Change to 2026 March Madness Announced on Tuesday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Hugh Green | Last updated Feb 24, 2026 11:45 AM ET

The 2025-26 college basketball regular season is coming to a close. With just two weeks left before conference tournaments begin, fans are gearing up for the 2026 NCAA tournament.

This season has seen many blue-blood programs have another great year. In the latest AP Poll, the Duke Blue Devils took the No. 1 spot after defeating the then top-ranked Michigan Wolverines on Saturday. The Arizona Wildcats hold down the No. 2 ranking with a 25-2 record this season.

Elsewhere in the top 10 are reigning national runner-up Houston Cougars (No. 5) and national champion Florida Gators (No. 7), who are both having great seasons again.

Duke Blue Devils guard Cayden Boozer (2) against the Syracuse Orange.© Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

Over the past 15 years, March Madness and NCAA basketball have been sponsored by Powerade, which is owned by the Coca-Cola Company. Cups, coolers, water bottles and towels that players have used in the tournament have had Powerade branding every year since 2010, with the exception of 2019, when BodyArmor took the forefront.

On Tuesday, Coca-Cola announced that BodyArmor, which has been fully owned by Coca-Cola since 2021, is the official sports drink of the NCAA.

"The company will promote BodyArmor throughout the popular NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments that begin next month," said Forbes reporter Tim Casey.

General view of the “March Madness” logo.© Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

This change from Coca-Cola comes as BodyArmor's value continues to fall year after year. At the end of 2025, the parent company announced it took a $960 million write-down of the value of BodyArmor, according to Forbes. In 2024, the write-down was $760 million.

With the change from Powerade, BodyArmor logos will now adorn the cups, coolers, etc. that the players use in this year's NCAA tournament.

"BodyArmor will also have more than 20 players promote the brand on social and digital media via Name, Image and Likeness deals and have television commercials and advertisements featuring New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson and LSU senior guard Flau’jae Johnson," Casey said.

The 2026 NCAA tournament will begin with the first four round on March 17 after Selection Sunday on March 15.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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