It may be March, but the month isn’t just about hunting for four-leaf clovers—it’s about hunting for a championship! While the luck of the Irish is certainly in the air, sports fans know March is all about one thing: March Madness. It’s when college basketball officially takes over, and is all about fast breaks, slam dunks and hoping your team can make it all the way to the Final Four! From Cinderella stories to heart-stopping finishes, March Madness has become a staple of every sports lover’s calendar. And we’ve got the best March Madness trivia questions and answers to entertain you.
March Madness made its debut way back in 1939, when just eight teams competed for the crown. Fast forward to today, and the tournament now includes over 60 teams battling it out for the title. This year marks the 86th anniversary of March Madness. Since it began, it’s become an event that transcends basketball itself, bringing together fans from all walks of life to fill out brackets, watch unforgettable games, and experience the highs and lows of the competition.
If you’re a huge fan of the event, it’s time to dribble your way through some trivia! See how many of our trivia questions you can answer correctly below. Whether you’re a seasoned expert or just love following the games, you’ll have fun learning about March Madness. So, lace up your sneakers, get in the game, and take your shot at proving how well you know the madness!
Related: ‘Brack to the Future’ and ‘Hoop, There It Is’—We’ve Got 75 Funny NCAA March Madness Bracket Names
What Is March Madness?
March Madness is an annual NCAA basketball tournament held in the United States. It doesn’t just include a few teams—it features 68 college basketball teams from across the country, all competing in a high-stakes, single-elimination format.
These teams are selected with automatic bids given to conference champions and at-large bids awarded to other deserving teams based on their performance during the season.
The tournament begins with the First Four games and moves on through the First Round, Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final Four, and culminates in the National Championship. This thrilling month-long event is famous for its exciting upsets, buzzer-beaters, and unpredictable outcomes, where anything can happen.
Related: Prove You’re the Biggest NBA Superfan With These 110 Trivia Questions and Answers
When Is March Madness?
This particular basketball tournament takes place every year in March. This year, “Selection Sunday” took place on Sunday, March 16. And the games for men and women will begin shortly after.
Men’s 2025 March Madness Schedule:
- First Four: March 18-19
- First round: March 20-21
- Second round: March 22-23
- Sweet 16: March 27-28
- Elite Eight: March 29-30
- Final Four: April 5 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas
- NCAA championship game: April 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas
Women’s 2025 March Madness Schedule:
- First Four: March 19-20
- First round: March 21-22
- Second round: March 23-24
- Birmingham Regional: March 28-31
- Spokane Regional: March 28-31
- Final Four: April 4, April 6
Related: Will You Get a Slam Dunk? Test Yourself With These 110 WNBA Trivia Questions and Answers
45 March Madness Trivia Questions and Answers
1. Which school won the first NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship?
Answer: Oregon
2. Which team holds the record for the most NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships?
Answer: UCLA (11 titles)
3. Where will the final game of March Madness be played in 2025?
Answer: State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona
4. Which college basketball team is known as “The Wildcats” during March Madness?
Answer: University of Kentucky
5. Which team is known for their signature “Rock Chalk” chant during March Madness?
Answer: University of Kansas
6. Which year did the NCAA tournament begin to be broadcast on television?
Answer: 1969
7. What nickname is often used to describe lower-seeded teams that surprise everyone by making a deep run?
Answer: Cinderella teams
8. What were the names of the brothers who played together on the same team for UCLA during the 1995 tournament?
Answer: Ed and Charles O’Bannon
9. What is the term for a team that goes undefeated through the tournament?
Answer: A perfect bracket
10. What year was the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament cancelled?
Answer: 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Related: ‘Don’t Make Excuses, Make Your Free Throws!’ 110 Basketball Instagram Captions for Your Next Post
11. Which state has produced the most NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship-winning teams?
Answer: California
12. Who was the first player ever to be named NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player?
Answer: Tom Gola of La Salle
13. Who is known as “The King of March Madness” for his many successful tournament appearances?
Answer: Coach Mike Krzyzewski (Duke)
14. How many games does a team have to win in March Madness to become the champion?
Answer: 6 games
15. In 2006 and 2007, which team won in back-to-back years?
Answer: Florida Gators
16. What is the official nickname for the round that features the final eight teams?
Answer: Elite Eight
17. Who originally coined the phrase “March Madness”?
Answer: Henry V. Porter, an Illinois high school basketball coach
18. What is the traditional March Madness anthem?
Answer: “One Shining Moment.”
19. What are the odds of filling out a perfect March Madness bracket?
Answer: 1 in 9.2 quintillion
20. Name three people who have won March Madness as both a player and a coach?
Answer: Bob Knight, Dean Smith and Joe B. Hall
21. Which team is known as “The Blue Devils” in NCAA basketball?
Answer: Duke University
22. Who is the only coach to win the national championship at two schools?
Answer: Rick Pitino
23. In the past 10 years, what state has hosted three Final Fours in a span of five years?
Answer: Texas
24. Which city has hosted the most NCAA Tournament Final Fours?
Answer: Indianapolis
25. Which team needed triple overtime to win both its semifinal and championship games?
Answer: Kansas Jayhawks, 2008
26. Who won last year’s March Madness tournament?
Answer: UConn
27. Which service academy has never qualified for March Madness?
Answer: United States Air Force Academy
28. What do Jerry West, Jerry Lucas, Bill Bradley and Hakeem Olajuwon have in common when it comes to the March Madness tournament?
Answer: They were all NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Players
29. Which famous former NBA basketball player was part of the 1982 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship team at the University of North Carolina?
Answer: Michael Jordan
30. Who holds the record for the most tourney appearances without making the Final Four?
Answer: BYU
Related: Calling All Sports Fans! Test Your Knowledge with These 125 Sports Trivia Questions (Plus Answers!)
31. What is the term for the final 16 teams that make it in the tournament?
Answer: Sweet 16
32. The highest-scoring game in March Madness history?
Answer: Louisiana-Lafayette vs Tulane with a score of 154-103
33. Which NBA player has won the most NCAA March Madness titles?
Answer: Bill Russell with two titles
34. Who scored the most points in a March Madness game?
Answer: Notre Dame’s Austin Carr with 61 points
35. Which Ohio team won the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship in 1960?
Answer: Ohio State
36. Who is the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Tournament history?
Answer: Christian Laettner (Duke) with 407 points.
37. Which team is the only one to ever win the NCAA Tournament as a No. 8 seed?
Answer: Villanova
38. Which NCAA Men’s Basketball team has made the most appearances in the NCAA tournament?
Answer: Kentucky Wildcats
39. In what year did March Madness first feature a 68-team field?
Answer: 2011
40. What is the name of the popular 1994 movie, starring Bill Murray, about a man who is stuck in a time loop during the final days of March Madness?
Answer: Groundhog Day
41. What year did March Madness first use its iconic bracket format for the tournament?
Answer: 1985
42. Which player famously hit a half-court shot to win a game for his team in the first round of the tournament?
Answer: Ja Morant for Murray State in 2019
43. Which team made history by becoming the first-ever No. 16 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in 2018?
Answer: UMBC
44. Which college basketball team is known as “The Tar Heels”?
Answer: University of North Carolina
45. What year did University of Hawaiʻi’s Rainbow Warriors compete in their first and only NCAA tournament game?
Answer: 2016
Up Next:
Related: 350 Best Trivia Questions and Answers To Jumpstart Your Fun Game Night
