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The March Madness bracket is officially here, college basketball fans. That means it’s now time to get down to the fun part: watching as much hardwood action as possible throughout the 2026 NCAA Tournament. CBS Sports is here to provide you with the details you need most: when, where and how to watch every game on the 2026 March Madness schedule.
Grab that calendar and jot these dates down accordingly.
Selection Sunday marked the first day of a three-week-long sprint to a finish line filled with confetti, cut-down nets and a national championship trophy to be awarded all before “One Final Moment” plays to conclude the festivities. March Madness begins on Tuesday with 68 teams still alive in the First Four, though the field will quickly be pared to 64, then 32 … all the way down to the Final Four, and ultimately, a national champion.
Games will be played across the country from the early afternoon until late evening. If you want to truly get your fill of men’s college basketball, you’ll need to be diligent — and you’ll probably need to find multiple screens, whether TVs, laptops or phones.
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Ⓡ.
The dates and sites for every 2026 NCAA Tournament game are listed below, starting with First Four action from Dayton, Ohio, on March 17 and culminating with the Final Four and NCAA championship game on April 4 and 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The road to the Final Four is a long but worthwhile journey, so be sure to check in often as CBS Sports will update this page each time the NCAA Tournament schedule is adjusted. Games will be aired across CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV, all available on March Madness Live. Games airing on CBS will also be available to Paramount+ subscribers, while those on TBS/TNT/truTV are available via HBO Max.
2026 NCAA Tournament schedule, dates First Four Tuesday, March 17
UD Arena (Dayton)
Time (ET) Game TV / Stream 6:40 p.m. (16) UMBC vs. (16) Howard
truTV (watch live) 9:15 p.m. (11) Texas vs. (11) NC State
truTV (watch live) Wednesday, March 18
UD Arena (Dayton)
Time (ET) Game TV / Stream 6:40 p.m. (16) Prairie View A&M vs. (16) Lehigh
truTV (watch live) 9:15 p.m. (11) Miami (Ohio) vs. (11) SMU
truTV (watch live) First round Thursday, March 19
KeyBank Center (Buffalo), Bon Secours Wellness Arena (Greenville), Paycom Center (Oklahoma City), Moda Center (Portland)
Time (ET) Game TV / Stream 12:15 p.m. (9) TCU vs. (8) Ohio State
CBS (watch live) 12:40 p.m. (13) Troy vs. (4) Nebraska
truTV (watch live) 1:30 p.m. (11) South Florida vs. (6) Louisville
TNT (watch live) 1:50 p.m. (12) High Point vs. (5) Wisconsin
TBS (watch live) 2:50 p.m. (16) Siena vs. (1) Duke
CBS (watch live) 3:15 p.m. (12) McNeese vs. (5) Vanderbilt
truTV (watch live) 4:05 p.m. (14) North Dakota State vs. (3) Michigan State
TNT (watch live) 4:25 p.m. (9) Hawaii vs. (8) Arkansas
TBS (watch live) 6:50 p.m. (11) VCU vs. (6) North Carolina
TNT (watch live) 7:10 p.m. (16) UMBC / Howard vs. (1) Michigan
CBS (watch live) 7:25 p.m. (11) Texas / NC State vs. (6) BYU
TBS (watch live) 7:35 p.m. (10) Texas A&M vs. (7) Saint Mary’s
truTV (watch live) 9:25 p.m. (14) Penn vs. (3) Illinois
TNT (watch live) 9:45 p.m. (9) Saint Louis vs. (8) Georgia
CBS (watch live) 10 p.m. (14) Kennesaw State vs. (3) Gonzaga
TBS (watch live) 10:10 p.m. (15) Idaho vs. (2) Houston
truTV (watch live) Friday, March 20
Benchmark International Arena (Tampa), Xfinity Mobile Arena (Philadelphia), Viejas Arena (San Diego), Enterprise Center (St. Louis)
Time (ET) Game TV / Stream 12:15 p.m. (10) Santa Clara vs. (7) Kentucky
CBS (watch live) 12:40 p.m. (12) Akron vs. (5) Texas Tech
truTV (watch live) 1:35 p.m. (16) LIU vs. (1) Arizona
TNT (watch live) 1:50 p.m. (14) Wright State vs. (3) Virginia
TBS (watch live) 2:50 p.m. (15) Tennessee State vs. (2) Iowa State
CBS (watch live) 3:15 p.m. (13) Hofstra vs. (4) Alabama
truTV (watch live) 4:10 p.m. (9) Utah State vs. (8) Villanova
TNT (watch live) 4:25 p.m. (11) Miami (Ohio) / SMU vs. (6) Tennessee
TBS (watch live) 6:50 p.m. (9) Iowa vs. (8) Clemson
TNT (watch live) 7:10 p.m. (12) Northern Iowa vs. (5) St. John’s
CBS (watch live) 7:25 p.m. (10) UCF vs. (7) UCLA
TBS (watch live) 7:35 p.m. (15) Queens (NC) vs. (2) Purdue
truTV (watch live) 9:25 p.m. (16) Prairie View / Lehigh vs. (1) Florida
TNT (watch live) 9:45 p.m. (13) Cal Baptist vs. (4) Kansas
CBS (watch live) 10 p.m. (15) Furman vs. (2) UConn
TBS (watch live) 10:10 p.m. (10) Missouri vs. (7) Miami (FL)
truTV (watch live) 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)
Source: CBS Sports | Read the Full Story…
