a season that saw virtual pros taking the court amid legal fights, the NCAA announces the field for a tournament that will end with the championship game in Indianapolis. By Eddie Pells. Text, photos. Developing from 6 p.m. announcement March 15.
With these sidebars and others on merit:
-- BKC--NCAA-EAST REGION. By Aaron Beard. Text, photos. Developing from 6 p.m. announcement March 15.
-- BKC--NCAA-MIDWEST REGION. By Eric Olson. Text, photos. Developing from 6 p.m. announcement March 15.
-- BKC--NCAA-SOUTH REGION. By Dave Skretta. Text, photos. Developing from 6 p.m. announcement March 15.
-- BKC--NCAA-WEST REGION. By John Marshall. Text, photos. Developing from 6 p.m. announcement March 15.
-- BKC--NCAA-PICKING THE BRACKET. Got your bracket ready? We have some tips. By Tim Reynolds. Text, photos. By noon March 16.
-- BKC—NCAA-MARCH MADNESS GUIDE. What to know about the men’s tournament, including how to watch, key games and players and select betting lines. 400 words, photos. Developing from 6 p.m. announcement March 15. Will be updated throughout the tournament.
BKW--NCAA TOURNAMENT — UConn, UCLA, South Carolina and Texas can all lay claim to landing No. 1 seeds for the women’s NCAA Tournament. By Doug Feinberg. Text, photos. Developing from 8 p.m. announcement March 15.
With these sidebars and others on merit:
-- BKW--NCAA-PICKING THE BRACKET. Got your bracket ready for the women’s tournament? We have some tips. By Tim Reynolds. Text, photos. By noon March 16.
-- BKW—NCAA-MARCH MADNESS GUIDE. 400 words, photos. Developing from 8 p.m. announcement March 15. Will be updated throughout the tournament.
GRAPHICS: Brackets for the men's and women's tournaments will be available late Sunday, March 15. Each will be 5c x 9 inches and move approximately 90 minutes after each announcement (7:45 p.m. ET for men, 9:45 p.m. ET for women).
Each NCAA tournament game story will be approximately 500 words. Tight, capsule-style previews will be sent for each game and we also plan longer previews the day before tipoff with a broader, regional focus and select features throughout the tournament. Photo coverage is planned throughout.
BKC--NCAA-READY FOR MARCH -- The league tournaments are over, but the question is whether they will have a lingering impact in March Madness. Roughly half of all Final Four teams and NCAA champions since 1985 were coming off winning their league titles, and those runs have become even longer grinds with bigger conferences on the eve of the sport’s biggest event. By Aaron Beard. Text, photos by 2 p.m. March 16.
BKC--NCAA-COUNTING ON THE 3 -- This marked the 40th season with the 3-pointer fully integrated into college basketball as a gamechanging shot. Yet the question remains: how much should a team rely on it in March? Division I teams are taking nearly 40% of their shots on 3s, yet a fraction of teams that have reached the Final Four or won the title in the 3-point era have used it at that level. By Aaron Beard. Text, photos by 2 p.m. March 17.
BKC--NCAA-MARCH OF THE FRESHMEN -- The freshman class has been packed with stars all year like BYU’s A.J. Dybantsa, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, Duke’s Cameron Boozer and UNC’s Caleb Wilson. Yet beyond those likely one-and-done NBA prospects, it’s a deep group that could be poised to have a March to remember in the NCAA Tournament. By Aaron Beard. Text, photos by 2 p.m. March 18.
BKC--NCAA-CHAMPIONSHIP DATA -- A look at the key data points emerging during the NCAA Tournament after each round ahead of the Final Four. By Aaron Beard. Text photos by 4 p.m. March 23 and March 30.
BKC--NCAA-ONE-BID WONDERS: Players to watch from the teams you might not know much about. By Steve Megargee. Text, photos March 16.
BKW—NCAA-ONE-BID WONDERS: Players to watch from the women’s teams you might not know much about. By Steve Megargee. Text, photos March 16.
BKC--NCAA-NBA PROSPECTS: The cream of the crop in this year’s tournament that you should expect to see in the NBA soon. By Steve Megargee. Text, photos March 17.
BKW--NCAA-WNBA PROSPECTS: The cream of the crop in this year’s tournament that you should expect to see in the WNBA soon. By Steve Megargee. Text, photos March 17.
BKC—NCAA-SECOND CHANCES: In the era of the transfer portal, a look at some of the top players making the NCAA Tournament for a second (or third) school. By Steve Megargee. Text, photos March 18.
BKW—NCAA-SECOND CHANCES: In the era of the transfer portal, a look at some of the top women’s players making the NCAA Tournament for a second (or third) school. By Steve Megargee. Text, photos March 18.
Brief game stories will be filed for the men's NIT; for games in any similar Division I men's tournaments; and for championship games in Divisions II, III and the NAIA (men and women).
