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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.
SN EXPERT BRACKETS: DeCourcy (Arizona) | Bender (Michigan) | Iyer (Arizona) | Gay (UCLA women)
NCAA Tournament schedule, scores 2026
First Four
Tuesday, March 17
| No. 16 Howard 86, No. 16 UMBC 83 | — | — |
| No. 11 Texas vs. No. 11 NC State | 9:30 p.m. | truTV, DIRECTV |
Wednesday, March 18
| No. 16 Prairie View A&M vs. No. 16 Lehigh | 6:40 p.m. | truTV, DIRECTV |
| No. 11 Miami (Ohio) vs. No. 11 SMU | 9:15 p.m. | truTV, DIRECTV |
Round 1
Thursday, March 19
| No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 9 TCU | 12:15 p.m. | CBS, Fubo, Paramount+ |
| No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 13 Troy | 12:40 p.m. | truTV, DIRECTV |
| No. 6 Louisville vs. No. 11 South Florida | 1:30 p.m. | TNT, DIRECTV |
| No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 12 High Point | 1:50 p.m. | TBS, DIRECTV |
| No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 Siena | 2:50 p.m. | CBS, Fubo, Paramount+ |
| No. 5 Vanderbilt vs. No. 12 McNeese | 3:15 p.m. | truTV, DIRECTV |
| No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 14 North Dakota State | 4:05 p.m. | TNT, DIRECTV |
| No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 13 Hawaii | 4:25 p.m. | TBS, DIRECTV |
| No. 6 North Carolina vs. No. 11 VCU | 6:50 p.m. | TNT, DIRECTV |
| No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 16 Howard | 7:10 p.m. | CBS, Fubo, Paramount+ |
| No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 Texas/NC State | 7:25 p.m. | TBS, DIRECTV |
| No. 7 Saint Mary's vs. No. 10 Texas A&M | 7:35 p.m. | truTV, DIRECTV |
| No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 14 Penn | 9:25 p.m. | TNT, DIRECTV |
| No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 9 Saint Louis | 9:45 p.m. | CBS, Fubo, Paramount+ |
| No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 14 Kennesaw State | 10 p.m. | TBS, DIRECTV |
| No. 2 Houston vs. No. 15 Idaho | 10:10 p.m. | truTV, DIRECTV |
Friday, March 20
| 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)/SMU | 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/Lehigh | 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
| 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 |
Sunday, March 22
| 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
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBD |
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBD |
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBD |
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBD |
Friday, March 27
| 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
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBS, truTV, DIRECTV |
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBS, truTV, DIRECTV |
Sunday, March 29
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | CBS, Fubo, Paramount+ |
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | CBS, Fubo, Paramount+ |
Final Four
Saturday, April 4
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBS, truTV, DIRECTV |
| TBD vs. TBD | TBD | TBS, truTV, DIRECTV |
National championship
Monday, April 6
| TBD vs. TBD | 8:50 p.m. | TBS, truTV, DIRECTV |
How to watch 2026 March Madness games: TV channels, live streams
- TV channels: CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV
- Live streams: DIRECTV, Fubo, Paramount+
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
- Radio station: SiriusXM
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 |
English (US)