The Men's 2026 March Madness Pain Index - ESPN

March Madness is one of the best sporting events. It brings us upsets, storylines and magic for three glorious weekends of win-or-go-home college basketball. When «One Shining Moment» plays at the end of the tournament, even the most stoic fan can be moved to tears.

But for all of the celebrations for the winners, there has to be someone who loses — a team that walks off the court stunned, jerseys and towels covering tears. And behind every one of those heartbroken teams is a fan base with high expectations and disappointment about the early exit.

Is it possible to truly measure the level of pain a team and its fans feel after a loss in the NCAA tournament? As a Mets, Jets and 76ers fan, I'm well-versed in sports misery and consider myself equipped with enough firsthand knowledge to compile this ranking of just that, from least to most devastating.

Every team's exit is categorized into one of eight tiers:

Just happy to be here: Self-explanatory.

Such a tease: This is for the seeds that made us do a double take at the scoreboard a few times before the expected conclusion eventually played out, usually in blowout fashion.

Here's your participation trophy: There was a reasonable chance to advance, but in the end, these teams never were a threat.

Silver linings playbook: The losses here weren't ideal, but there's still something positive to take away from the experience.

So close, yet so far: The teams that were in it for a majority of the game, even if the final score didn't show it.

We're not mad, just disappointed: For the flat-out underperformers.

Emotional roller coaster: They had us at the edge of our seat and biting our nails.

… What just happened?! Reserved for the most painful finishes.

The rankings and tiers are