2026 KILJ’s March Madness Bracket Challenge

Mt. Pleasant, IA- It’s that time of the year earn bragging rights amongst your friends, family, and local community members. March Madness is just around the corner and your chances of getting a perfect bracket sits at roughly 1 in 9.2 quintillion, so time to start guessing in one of the most exhilarating tournaments in all of sports.

The KILJ Bracket Challenge is on for the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament bracket to crown a National Champion and more importantly a local champion! Last year, 15 of our 46 local brackets picked the correct champion. Can that same success rate continue?

This is our third season holding the challenge under these new rules; so, here’s a refresher on what to do when the challenge tips-off.

The night that starts March Madness will be Selection Sunday on March 15^th. Followed by first round action on March 19^th.

A printable bracket will be posted to KILJ’s Facebook page after Selection Sunday for you to fill out. You can either bring your bracket out to our station or email it to sports@kilj.com. The rules to apply are listed below:

1. First and Last Name must be attached to your backet.
2. A phone number or email address must be attached to your bracket.
3. One entry per person.
4. The bracket must be turned in by 5 pm on March 18^th.

The scoring will be done as such: first round (2 point for each correct pick), second round (4 points for each correct pick), Sweet 16 (8 points for each correct pick), Elite Eight (16 points for each correct pick), Championship Game (32 points for each correct pick), Correct Champion (64 points). The four play-in games will not count towards your final score.

The top three brackets will receive a prize package (listed below) and leaderboards will be updated after every round. Winners will be notified after the results are tabulated.

Prizes:

1^st Place

• Meal a month from The Press Box
• 2 Old Thresher Gate Passes
• 2 State Fair Tickets

2^nd Place

• 2 Old Thresher Gate Passes
• 2 State Fair Tickets
• 2 Festival of Lights Tickets

3^rd Place

• 1 Old Thresher Gate Pass
• 2 State Fair Tickets
• 2 Festival of Lights Tickets

KILJ thanks The Press Box for sponsoring KILJ’s Bracket Challenge!