San Diego, CA — March 19, 2026 STN Digital, the leading social-first marketing agency in sports and entertainment, today released its first-ever 2026 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Social Performance Report, examining how men’s and women’s college basketball programs perform on social media ahead of the March Madness tournament. The report ranks the programs generating the largest social audiences and strongest engagement heading into the NCAA Tournament, and highlights what content, platforms, and storytelling approaches drive the strongest engagement before brackets are revealed.

The report evaluates 60 of the top NCAA men’s and women’s basketball programs nationwide, examining audience growth, engagement trends, and top-performing content across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X between November 2025 and February 2026. 

“College programs that consistently capture the moments fans care about and showcase the players’ personalities behind their teams are the ones building real momentum heading into March Madness.” says David Brickley, Founder and CEO of STN Digital. “The programs performing best on social media have already pulled back the curtain and created deep communities with content that brings their fans closer to the team, long before any potential success in the tournament!” 

Key Findings from the 2025-2026 Season

• Instagram dominates engagement: Instagram generated the majority of top-performing posts across both men’s and women’s programs, accounting for 41 of the top 50 men’s posts and 35 of the top 50 women’s posts.
• Game highlights drive men’s engagement: High-impact highlights and in-game moments consistently generated the strongest engagement for men’s programs, with highlight videos representing 8 of the top 10 posts across the NCAA ecosystem.
• Personality-driven content powers women’s engagement: Player personalities, humor, and behind-the-scenes storytelling consistently drove the strongest engagement across women’s programs.
• College-to-pro connections drive engagement: Content featuring NBA and WNBA connections, including former players and milestone moments, generated some of the strongest engagement across programs.

The 2026 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Social Performance Report analyzes publicly available social media data across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X to identify the strategies and content formats driving the strongest engagement heading into the NCAA Tournament. Together, these trends highlight how college basketball programs are using social media not only to amplify game moments but also to build deeper connections with fans before the tournament begins.

The full report inclusive of rankings can be downloaded here.

About STN Digital

STN Digital is the leading social-first marketing agency trusted by the top sports and entertainment brands worldwide. STN specializes in launching brands and building highly engaged audiences through strategic storytelling and digital innovation. From social media strategy to content production and influencer activations, their expertise has helped world-class organizations establish a commanding social presence, achieve remarkable growth, and build iconic digital brands. Learn more at www.stndigital.com.