March Madness first round full schedule: NCAA Tournament dates, TV info

March Madness is officially here, so get those last-minute time-off requests in so you can watch the madness from the comfort of your couch, at a sports bar or anywhere else.

As it has for the last several seasons, the First Four will kick things off for the 2026 men's NCAA Tournament in Dayton, Ohio, at UD Arena on Tuesday, March 17 with the first set of play-in tournament-style games for the 68-team bracket. The Lucky Eight that got sent to Dayton by the selection committee includes Texas, North Carolina State, UMBC, Howard, Miami (OH), Southern Methodist, Prairie View A&M and Lehigh.

The top four overall seeds were awarded to Duke, Arizona, Michigan and Florida, in that order. The Blue Devils and Wolverines get started on Thursday, March 19 with first-round games against Siena and UMBC/Howard, respectively, while Wildcats and Gators get started on Friday, March 20 with their first-round games against LIU and Prairie View A&M/Lehigh.

The next couple of days are truly some of the best days of the sports calendar each year, as there is a strong chance there is a college basketball game on either CBS or one of the Turner Broadcast Network channels (TBS, TNT and truTV) for 12 hours of the day, especially Thursday through Sunday of this week as Round of 64 and Round of 32 games are played out.

The Final Four is 20 days out from now at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, where the likely favorites to land in Indianapolis include all 1-seeds and several 2- and 3-seeds like Connecticut, Houston and Purdue. But given the uncertainty and unpredictability of the tournament, that could all be thrown out after the first week by a mid-major Cinderella team or a team that came out of nowhere.

So buckle up, one of the greatest postseason tournaments is here. Enjoy it.

Here's everything to know about the 2026 March Madness schedule, including full dates, times and TV channel information through the conclusion of the Round of 64 and more:

2026 March Madness schedule: Times, Dates, TV channel for NCAA Tournament

All times Eastern

Tuesday, March 17

First Four Games

• MIDWEST REGION: No. 16 UMBC vs. No. 16 Howard | 6:40 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)
• WEST REGION: No. 11 Texas vs. No. 11 North Carolina State | 9:15 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)

Wednesday, March 18

First Four Games

• SOUTH REGION: No. 16 Prairie View A&M vs. No. 16 Lehigh | 6:40 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)
• MIDWEST REGION: No. 11 Miami (Ohio) vs. No. 11 Southern Methodist | 9:15 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)

Thursday, March 19

Round of 64

• EAST REGION: No. 8 Ohio State (21-12) vs. No. 9 TCU (22-11) | 12:15 p.m. | CBS (Fubo)
• SOUTH REGION: No. 4 Nebraska (26-6) vs. No. 13 Troy (22-11) | 12:40 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)
• EAST REGION: No. 6 Louisville (23-10) vs. No. 11 South Florida (25-8) | 1:30 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)
• WEST REGION: No. 5 Wisconsin (24-10) vs. No. 12 High Point (30-4) | 1:50 p.m. | TBS (Sling TV)
• EAST REGION: No. 1 Duke (32-2) vs. No. 16 Siena (23-11) | 2:50 p.m. | CBS (Fubo)
• SOUTH REGION: No. 5 Vanderbilt (26-8) vs. No. 12 McNeese (28-5) | 3:15 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)
• EAST REGION: No. 3 Michigan State (25-7) vs. No. 14 North Dakota State (27-7) | 4:05 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)
• WEST REGION: No. 4 Arkansas (26-8) vs. No. 13 Hawai'i (24-8) | 4:25 p.m. | TBS (Sling TV)
• SOUTH REGION: No. 6 North Carolina (24-8) vs. No. 11 VCU (27-7) | 6:50 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)
• MIDWEST REGION: No. 1 Michigan (31-3) vs. No. 16 UMBC/Howard | 7:10 p.m. | CBS (Fubo)
• WEST REGION: No. 6 BYU (23-11) vs. No. 11 Texas/NC State | 7:25 p.m. | TBS (Sling TV)
• SOUTH REGION: No. 7 Saint Mary's (27-5) vs. No. 10 Texas A&M (21-11) | 7:35 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)
• SOUTH REGION: No. 3 Illinois (24-8) vs. No. 14 Penn (18-11) | 9:25 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)
• MIDWEST REGION: No. 8 Georgia (22-10) vs. No. 9 Saint Louis (28-5) | 9:45 p.m. | CBS (Fubo)
• WEST REGION: No. 3 Gonzaga (30-3) vs. No. 14 Kennesaw State (21-13) | 10 p.m. | TBS (Sling TV)
• SOUTH REGION: No. 2 Houston (28-6) vs. No. 15 Idaho (21-14) | 10:10 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)

Friday, March 20

Round of 64

• MIDWEST REGION: No. 7 Kentucky (21-13) vs. No. 10 Santa Clara (26-8) | 12:15 p.m. | CBS (Fubo)
• MIDWEST REGION: No. 5 Texas Tech (22-10) vs. No. 12 Akron (29-5) | 12:40 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)
• WEST REGION: No. 1 Arizona (32-2) vs. No. 16 LIU (24-10) | 1:35 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)
• MIDWEST REGION: No. 3 Virginia (29-5) vs. No. 14 Wright State (23-11) | 1:50 p.m. | TBS (Sling TV)
• MIDWEST REGION: No. 2 Iowa State (27-7) vs. No. 15 Tennessee State (23-9) | 2:50 p.m. | CBS (Fubo)
• MIDWEST REGION: No. 4 Alabama (23-9) vs. No. 13 Hofstra (24-10) | 3:15 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)
• WEST REGION: No. 8 Villanova (24-8) vs. No. 9 Utah State (28-6) | 4:10 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)
• MIDWEST REGION: No. 6 Tennessee (22-11) vs. No. 11 Miami (Ohio)/SMU | 4:25 p.m. | TBS (Sling TV)
• SOUTH REGION: No. 8 Clemson (24-10) vs. No. 9 Iowa (21-12) | 6:50 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)
• EAST REGION No. 5 St. John's (28-6) vs. No. 12 Northern Iowa (23-12) | 7:10 p.m. | CBS (Fubo)
• EAST REGION: No. 7 UCLA (23-11) vs. No. 10 Central Florida (21-11) | 7:25 p.m. | TBS (Sling TV)
• WEST REGION: No. 2 Purdue (27-8) vs. No. 15 Queens (21-13) | 7:35 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)
• SOUTH REGION: No. 1 Florida (26-7) vs. No. 16 Prairie View A&M/Lehigh | 9:25 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)
• EAST REGION: No. 4 Kansas (23-10) vs. No. 13 Cal Baptist (25-8) | 9:45 p.m. | CBS (Fubo)
• EAST REGION: No. 2 UConn (29-5) vs. No. 15 Furman (22-12) | 10 p.m. | TBS (Sling TV)
• WEST REGION: No. 7 Miami (25-8) vs. No. 10 Missouri (20-12) | 10:10 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)

Saturday, March 21

• Round of 32 Games: Times and TV channels TBD

Sunday, March 22

• Round of 32 Games: Times and TV channels TBD

Thursday, March 26

• Sweet 16 Games (South and West Regions): Time and TV channel TBD

Friday, March 27

• Sweet 16 Games (East and Midwest Regions): Time and TV channel TBD

Saturday, March 28

• Elite Eight/Regional Final Games (South and West Regions): Time and TV channel TBD

Sunday, March 29

• Elite Eight/Regional Final Games (East and Midwest Regions): Time and TV channel TBD

Saturday, April 4

Final Four

• National Semifinal Game 1: 6 p.m. on TBS (Sling TV)
• National Semifinal Game 2: 6 p.m. on TBS (Sling TV)

Monday, April 6

National Championship

• National Title Game: 8:30 p.m. on TBS (Sling TV) (Fubo)

How to watch March Madness 2026: TV channel, streaming options for NCAA Tournament

• TV channels: CBS | TBS | TNT | truTV
• Streaming options: March Madness Live app | Sling TV | Fubo (free trial)

Like past years, the NCAA Tournament will be carried across an assortment of different networks owned by CBS and Warner Bros. Discovery, including CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. TBS and CBS will each televise 21 games, while truTV will air or simulcast a total of 24 games throughout the tournament, and TNT will air or simulcast a total of 15 games.

To stream the games that will appear on Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of Turner Sports, networks — TBS, TNT and truTV — one streaming option includes Sling TV. To stream the games that will appear on CBS, a streaming option is Fubo, which carries CBS and offers a free trial to new subscribers.

Additionally, all March Madness games can be streamed on the March Madness Live app (with a TV login).

Full 2026 March Madness schedule

Here’s a full breakdown of the schedule for the 2026 NCAA men's tournament:

• First Four: March 17-18
• First round: March 19-20
• Second round: March 21-22
• Sweet 16: March 26-27
• Elite Eight: March 28-29
• Final Four: Saturday, April 4 (at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis)
• National championship game: Monday, April 6 (at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis)

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