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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
Click here to check out The Sporting News live bracket, which includes updated scores and next-round matchups.
NCAA Tournament schedule, scores 2026
Round 1
Thursday, March 19
| 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. 9 Saint Louis 102, No. 8 Georgia 77 | — | — |
| No. 2 Houston 78, No. 15 Idaho 47 | — | — |
| No. 3 Gonzaga 73, No. 14 Kennesaw State 64 | — | — |
Friday, March 20
| No. 7 Kentucky 89, No. 10 Santa Clara 84 (OT) | — | — |
| No. 5 Texas Tech 91, No. 12 Akron 71 | — | — |
| No. 1 Arizona 92, No. 16 LIU 58 | — | — |
| No. 3 Virginia 82, No. 14 Wright State 73 | — | — |
| No. 2 Iowa State 108, No. 15 Tennessee State 74 | — | — |
| No. 4 Alabama 90, No. 13 Hofstra 70 | — | — |
| No. 9 Utah State 86, No. 8 Villanova 76 | — | — |
| No. 6 Tennessee 78, No. 11 Miami (Ohio) 56 | — | — |
| No. 9 Iowa 67, No. 8 Clemson 61 | — | — |
| No. 5 St. John's 79, No. 12 Northern Iowa 53 | — | — |
| No. 7 UCLA 75, No. 10 UCF 71 | — | — |
| No. 2 Purdue 104, No. 15 Queens 71 | — | — |
| No. 1 Florida 114, No. 16 Prairie View A&M 55 | — | — |
| No. 4 Kansas 68, No. 13 Cal Baptist 60 | — | — |
| No. 7 Miami (Fla.) 80, No. 10 Missouri 66 | — | — |
| No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 Furman | 10:31 p.m. | TBS, DIRECTV |
Round 2
Saturday, March 21
| No. 1 Michigan vs. 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 vs. No. 10 Texas A&M | 6:10 p.m. | TNT, DIRECTV |
| No. 3 Gonzaga 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
| 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 |
First Four
Tuesday, March 17
| No. 16 Howard 86, No. 16 UMBC 83 | — | — |
| No. 11 Texas 68, No. 11 NC State 66 | — | — |
Wednesday, March 18
| No. 16 Prairie View A&M 67, No. 16 Lehigh 55 | — | — |
| No. 11 Miami (Ohio) 89, No. 11 SMU 79 | — | — |
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.
Start your FREE trial now and never miss a moment of the action. No contracts, no hassle, just wall-to-wall sports and entertainment.
| 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 |
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