2026 NCAA Tournament schedule: March Madness bracket, game dates, locations, tip times and TV channels
Check out the master schedule for the NCAA Tournament so you can watch all the March Madness 2026 action
The March Madness bracket is officially here, college basketball fans. That means it's now time to get down to the fun part: watching as much hardwood action as possible throughout the 2026 NCAA Tournament. CBS Sports is here to provide you with the details you need most: when, where and how to watch every game on the 2026 March Madness schedule.
Grab that calendar and jot these dates down accordingly.
Selection Sunday marked the first day of a three-week-long sprint to a finish line filled with confetti, cut-down nets and a national championship trophy to be awarded all before "One Final Moment" plays to conclude the festivities. March Madness begins on Tuesday with 68 teams still alive in the First Four, though the field will quickly be pared to 64, then 32 ... all the way down to the Final Four, and ultimately, a national champion.
Games will be played across the country from the early afternoon until late evening. If you want to truly get your fill of men's college basketball, you'll need to be diligent -- and you'll probably need to find multiple screens, whether TVs, laptops or phones.
Brackets are here! Get your pools ready and enter our Bracket Challenge for your chance to win a dream trip to the 2027 Final FourⓇ.
The dates and sites for every 2026 NCAA Tournament game are listed below, starting with First Four action from Dayton, Ohio, on March 17 and culminating with the Final Four and NCAA championship game on April 4 and 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The road to the Final Four is a long but worthwhile journey, so be sure to check in often as CBS Sports will update this page each time the NCAA Tournament schedule is adjusted. Games will be aired across CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV, all available on March Madness Live. Games airing on CBS will also be available to Paramount+ subscribers, while those on TBS/TNT/truTV are available via HBO Max.
2026 NCAA Tournament schedule, dates
First Four
Tuesday, March 17
UD Arena (Dayton)
| Time (ET) | Game | TV / Stream |
|---|---|---|
| 6:40 p.m. | (16) UMBC vs. (16) Howard | truTV (watch live) |
| 9:15 p.m. | (11) Texas vs. (11) NC State | truTV (watch live) |
Wednesday, March 18
UD Arena (Dayton)
| Time (ET) | Game | TV / Stream |
|---|---|---|
| 6:40 p.m. | (16) Prairie View A&M vs. (16) Lehigh | truTV (watch live) |
| 9:15 p.m. | (11) Miami (Ohio) vs. (11) SMU | truTV (watch live) |
First round
Thursday, March 19
KeyBank Center (Buffalo), Bon Secours Wellness Arena (Greenville), Paycom Center (Oklahoma City), Moda Center (Portland)
| Time (ET) | Game | TV / Stream |
|---|---|---|
| 12:15 p.m. | (9) TCU vs. (8) Ohio State | CBS (watch live) |
| 12:40 p.m. | (13) Troy vs. (4) Nebraska | truTV (watch live) |
| 1:30 p.m. | (11) South Florida vs. (6) Louisville | TNT (watch live) |
| 1:50 p.m. | (12) High Point vs. (5) Wisconsin | TBS (watch live) |
| 2:50 p.m. | (16) Siena vs. (1) Duke | CBS (watch live) |
| 3:15 p.m. | (12) McNeese vs. (5) Vanderbilt | truTV (watch live) |
| 4:05 p.m. | (14) North Dakota State vs. (3) Michigan State | TNT (watch live) |
| 4:25 p.m. | (9) Hawaii vs. (8) Arkansas | TBS (watch live) |
| 6:50 p.m. | (11) VCU vs. (6) North Carolina | TNT (watch live) |
| 7:10 p.m. | (16) UMBC / Howard vs. (1) Michigan | CBS (watch live) |
| 7:25 p.m. | (11) Texas / NC State vs. (6) BYU | TBS (watch live) |
| 7:35 p.m. | (10) Texas A&M vs. (7) Saint Mary's | truTV (watch live) |
| 9:25 p.m. | (14) Penn vs. (3) Illinois | TNT (watch live) |
| 9:45 p.m. | (9) Saint Louis vs. (8) Georgia | CBS (watch live) |
| 10 p.m. | (14) Kennesaw State vs. (3) Gonzaga | TBS (watch live) |
| 10:10 p.m. | (15) Idaho vs. (2) Houston | truTV (watch live) |
Friday, March 20
Benchmark International Arena (Tampa), Xfinity Mobile Arena (Philadelphia), Viejas Arena (San Diego), Enterprise Center (St. Louis)
| Time (ET) | Game | TV / Stream |
|---|---|---|
| 12:15 p.m. | (10) Santa Clara vs. (7) Kentucky | CBS (watch live) |
| 12:40 p.m. | (12) Akron vs. (5) Texas Tech | truTV (watch live) |
| 1:35 p.m. | (16) LIU vs. (1) Arizona | TNT (watch live) |
| 1:50 p.m. | (14) Wright State vs. (3) Virginia | TBS (watch live) |
| 2:50 p.m. | (15) Tennessee State vs. (2) Iowa State | CBS (watch live) |
| 3:15 p.m. | (13) Hofstra vs. (4) Alabama | truTV (watch live) |
| 4:10 p.m. | (9) Utah State vs. (8) Villanova | TNT (watch live) |
| 4:25 p.m. | (11) Miami (Ohio) / SMU vs. (6) Tennessee | TBS (watch live) |
| 6:50 p.m. | (9) Iowa vs. (8) Clemson | TNT (watch live) |
| 7:10 p.m. | (12) Northern Iowa vs. (5) St. John's | CBS (watch live) |
| 7:25 p.m. | (10) UCF vs. (7) UCLA | TBS (watch live) |
| 7:35 p.m. | (15) Queens (NC) vs. (2) Purdue | truTV (watch live) |
| 9:25 p.m. | (16) Prairie View / Lehigh vs. (1) Florida | TNT (watch live) |
| 9:45 p.m. | (13) Cal Baptist vs. (4) Kansas | CBS (watch live) |
| 10 p.m. | (15) Furman vs. (2) UConn | TBS (watch live) |
| 10:10 p.m. | (10) Missouri vs. (7) Miami (FL) | truTV (watch live) |
Second round
Saturday, March 21 -- 12:10 p.m. start (CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV)
KeyBank Center (Buffalo), Bon Secours Wellness Arena (Greenville), Paycom Center (Oklahoma City), Moda Center (Portland)
Sunday, March 22 -- 12:10 p.m. start (CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV)
Benchmark International Arena (Tampa), Xfinity Mobile Arena (Philadelphia), Viejas Arena (San Diego), Enterprise Center (St. Louis)
Sweet 16
Thursday, March 26 -- 7:10 p.m. start (CBS, TBS)
Toyota Center (Houston), SAP Center (San Jose)
Friday, March 27 -- 7:10 p.m. start (CBS, TBS)
United Center (Chicago), Capital One Arena (Washington, D.C.)
Elite 8
Saturday, March 28 -- 6:09 p.m. start (TBS)
Toyota Center (Houston), SAP Center (San Jose)
Sunday, March 29 -- 2:15 p.m. start (CBS)
United Center (Chicago), Capital One Arena (Washington, D.C.)
Final Four
Saturday, April 4 -- 6:09 p.m. start (TBS)
Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)
National Championship
Monday, April 6 -- 8:50 p.m. (TBS)
Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)
