Selection Sunday 2026: Start time, where to watch March Madness bracket reveal

College basketball’s long-awaited postseason is here with Selection Sunday and the reveal of the 2026 NCAA Tournament’s 68-team bracket. CBS will exclusively air the decision from the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee as the first- and second-round matchups for March Madness are presented live with extensive coverage on Sunday.

There are several elite teams and national championship contenders safely in the field, along with automatic qualifiers entering the final weekend as conference tournaments come to a close. However, multiple bubble teams are patiently waiting to see whether their resumes are strong enough to warrant inclusion.

Overall, 31 teams automatically qualify for the field by winning those respective conference tournaments, but more than half the field — 37 teams, to be exact — are hand-selected by the selection committee.

Nothing will be finalized until Sunday night when the selection committee determines the eight First Four participants along with the other 60 teams that are immediately placed in the main bracket. That is why so much hubbub is made each year about Selection Sunday when the field of 68 teams is unveiled.

There will be plenty of time to fill out your NCAA Tournament bracket on CBS Sports from Selection Sunday until first-round play begins Thursday afternoon. From there, you can name your group and toggle between a variety of options to set up your pool. The steps for entry are easy, but winning your pool and earning bragging rights are not.

Where to watch 2026 NCAA Tournament Selection Show

• Date: Sunday, March 15 | Time: 6 p.m. ET
• TV: CBS and Paramount+
• Live stream: March Madness Live 
• Additional coverage: CBS Sports HQ will break down the bracket with game picks and analysis after the show

Between Selection Sunday and the first official games of the Big Dance, your time will be limited to fill out your bracket. Here’s a full look ahead at what to expect over the coming weeks.

2026 NCAA Tournament bracket primer

Approaching Selection Sunday, Duke, Michigan, Arizona and Florida are the expected top seeds with Michigan State, UConn, Houston and Illinois battling to either level or or settle in as No. 2 seeds.

There have already been postseason upsets with an unexpected loss on Thursday from Miami (Ohio) being the most notable as the nation’s lone unbeaten entering conference tournament action went down, ending its perfect season. The RedHawks’ (31-1) loss to UMass was their fourth consecutive game decided in the final second, and it is leaving many bracketologists questioning their placement in the field, given their lack of quality wins per selection committee metrics.

After failing to win the MAC Tournament, there’s a chance Miami (Ohio) could be left out of the NCAA Tournament, though most do not expect that will happen. The RedHawks were the first team to complete a perfect regular season since Gonzaga in 2021 and only the eighth in the last half-century before Thursday’s setback.

2026 NCAA Tournament schedule