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when do brackets have to be filled out by

You’re probably asking about March Madness / NCAA Tournament brackets, so here’s the quick answer: Most standard March Madness brackets must be completely filled out and submitted before the first game of the Round of 64 tips off for that specific tournament year.

Key deadline rule

  • Brackets usually lock shortly before the first full day of games (the Round of 64), not during the “First Four” play-in games.
  • Once that first main-tournament game starts, you can’t change or submit a new bracket in almost all contests.

A simple way to think about it:

Fill out your bracket by late Thursday morning (Eastern Time) of the first big week of March Madness, before the noon-ish tipoff.

Why it can vary

Exact cut‑off times can differ slightly depending on where you’re playing:

  • Official NCAA / major sports sites (ESPN, CBS, Yahoo, etc.) usually use a deadline right at the scheduled tipoff of the first Round‑of‑64 game.
  • Office pools or custom online pools might set:
    • A hard time like “12:00 p.m. ET Thursday,” or
    • “Lock at game tipoff,” which is effectively the same thing.

Always check the rules page or settings of your specific pool or app, because they’ll list the exact timestamp when brackets lock.

Current / recent-year context

Recent guides for March Madness note that:

  • For past men’s tournaments, brackets have typically been due around 12:00–12:15 p.m. ET on that first Thursday.
  • Women’s brackets usually lock late Friday morning ET before their first Round‑of‑64 game.

The pattern is consistent each year: “after the First Four, before the first main game.”

Quick checklist for you

  1. Find this year’s schedule for the first Thursday Round‑of‑64 game.
  2. Note the listed tipoff time (usually just after noon ET).
  3. Treat that time as your absolute last moment to submit your bracket.
  4. Aim to finish at least a few hours earlier to avoid site slowdowns or glitches.

TL;DR:
Brackets usually have to be filled out after the First Four but before the first Round‑of‑64 game tips on Thursday of March Madness, typically around noon Eastern for men’s and late Friday morning for women’s.