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2026 NCAA Tournament first, second round schedule: March Madness dates and tip times

2026 NCAA Tournament first, second round schedule: March Madness dates and tip times

The Sweet 16 field is set after an action-packed four days of NCAA Tournament action. 

Fans were treated to true March Madness on Sunday with a pair of exciting, down-to-the-wire finishes. No. 5 seed St. John’s downed No. 4 seed Kansas with a 67-65 victory when Dylan Darling banked home a buzzer-beating layup after being held scoreless all game.

Later that night, Iowa’s Alvaro Folgueiras created a moment of his own. The Hawkeyes’ versatile forward drilled a go-ahead 3-pointer from the right corner with 4.5 seconds left that ultimately lifted Iowa to a 73-72 upset of reigning national champion Florida. 

While it lacked the last-possession drama, Tennessee-Virginia featured plenty of twists and turns. The No. 6 seed Volunteers outlasted the No. 3 seed Cavaliers 79-72 in a game that was tight until the end. Virginia’s Thijs De Ridder put UVa ahead 71-70 with a 3-pointer at the 2:03 mark. Tennessee outscored Virginia 9-1 from there with all nine of those points coming at the free-throw line.

Here is a full breakdown of the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Be sure to follow the live bracket throughout March Madness. 

2026 NCAA Tournament schedule, dates

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)

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 Eight

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)


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

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