2026 NCAA Tournament bracket: March Madness schedule and scores by region, TV channels and tip times
Follow the Road to the Final Four all month long with an updating bracket and TV schedule
The 2026 NCAA Tournament officially begins Tuesday and Wednesday with First Four action followed by first- and second-round games on Thursday and Friday as part of a rollercoaster opening week that will see the 68-team field quickly shrink to a Sweet 16 in the span of just six days. A basketball bonanza is upon us, so consider this a warning that it is not going to let up until the end of March Madness and into the first week of April.
As the home of March Madness, CBS Sports will track every game and score, keeping you apprised of notable developments in our continuously updating live NCAA Tournament bracket with matchup analysis for every game.
As far as the NCAA Tournament schedule, we understand that it's hard to keep up with that printable bracket of yours, so how about an easier way to digest it?
Below you will find a March Madness schedule featuring viewing information for each game broken down by region, that way you can not only follow your team but also those they may compete against through the duration of March Madness.
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Ⓡ.
In other words, you should bookmark this page and keep it as an easy reference guide from the First Four through the Final Four. Once the games start on Tuesday, it will be updated with scores, analysis and much more -- all the way through the national championship.
2026 NCAA Tournament bracket, scores
All times Eastern
East
FIRST ROUND
Thursday -- Greenville
- (9) TCU vs. (8) Ohio State | 12:15 p.m., CBS
- (16) Siena vs. (1) Duke | 2:50 p.m., CBS
Thursday -- Buffalo
- (11) South Florida vs. (6) Louisville | 1:30 p.m., TNT
- (14) North Dakota State vs. (3) Michigan State | 4:05 p.m., TNT
Friday -- San Diego
- (12) Northern Iowa vs. (5) St. John's | 7:10 p.m., CBS
- (13) Cal Baptist vs. (4) Kansas | 9:45 p.m., CBS
Friday -- Philadelphia
West
FIRST FOUR
Tuesday -- Dayton
FIRST ROUND
Thursday -- Portland
- (12) High Point vs. (5) Wisconsin | 1:50 p.m., TBS
- (13) Hawaii vs. (4) Arkansas | 4:25 p.m., TBS
- (11) Texas/NC State vs. (6) BYU | 7:25 p.m., TBS
- (14) Kennesaw State vs. (3) Gonzaga | 10 p.m., TBS
Friday -- San Diego
- (16) LIU vs. (1) Arizona | 1:35 p.m., TNT
- (9) Utah State vs. (8) Villanova | 4:10 p.m., TNT
Friday -- St. Louis
- (15) Queens vs. (2) Purdue | 7:35 p.m., truTV
- (10) Missouri vs. (7) Miami (FL) | 10:10 p.m., truTV
Midwest
FIRST FOUR
Tuesday -- Dayton
Wednesday -- Dayton
- (11) Miami (Ohio) vs. SMU | 9:15 p.m., truTV
FIRST ROUND
Thursday -- Buffalo
- (16) UMBC/Howard vs. (1) Michigan | 7:10 p.m., CBS
- (9) Saint Louis vs. (8) Georgia | 9:45 p.m., CBS
Friday -- St. Louis
- (10) Santa Clara vs. (7) Kentucky | 12:15 p.m., CBS
- (15) Tennessee State vs. (2) Iowa State | 2:50 p.m., CBS
Friday -- Tampa
- (12) Akron vs. (5) Texas Tech | 12:40 p.m., truTV
- (13) Hofstra vs. (4) Alabama | 3:15 p.m., truTV
Friday -- Philadelphia
- (14) Wright State vs. (3) Virginia | 1:50 p.m., TBS
- (11) Miami (Ohio)/SMU vs. (6) Tennessee | 4:25 p.m., TBS
South
FIRST FOUR
Wednesday -- Dayton
- (16) Prairie View vs. (16) Lehigh | 6:40 p.m., truTV
FIRST ROUND
Thursday -- Oklahoma City
- (13) Troy vs. (4) Nebraska | 12:40 p.m., truTV
- (12) McNeese vs. (5) Vanderbilt | 3:15 p.m., truTV
Thursday -- Greenville
- (11) VCU vs. (6) North Carolina | 6:50 p.m., TNT
- (14) Penn vs. (3) Illinois | 9:25 p.m., TNT
Thursday -- Oklahoma City
- (10) Texas A&M vs. (7) Saint Mary's | 7:35 p.m., truTV
- (15) Idaho vs. (2) Houston | 10:10 p.m., truTV
Friday -- Tampa
2026 NCAA Tournament schedule
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)
