2025-26 NCAA Basketball (Deadline Nov. 3)
Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2025 4:20 amPRIZES
March Madness winner: 1,200 CC credits --
March Madness runner-up: 600 CC credits --
Third-place: 400 CC credits --
Fourth place: 200 CC credits --
FORMAT: 1 vs. 1 play
ELIGIBILITY: Open to all players, although I ask freebies to keep pace with the flow of the tourney — six maps per week. If you start falling behind I will go to the reserves list at my discretion.
HOME MAPS: Sequential order is required, and no poly…the rest is up to you.
DEADLINE: Registration will close Friday, Nov. 1
TEAMS: When signing up just choose any school that plays Division I basketball. If you aren’t sure, let me know and I can assign you a school. The number of teams and shape of each league is fluid. The goal is to sort leagues into groups of 8-10 teams that best mimic the true NCAA landscape.
REGULAR SEASON: We will have a 28-game regular-season schedule, although some teams may sneak in more games based on holiday and league tournament results.
SCORING
• Scoring is based on a three-map system (see box below). Teams that win 2 of 3 will usually come out on top, but it is possible to win once and take the game if you win quickly and lose long battles. This allows us to post realistic basketball scores and track scoring stats for the teams.
Two of the three maps will be played on the home team’s settings, while a random map (escalating, chained, foggy) will round out each game.
*New this year is the spoils bonus (also see chart), but basically holding spoils at the end of play can result in a slight bump.
*20-round limit applied to all maps.
If overtime is required an extra map will be sent out on random map settings..
If OT map goes 16+ rounds then another OT map will be sent, etc.
• Scoring example…
Duke wins in 7 rounds with 3 spoils (Duke 29-18)
Syracuse wins in 10 rounds with 5 spoils (Syracuse 27-18)
Duke wins 12 rounds with 4 spoils and 101 troops (Duke 26-18)
FINAL SCORE: Duke wins 73-63
Tournament scoring...
NCAA scoring by David Ball, on Flickr
MARCH MADNESS: At the end of the regular season, a tournament committee will select the field for the March Madness playoff bracket.
Automatic bids are awarded to the winners of each conference tournament, so you can finish last during the regular season and still have a shot at the Big Dance with a run at the end of the year.
I will announce the size of the bracket once sign-ups are complete. Ideally, we would have a 64-team field like the regular NCAA tourney, but it will likely be a smaller bracket. We will also play some form of a NIT consolation tourney.
The March Madness phase of the tournament will be played under an 8-map format with each map representing a different player — 5 starters and 3 bench players. These are played on preset maps (see list below) to replicate the neutral-court environment of the NCAA bracket.
PG — Higher seed’s Home Settings
SG — Lower seed’s home settings
*SF — Classic
*PF — City map (to reflect which region you are playing in)
*C — USA
*Bench #1 — Random
*Bench #2 — Random
*Bench #3 — Random
*settings — escalating, chained, foggy
POWER UPS: Teams earn “power-ups” for their tournament teams by accomplishing various tasks during the regular season.
NCAA power-ups by David Ball, on Flickr
Sign-ups...(Feel free to select a team not listed, and I can work that school in)
50 teams filled
NCAATeams1 by David Ball, on Flickr
NCAATeams2 by David Ball, on Flickr
March Madness winner: 1,200 CC credits --
March Madness runner-up: 600 CC credits --
Third-place: 400 CC credits --
Fourth place: 200 CC credits --
FORMAT: 1 vs. 1 play
ELIGIBILITY: Open to all players, although I ask freebies to keep pace with the flow of the tourney — six maps per week. If you start falling behind I will go to the reserves list at my discretion.
HOME MAPS: Sequential order is required, and no poly…the rest is up to you.
DEADLINE: Registration will close Friday, Nov. 1
TEAMS: When signing up just choose any school that plays Division I basketball. If you aren’t sure, let me know and I can assign you a school. The number of teams and shape of each league is fluid. The goal is to sort leagues into groups of 8-10 teams that best mimic the true NCAA landscape.
REGULAR SEASON: We will have a 28-game regular-season schedule, although some teams may sneak in more games based on holiday and league tournament results.
SCORING
• Scoring is based on a three-map system (see box below). Teams that win 2 of 3 will usually come out on top, but it is possible to win once and take the game if you win quickly and lose long battles. This allows us to post realistic basketball scores and track scoring stats for the teams.
Two of the three maps will be played on the home team’s settings, while a random map (escalating, chained, foggy) will round out each game.
*New this year is the spoils bonus (also see chart), but basically holding spoils at the end of play can result in a slight bump.
*20-round limit applied to all maps.
If overtime is required an extra map will be sent out on random map settings..
If OT map goes 16+ rounds then another OT map will be sent, etc.
• Scoring example…
Duke wins in 7 rounds with 3 spoils (Duke 29-18)
Syracuse wins in 10 rounds with 5 spoils (Syracuse 27-18)
Duke wins 12 rounds with 4 spoils and 101 troops (Duke 26-18)
FINAL SCORE: Duke wins 73-63
Tournament scoring...
NCAA scoring by David Ball, on FlickrMARCH MADNESS: At the end of the regular season, a tournament committee will select the field for the March Madness playoff bracket.
Automatic bids are awarded to the winners of each conference tournament, so you can finish last during the regular season and still have a shot at the Big Dance with a run at the end of the year.
I will announce the size of the bracket once sign-ups are complete. Ideally, we would have a 64-team field like the regular NCAA tourney, but it will likely be a smaller bracket. We will also play some form of a NIT consolation tourney.
The March Madness phase of the tournament will be played under an 8-map format with each map representing a different player — 5 starters and 3 bench players. These are played on preset maps (see list below) to replicate the neutral-court environment of the NCAA bracket.
PG — Higher seed’s Home Settings
SG — Lower seed’s home settings
*SF — Classic
*PF — City map (to reflect which region you are playing in)
*C — USA
*Bench #1 — Random
*Bench #2 — Random
*Bench #3 — Random
*settings — escalating, chained, foggy
POWER UPS: Teams earn “power-ups” for their tournament teams by accomplishing various tasks during the regular season.
NCAA power-ups by David Ball, on FlickrSign-ups...(Feel free to select a team not listed, and I can work that school in)
50 teams filled
NCAATeams1 by David Ball, on FlickrNCAATeams2 by David Ball, on Flickr