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Follow the Road to the Final Four all month long with an updating bracket and TV schedule
Mar 15, 2026
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11:49 pm ET
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3 min read
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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
(10) UCF vs. (7) UCLA | 7:25 p.m., TBS (15) Furman vs. (2) UConn | 10 p.m., TBS West FIRST FOUR
Tuesday — Dayton
(11) Texas vs. (11) NC State | 9:15 p.m., truTV 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
(16) UMBC vs. (16) Howard | 6:40 p.m., truTV 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
(9) Clemson vs. (8) Iowa | 6:50 p.m., TNT (16) Prairie View/Lehigh vs. (1) Florida | 9:25 p.m., TNT 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)
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