Brace yourselves, college basketball fans. March Madness has finally arrived.
The 2026 edition of the NCAA Tournament will begin with First Four games on March 17 and 18, and it will conclude with the national championship game on April 6.
Arizona, Duke, Florida and Michigan are just a few of the contenders hoping to end the 2025-26 season with a celebration. Which squad will cut down the nets in Indianapolis?
Here is everything you need to know about this year’s NCAA Tournament bracket, including key dates and TV and streaming options for each round.
March Madness bracket 2026
You can download Sporting News’ printable NCAA Tournament bracket (PDF) by clicking here.
MARCH MADNESS HQ: Live NCAA bracket | TV schedule | Latest news and more
NCAA Tournament schedule, scores 2026
First Four
Tuesday, March 17
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
|---|---|---|
| No. 16 Howard 86, No. 16 UMBC 83 | — | — |
| No. 11 Texas 68, No. 11 NC State 66 | — | — |
Wednesday, March 18
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
|---|---|---|
| No. 16 Prairie View A&M 67, No. 16 Lehigh 55 | — | — |
| No. 11 Miami (Ohio) 89, No. 11 SMU 79 | — | — |
Round 1
Thursday, March 19
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
|---|---|---|
| No. 9 TCU 66, No. 8 Ohio State 64 | — | — |
| No. 4 Nebraska 76, No. 13 Troy 47 | — | — |
| No. 6 Louisville 83, No. 11 South Florida 79 | — | — |
| No. 12 High Point 83, No. 5 Wisconsin 82 | — | — |
| No. 1 Duke 71, No. 16 Siena 65 | — | — |
| No. 5 Vanderbilt 78, No. 12 McNeese 68 | — | — |
| No. 3 Michigan State 92, No. 14 North Dakota State 67 | — | — |
| No. 4 Arkansas 97, No. 13 Hawaii 78 | — | — |
| No. 11 VCU 82, No. 6 North Carolina 78 (OT) | — | — |
| No. 1 Michigan 101, No. 16 Howard 80 | — | — |
| No. 11 Texas 79, No. 6 BYU 71 | — | — |
| No. 10 Texas A&M 63, No. 7 Saint Mary’s 50 | — | — |
| No. 3 Illinois 105, No. 14 Penn 70 | — | — |
| No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 9 Saint Louis | 10:10 p.m. | CBS, Fubo, Paramount+ |
| No. 2 Houston vs. No. 15 Idaho | 10:10 p.m. | truTV, DIRECTV |
| No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 14 Kennesaw State | 10:20 p.m. | TBS, DIRECTV |
Friday, March 20
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
|---|---|---|
| No. 7 Kentucky vs. No. 10 Santa Clara | 12:15 p.m. | CBS, Fubo, Paramount+ |
| No. 5 Texas Tech vs. No. 12 Akron | 12:40 p.m. | truTV, DIRECTV |
| No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 16 LIU | 1:35 p.m. | TNT, DIRECTV |
| No. 3 Virginia vs. No. 14 Wright State | 1:50 p.m. | TBS, DIRECTV |
| No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 15 Tennessee State | 2:50 p.m. | CBS, Fubo, Paramount+ |
| No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 13 Hofstra | 3:15 p.m. | truTV, DIRECTV |
| No. 8 Villanova vs. No. 9 Utah State | 4:10 p.m. | TNT, DIRECTV |
| No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 11 Miami (Ohio) | 4:25 p.m. | TBS, DIRECTV |
| No. 8 Clemson vs. No. 9 Iowa | 6:50 p.m. | TNT, DIRECTV |
| No. 5 St. John’s vs. No. 12 Northern Iowa | 7:10 p.m. | CBS, Fubo, Paramount+ |
| No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 UCF | 7:25 p.m. | TBS, DIRECTV |
| No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 15 Queens | 7:35 p.m. | truTV, DIRECTV |
| No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Prairie View A&M | 9:25 p.m. | TNT, DIRECTV |
| No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 13 Cal Baptist | 9:45 p.m. | CBS, Fubo, Paramount+ |
| No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 Furman | 10 p.m. | TBS, DIRECTV |
| No. 7 Miami (Fla.) vs. No. 10 Missouri | 10:10 p.m. | truTV, DIRECTV |
Round 2
Saturday, March 21
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 8 Georgia/No. 9 Saint Louis | 12:10 p.m. | CBS, Fubo, Paramount+ |
| No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 6 Louisville | 2:45 p.m. | CBS, Fubo, Paramount+ |
| No. 1 Duke vs. No. 9 TCU | 5:15 p.m. | CBS, Fubo, Paramount+ |
| No. 2 Houston/No. 15 Idaho vs. No. 10 Texas A&M | 6:10 p.m. | TNT, DIRECTV |
| No. 3 Gonzaga/No. 14 Kennesaw State vs. No. 11 Texas | 7:10 p.m. | TBS, truTV, DIRECTV |
| No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 11 VCU | 7:50 p.m. | CBS, Fubo, Paramount+ |
| No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 5 Vanderbilt | 8:45 p.m. | TNT, DIRECTV |
| No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 12 High Point | 9:45 p.m. | TBS, truTV, DIRECTV |
Sunday, March 22
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
|---|---|---|
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBD |
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBD |
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBD |
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBD |
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBD |
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBD |
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBD |
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBD |
Sweet 16
Thursday, March 26
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
|---|---|---|
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBD |
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBD |
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBD |
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBD |
Friday, March 27
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
|---|---|---|
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBD |
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBD |
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBD |
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBD |
Elite Eight
Saturday, March 28
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
|---|---|---|
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBS, truTV, DIRECTV |
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBS, truTV, DIRECTV |
Sunday, March 29
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
|---|---|---|
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | CBS, Fubo, Paramount+ |
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | CBS, Fubo, Paramount+ |
Final Four
Saturday, April 4
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
|---|---|---|
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBS, truTV, DIRECTV |
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBS, truTV, DIRECTV |
National championship
Monday, April 6
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
|---|---|---|
| TBD vs. TBD | 8:50 p.m. | TBS, truTV, DIRECTV |
How to watch 2026 March Madness games: TV channels, live streams
NCAA Tournament games will air on CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. Viewers can also stream March Madness games on DIRECTV (CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV), Fubo (CBS) and Paramount+ (CBS).
Catch every game — try DIRECTV FREE today! Stream live college basketball, MLB, NHL and more with must-have sports channels like TNT, TBS, truTV, ESPN, FS1 and NFL Network — all included with DIRECTV.
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| Round | TV channel | Live stream |
| First Four | truTV | DIRECTV |
| First Round | CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV | DIRECTV, Fubo, Paramount+ |
| Second Round | CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV | DIRECTV, Fubo, Paramount+ |
| Sweet 16 | CBS, TBS, truTV | DIRECTV, Fubo, Paramount+ |
| Elite Eight | CBS, TBS, truTV | DIRECTV, Fubo, Paramount+ |
| Final Four | TBS, truTV | DIRECTV |
| Championship | TBS, truTV | DIRECTV |
How to listen to NCAA Tournament games on the radio
You can listen to NCAA Tournament games live on SiriusXM. Channels for games are listed on the official SiriusXM website.
New subscribers can listen to SiriusXM for free for four months. Listen to live NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL games, plus NASCAR, college sports and more. Stay updated with all the news and get all the analysis on multiple sport-specific channels.
NCAA Tournament sites 2026
| Round | City | Venue |
| First Four | Dayton, Ohio | UD Arena |
| First/Second | Buffalo, N.Y. | KeyBank Center |
| First/Second | Greenville, S.C. | Bon Secours Wellness Arena |
| First/Second | Oklahoma City | Paycom Center |
| First/Second | Portland, Ore. | Moda Center |
| First/Second | Tampa, Fla. | Benchmark International Arena |
| First/Second | Philadelphia | Xfinity Mobile Arena |
| First/Second | San Diego | Viejas Arena |
| First/Second | St. Louis | Enterprise Center |
| East Regional | Washington, D.C. | Capital One Arena |
| West Regional | San Jose, Calif. | SAP Center |
| South Regional | Houston | Toyota Center |
| Midwest Regional | Chicago | United Center |
| Final Four | Indianapolis | Lucas Oil Stadium |
