2026 NCAA Tournament bracket: March Madness schedule and scores by region, TV channels and tip times

By: CBS Sports Posted On: March 20, 2026 View: 8

The fun continues Friday as the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament gets underway with 16 juicy matchups on tap. No. 10 seed Santa Clara faces No. 7 seed Kentucky (12:15 p.m. ET, CBS and March Madness Live) kicks off the action. Kentucky has dominated the headlines all year with its reported $22 million roster. A first-round exit would fan the flames amid a season that has gone astray. The winner of No. 2 seed Iowa State and No. 15 seed Tennessee State awaits the winner of the Kentucky-Santa Clara clash.

Another top matchup has No. 8 seed Villanova facing No. 9 seed Utah State (4:10 p.m., TNT and March Madness Live ). Utah State coach Jerrod Calhoun believes the Aggies were underseeded. Friday is an opportunity to flip the narrative for a Mountain West that has routinely been a punching-bag in the NCAA Tournament.

No. 11 Miami (Ohio) will look to keep its magical season alive when it tussles with No. 6 Tennessee (4:25 p.m., TBS and March Madness Live). The Volunteers have a future lottery pick in Nate Ament, one of the most fearsome frontlines in college basketball and an All-SEC point guard in Ja'Kobi Gillespie. Can the RedHawks keep the fun alive?

No. 2 seed UConn will also begin its 2026 NCAA Tournament in a nightcap against Furman (10 p.m., TBS and March Madness Live).

As the home of March Madness, CBS Sports will track every game and score, keeping you apprised of notable developments in our continuously updating live NCAA Tournament bracket with matchup analysis for every game.

As far as the NCAA Tournament schedule, we understand that it's hard to keep up with that printable bracket of yours, so how about an easier way to digest it?

Below you will find a March Madness schedule featuring viewing information for each game broken down by region, that way you can not only follow your team but also those they may compete against through the duration of March Madness.

In other words, you should bookmark this page and keep it as an easy reference guide from the First Four through the Final Four. Now that the games started on Tuesday, it will be updated with scores, analysis and much more -- all the way through the national championship.

2026 NCAA Tournament bracket, scores

All times Eastern

East

FIRST ROUND

Thursday -- Greenville

Thursday -- Buffalo

Friday -- San Diego

Friday -- Philadelphia

West

FIRST FOUR

Tuesday -- Dayton

FIRST ROUND

Thursday -- Portland

Friday -- San Diego

Friday -- St. Louis

Midwest

FIRST FOUR

Tuesday -- Dayton

Wednesday -- Dayton

FIRST ROUND

Thursday -- Buffalo

(1) Michigan 101, (16) Howard 80 | Recap
(9) Saint Louis 102, (8) Georgia 77 | Recap

Friday -- St. Louis

Friday -- Tampa

Friday -- Philadelphia

South

FIRST FOUR

Wednesday -- Dayton

FIRST ROUND

Thursday -- Oklahoma City

Thursday -- Greenville

(11) VCU 78 (6) North Carolina 82 (OT) | Recap
(3) Illinois 105, (14) Penn 70 | Recap

Thursday -- Oklahoma City

(10) Texas A&M 63, (7) Saint Mary's 50 | Reca
(2) Houston 78, (15) Idaho 47 | Recap

Friday -- Tampa

(9) Clemson vs. (8) Iowa | 6:50 p.m., TNT
(16) Prairie Viewvs. (1) Florida | 9:25 p.m., TNT

2026 NCAA Tournament schedule

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)