2026 NCAA Tournament schedule: March Madness bracket, game dates, locations, tip times and TV channels
Check out the master schedule for the NCAA Tournament so you can watch all the March Madness 2026 action
The 2026 Final Four field will be set Sunday night, with two Elite Eight matchups on tap. With regional finals in the Midwest and East, only two teams will punch their tickets to Indianapolis and join the winners from the West and South regionals.
It begins in Chicago, where No. 6 seed Tennessee faces No. 1 seed Michigan (2:15 p.m. ET, CBS, March Madness Live). Tennessee is seeking its first Final Four appearance in program history, while Michigan can return to the final weekend of the college basketball season for the first time since 2018 with a win.
The East Region features a matchup of college basketball heavyweights as No. 1 overall seed Duke faces No. 2 seed UConn (5:05 p.m. ET, CBS, March Madness Live). The Blue Devils can reach the Final Four for the second consecutive year with a win, while UConn can make it three trips in four seasons with an upset.
No team has won three national titles in four seasons since UCLA during its heyday in the 1960s. After losing to reigning national champion Florida last year in the second round, UConn is three wins away from joining that company.
The dates and sites for every 2026 NCAA Tournament game are listed below, 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
Elite Eight
Saturday, March 28 -- 6:09 p.m. start (TBS)
Toyota Center (Houston), SAP Center (San Jose)
| Time (ET) | Game | TV / Stream |
|---|---|---|
| 6:09 p.m. | (3) Illinois 71, (9) Iowa 59 | Highlights |
| 8:49 p.m. | (1) Arizona 79, (2) Purdue 64 | Highlights |
Sunday, March 29 -- 2:15 p.m. start (CBS)
United Center (Chicago), Capital One Arena (Washington, D.C.)
| Time (ET) | Game | TV / Stream |
|---|---|---|
| 2:15 p.m. | (1) Michigan vs. (6) Tennessee || Chicago | CBS (watch live) |
| 5:05 p.m. | (1) Duke vs. (2) UConn || Washington DC | CBS (watch live) |
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)
First Four
Tuesday, March 17
UD Arena (Dayton)
| Time (ET) | Game | TV / Stream |
|---|---|---|
| 6:40 p.m. | (16) Howard 86, (16) UMBC 83 | Highlights |
| 9:15 p.m. | (11) Texas 68, (11) NC State 66 | Highlights |
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 66, (8) Ohio State 64 | Highlights |
| 12:40 p.m. | (4) Nebraska 76, (13) Troy 47 | Highlights |
| 1:30 p.m. | (6) Louisville 83, (11) South Florida 79 | Highlights |
| 1:50 p.m. | (12) High Point 83, (5) Wisconsin 82 | Highlights |
| 2:50 p.m. | (1) Duke 71, (16) Siena 65 | Highlights |
| 3:15 p.m. | (5) Vanderbilt 78, (12) McNeese 68 | Highlights |
| 4:05 p.m. | (3) Michigan State 92, (14) North Dakota State 67 | Highlights |
| 4:25 p.m. | (4) Arkansas 97, (13) Hawaii 78 | Highlights |
| 6:50 p.m. | (11) VCU 82, (6) North Carolina 78 (OT) | Highlights |
| 7:10 p.m. | (1) Michigan 101, (16) Howard 80 | Highlights |
| 7:25 p.m. | (11) Texas 79, (6) BYU 71 | Highlights |
| 7:35 p.m. | (10) Texas A&M 63, (7) Saint Mary's 50 | Highlights |
| 9:25 p.m. | (3) Illinois 105, (14) Penn 70 | Highlights |
| 9:45 p.m. | (9) Saint Louis 102, (8) Georgia 77 | Highlights |
| 10 p.m. | (1(3) Gonzaga 73, (14) Kennesaw State 64 | Highlights |
| 10:10 p.m. | (2) Houston 78, (15) Idaho 47 | Highlights |
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. | (7) Kentucky 89, (10) Santa Clara 84 | Highlights |
| 12:40 p.m. | (5) Texas Tech 91, (12) Akron 71 | Highlights |
| 1:35 p.m. | (1) Arizona 92, (16) LIU 58 | Highlights |
| 1:50 p.m. | (3) Virginia 82, (14) Wright State 73 | Highlights |
| 2:50 p.m. | (2) Iowa State 108, (15) Tennessee State 74 | Highlights |
| 3:15 p.m. | (4) Alabama 90, (13) Hofstra 70 | Highlights |
| 4:10 p.m. | (9) Utah State 86, (8) Villanova 76 | Highlights |
| 4:25 p.m. | (6) Tennessee 78, (11) Miami (Ohio) 56 | Highlights |
| 6:50 p.m. | (9) Iowa 67, (8) Clemson 61 | Highlights |
| 7:10 p.m. | (5) St. John's 79, (12) Northern Iowa 53 | Highlights |
| 7:25 p.m. | (10) UCF vs. (7) UCLA | Highlights |
| 7:35 p.m. | (2) Purdue 104, (15) Queens 71 | Highlights |
| 9:25 p.m. | (1) Florida 114, (16) Prairie View A&M 55 | Highlights |
| 9:45 p.m. | (4) Kansas 68, (13) Cal Baptist 60 | Highlights |
| 10 p.m. | (2) UConn 82, (15) Furman 71 | Highlights |
| 10:10 p.m. | (7) Miami (FL) 80, (10) Missouri 66 | Highlights |
Second round
Sunday, March 22
Benchmark International Arena (Tampa), Xfinity Mobile Arena (Philadelphia), Viejas Arena (San Diego), Enterprise Center (St. Louis)
| Time (ET) | Game | TV / Stream |
|---|---|---|
| 12:10 p.m. | (2) Purdue 79, (7) Miami (FL) 69 | Highlights |
| 2:45 p.m. | (2) Iowa State 82, (7) Kentucky 63 | Highlights |
| 5:15 p.m. | (5) St. John's 67, (4) Kansas 65 | Highlights |
| 6:10 p.m. | (6) Tennessee 79, (3) Virginia 72 | Highlights |
| 7:10 p.m. | (9) Iowa 73, (1) Florida 72 | Highlights |
| 7:50 p.m. | (1) Arizona 78, (9) Utah State 66 | Highlights |
| 8:45 p.m. | (2) UConn 73, (7) UCLA 57 | Highlights |
| 9:45 p.m. | (4) Alabama 90, (5) Texas Tech 65 | Highlights |
Saturday, March 21
KeyBank Center (Buffalo), Bon Secours Wellness Arena (Greenville), Paycom Center (Oklahoma City), Moda Center (Portland)
| Time (ET) | Game | TV / Stream |
|---|---|---|
| 12:10 p.m. | (1) Michigan 95, (9) Saint Louis 72 | Highlights |
| 2:45 p.m. | (3) Michigan State 77, (6) Louisville 69 | Highlights |
| 5:15 p.m. | (1) Duke 81, (9) TCU 58 | Highlights |
| 6:10 p.m. | (2) Houston 88 (10) Texas A&M 57 | Highlights |
| 7:10 p.m. | (11) Texas 74 (3) Gonzaga 68 | Highlights |
| 7:50 p.m. | (3) Illinois 76 (11) VCU 55 | Highlights |
| 8:45 p.m. | (4) Nebraska 74, (5) Vanderbilt 72 | Highlights |
| 9:45 p.m. | (4) Arkansas 94, (12) High Point 88 | Highlights |
Sweet 16
| Time (ET) | Game | TV / Stream |
|---|---|---|
| 7:10 p.m. | (2) Purdue 79, (11) Texas 77 | Highlights |
| 7:30 p.m. | (9) Iowa 77, (4) Nebraska 71 | Highlights |
| 9:45 p.m. | (1) Arizona 109, (4) Arkansas 88 | Highlights |
| 10:05 p.m. | (3) Illinois 65, (2) Houston 55 | Highlights |
Sweet 16
Friday, March 27
United Center (Chicago), Capital One Arena (Washington, D.C.)
| Time (ET) | Game | TV / Stream |
|---|---|---|
| 7:10 p.m. | (1) Duke 80, (5) St. John's 75 | Highlights |
| 7:35 p.m. | (1) Michigan 90, (4) Alabama 77 | Highlights |
| 9:45 p.m. | (2) UConn 67, (3) Michigan State 63 | Highlights |
| 10:10 p.m. | (6) Tennessee 76, (2) Iowa State 62 | Highlights |
