2026 EDITION

HT PLAYER POINTS CHALLENGE

The premier NCAA Tournament points tracker focused on high-stakes competitive scoring. Experience March Madness differently with unfiltered strategy, real-time tracking, and a community of elite players vying for the top spot.

HOW IT WORKS

01

DRAFT

Each contestant will draft players from the 68 team tournament field in a live, snake format 20 round draft.

02

SCORe

Only one stat matters: POINTS.

Rebounds? Irrelevant. Assists? Don’t care. Every other stat? Noise.

The only thing that matters is who racks up the most points. Period. From the First Four through the National Championship, the contestant whose selected players put up the highest combined point total is the winner. No excuses.

03

win

Monitor live tournament developments, track scoring and climb to the top of the official leaderboard to win the 2026 pool.

ELIGIBILITY AND RULES

This challenge is capped at 8 contestants per pool. No exceptions. The limit exists for one reason: to ensure the top scorers are earned — not lucked into. Come prepared.
This is not a bracket contest. Fill one out if you want — that’s your homework. Here, only one thing matters: points scored by your players.
When the draft ends, your roster is locked. No trades. No swaps. No second chances. Choose wisely.
Points are totaled at the end of every round for every player on every roster. When a player’s team loses, he’s done. Eliminated. No more games means No more points.
All scoring is pulled directly from ESPN box scores.
When the National Championship game ends, the contestant with the highest combined point total is crowned champion. Winner-take-all. There is no second place.
One exception: if your 20th-round draft pick out-scores every other 20th-round pick, you get your entry fee back.
IN THE EVENT OF A TIE, THE PROJECTED TOTAL SCORE OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME SERVES AS THE DECIDER. THE CLOSEST PREDICTION TO THE ACTUAL SCORE WINS.

Everything else? Earn it.

challenge history

This website represents the latest evolution of a tournament challenge that has existed in one form or another for more than 40 years. Long before Excel, the internet, or even personal computers, the founders of this league gathered in a boardroom in downtown Phoenix to draft their teams—armed only with pen, paper, and their competitive spirit. Research meant pulling the NCAA Tournament pages from the local newspaper’s sports section and highlighting prospective picks by hand.

We have come a long way since those early days, and it is a personal honor to help carry forward the legacy of this league. The NCAA Tournament remains the greatest postseason event in sports, and this challenge elevates that excitement even further.

Play smart, choose wisely, and—above all—enjoy the games.