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JUMP TO:
- NCAA First Four scores
- NCAA First Four updates
- NCAA First Four schedule
- How to watch NCAA First Four
- NCAA March Madness schedule
With Selection Sunday having come and passed, the 2026 March Madness field is set. But while the field of 68 teams is final, there's more to be settled before the first round begins.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, March Madness officially opens with the First Four matchups, as the four lowest-seeded at-large bids and the four lowest-seeded automatic bids are set to compete for a spot in the Round of 64.
STREAM: Watch 2026 First Four games live with DIRECTV
All four games will be played at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio, where eight teams are hoping their postseason run lives on. First up on Tuesday will be UMBC vs. Howard, with the winner claiming the No. 16 seed in the Midwest Region and an opportunity to face No. 1 Michigan. Then, NC State will take on Texas for the West Region's No. 11 seed, with A.J. Dybantsa and No. 6 BYU awaiting the victor.
The First Four action continues Wednesday with Prairie View A&M vs. Lehigh; the winner there will claim the South Region's No. 16 seed and the right to face the defending champions, No. 1 Florida. And finally, on Wednesday night, the Miami (OH) Redhawks, one of college basketball's biggest stories in 2025-26 after their unbeaten regular season, will face SMU for the Midwest Region's 11th seed. Either the Redhawks or Mustangs would then take on No. 6 Tennessee.
The Sporting News is tracking live results from the 2026 First Four for the NCAA Tournament. Follow along below for final scores, highlights and more from the matchups as March Madness gets underway.
MARCH MADNESS HQ: Live NCAA bracket | TV schedule | Printable bracket
NCAA First Four basketball scores
UMBC vs. Howard
Texas vs. NC State
Prairie View A&M vs. Lehigh
Miami (OH) vs. SMU
SN EXPERT BRACKETS: DeCourcy (Arizona) | Bender (Michigan) | Iyer (Arizona) | Gay (UCLA women)
March Madness First Four live highlights, results from NCAA Tournament's opening games
6:40 p.m. - We have tipped off in Dayton! Prairie View A&M and Lehigh have begun, with Dontae Horne of A&M striking first with a three-pointer.
Texas 68, NC State 66
11:57 p.m.: NC State can't get a shot off and Texas survives!
11:55 p.m.: With the game tied, Tramon Mark hits a huge shot to put Texas up two with just 1.1 seconds left.
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 202611:51 p.m.: The two sides keep exchanging tough shots, leading up to a one-point Texas lead with 25 seconds left.
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2026HERE COME THE PACK 🐺#MarchMadness @PackMensBball pic.twitter.com/3VJFWLbCEt
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 202611:35 p.m.: With under four minutes left, Texas is up five points. Darrion Williams and Quadir Copeland are doing their best to keep NC State alive.
11:09 p.m.: Texas has created a little bit of separation, extending its lead to three at the under-12. Matas Vokietaitis has 11 points for the Longhorns.
A sweet Chendall Weaver pass leads to the Matas Vokietaitis spin and score 🪄 pic.twitter.com/T9P3NCSAjJ
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 202610:47 p.m.: The second half of the game is underway, with the Longhorns and Wolfpack set to decide who moves on.
10:21 p.m.: At halftime, Texas leads NC State 30-29. The Wolfpack were able to climb back into this one after a slow start.
NC State is back within 1 👀 pic.twitter.com/06e3YKRI1T
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 20269:52 p.m.: Texas has the early eight-point lead, while Darrion Williams is keeping NC State in it on his own. Williams has 10 of NC State's 14 points so far.
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 20269:30 p.m.: The second game tonight has begun, as Texas and NC State will battle it out for a spot in the round of 32.
Howard 86, UMBC 83
8:55 p.m.: UMBC made it close in the end, but Howard survives 86-83 and will face Michigan on Thursday.
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2026Howard survives to win its FIRST ever NCAA tournament game 👏#MarchMadness @HUMensBB pic.twitter.com/fBwVh7RF5l
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 20268:18 p.m.: Halfway through the second half, Howard has maintained its lead, as the Bison are now up double-digits. UMBC needs a strong final ten minutes to flip the game.
BIG triple extends the Bison lead to 13 🎯#MarchMadness @HUMensBB pic.twitter.com/nMlJyN2VyU
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 20267:33 p.m.: At halftime, Howard has the lead 49 to 41. Bisons guard Osa Okojie leads all scorers with 16 points.
UMBC cuts into the Howard lead as the first half comes to a close 👀#MarchMadness @UMBC_MBB pic.twitter.com/V0kADMoeqt
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 20267:09 p.m.: Over halfway through the first half, this is a high-scoring game with Howard leading by four.
Ose Okojie and-1 😤#MarchMadness @HUMensBB pic.twitter.com/AiW9JPCS4n
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 20266:40 p.m.: The 2026 NCAA tournament is officially underway, as UMBC battles Howard in the First Four!
The ball is tipped 🎶 pic.twitter.com/HXQiBQYjSj
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2026MORE UPSET PICKS: 10 seeds | 11 seeds | 12 seeds | 13 seeds
March Madness First Four schedule 2026
Tuesday, March 17
| No. 16 UMBC vs. No. 16 Howard | 6:40 p.m. | truTV, DIRECTV |
| No. 11 Texas vs. No. 11 NC State | 9:15 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 |
MORE REGION PREVIEWS: East | West | Midwest | South
How to watch NCAA First Four games
- TV channels: truTV
- Live streams: DIRECTV
All four of the First Four games at the 2026 NCAA Tournament will air on truTV. Cord-cutters seeking to stream the First Four matchups can turn toward DIRECTV.
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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NCAA Tournament schedule 2026
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 | 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 |
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