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College basketball fans will discover which 68 teams will be participating in the "Big Dance" when they are announced on Selection Sunday, March 15, 2026 beginning at 6PM ET on CBS. This year's madness kicks off with the First Four games in Dayton on Tuesday, March 17 and Wednesday, March 18 (see the 2026 March Madness TV schedule, below). With matches set, the first round begins on Thursday, March 19. The second round kicks off that weekend on Saturday, March 21. As the teams drill down to the favored few, watch for the Sweet Sixteen beginning on Thursday, March 28 and Elite Eight matchups kicking off on Saturday, March 28. Wrapping it all up are the Final Four games on Saturday, April 4 followed by the championship game on Monday, April 6 at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Thereafter, the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 rounds will air on TBS and CBS. Watch for the Final Four (Saturday, April 4) and the Championship game (Monday, April 6) to air on TBS this year. Meanwhile, keep it here for complete times and TV channels along with team matchups and final scores for every game of the 2026 Men's NCAA basketball tournament.
Round of 32 Round of 32 Michigan 95, Saint Louis 72 - FINAL
Sweet 16: March 26-27 Elite Eight: March 28-29 Final Four: Saturday, April 4, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis National Championship: Monday, April 6, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis PREVIOUS SCORES Round of 64 Kentucky 89,.Santa Clara 84- FINAL Texas Tech 91, Akron 71- FINAL Arizona 92, LIU 58 - FINAL Virginia 82, Wright State 73- FINAL Iowa State 108, Tennessee State 74- FINAL Alabama 90, Hofstra 70 - FINAL Utah State 86, Villanova 76 - FINAL Tennessee 79, Miami (Ohio) 56 - FINAL Iowa 67, Clemson 61- FINAL St. John’s 79,. Northern Iowa 53 - FINAL UCLA 75, UCF 71 - FINAL Purdue 104, Queens 71 - FINAL Prairie View A&M 114, Florida 55 - FINAL Kansas 68, Cal Baptist 60 - FINAL UConn 82, Furman 71 - FINAL Miami 80, Missouri 66 - FINAL
Nebraska 76, Troy 47 - FINAL Louisville 83, South Florida 47- FINAL High Point 83, Wisconsin 82 - FINAL Duke 71, Siena 65 - FINAL Vanderbilt 78, McNeese 68 - FINAL Michigan State 92, North Dakota State 67 - FINAL Arkansas 97, Hawaii 78 - FINAL VCU 82, North Carolina 78 - FINAL Michigan 101, Howard 80 - FINAL Texas 35, BYU 6 - FINAL Texas A&M 63, Saint Mary’s 50 - FINAL Illinois 105, Penn 70 - FINAL Georgia 77, Saint Louis 102- FINAL Gonzaga 64, Kennesaw State 56- FINAL Houston 78, Idaho 47 - FINAL First Four: March 17-18 Tuesday, March 17:
The initial scramble for March Madness tickets for the first four, second/third round and regional games begins in late summer or fall of the year before. FINAL FOUR: For the most sought-after finals, the NCAA annually puts about 40% of allotted Final Four tickets up for grabs in a random selection process the year before. The rest are managed by their official partner, Prime Sport. They provide a safe venue for fans to swap or sell tickets for popular final game tickets. Don't forget that as the tournament heats up, prices can range anywhere from $30 and upwards to $15,000! BUT BE CAREFUL OUT THERE: As usual, be wary of the unscrupulous ticket seller on Craig's list or any other person looking to score on the frenzy for March Madness tickets. Say no to cash payments and only use a credit card to have record of your purchase and to contest any argument. Pro Tip: Buy from reputable sites like StubHub and TicketsNow which offer guarantees for refunds or exchanges on ticket errors or canceled games. The phrase “March Madness” was coined by Henry V. Porter in 1939 to describe an Illinois high school basketball tourney. Brent Musburger first used it during NCAA coverage in 1982 causing a legal battle almost as insane as the playoffs. But everyone finally worked things out and the madness was official. There isn't a good record of who first called the playoffs "The Big Dance", but it does describe the action. The 5 schools who have the winningest history in NCAA Division I Men's basketball are:
Although past history is no guarantee in this Cinderella-laced NCAA tournament, number one seeds have won every time in the first round for the past 16 years and number two seeds have only lost three first round games... a 95% win average. What makes the brackets exciting are the number 13 and 14 seeds who came out winners in the first round 20 times since 1992... a sweet 16% that leads to dreams of glory. Watch for them in your brackets. Also look for teams from smaller conferences or those who had a bad start to the season, but got their game on during the last weeks to pull off an invitation. A power player in a slump or on a injury roster can mean a lower seed for a solid team.
NCAA Basketball - CBS Sports - Here's headline reports & predictions, opinion and news, plus the latest scores at a glance and key dates for major games. NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship - Wikipedia's excellent overview of March Madness features tons of stats, facts and incredible depth of trivia answers.
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As usual, the First Four rounds will air on truTV. Sharing first and second round coverage will be CBS, TNT, TBS, and TruTV.
Meanwhile, scoring tickets to local games means getting ready to pounce as venues are announced in March - whether its smaller college arenas, or mega-venues such as Madison Square Garden in New York City.
