How to Watch March Madness® 2026 Live: Schedule, Bracket & TV Channels

March is here — and that can only mean one thing: March Madness^® 2026 has arrived. From historic upsets and buzzer beaters to rivalry matchups and bracket-busting moments, anything can happen during the NCAA^® Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Grab your bracket and take a seat — here’s everything you need to know about how to watch March Madness live on TV, including the full schedule, printable bracket and the top teams to watch.

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How to Watch 2026 March Madness®

Fans can watch the NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament live on TV across the following networks:

• CBS (find your local CBS affiliate)
• TBS
• TNT
• truTV

With DIRECTV’s MySports^® Genre Pack^®, you can watch every game of both the Men’s and Women’s March Madness tournaments in one place. DIRECTV also offers multiview and more, so you can follow multiple games at once and never miss a bracket-busting moment.

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March Madness® Full Schedule & Key Dates

From the First Four to the Final Four, here is the full 2026 March Madness schedule, starting on March 15.

• Conclusion of Conference Tournaments: By Sunday, March 15
  (Learn more about the ACC, SEC and Big Ten Conference Tournaments here.)
• Selection Sunday: 8 p.m. ET, Sunday, March 15
• First Four: March 17-18
• First round: March 19-20
• Second round: March 21-22
• Sweet 16: March 26-27
• Elite Eight: March 28-29
• Final Four: April 4 (Lucas Oil Stadium) Watch on TBS
• NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Game: April 6 (Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis) Watch on TBS

Here is the official March Madness 2026 game schedule including matchups, tip-off times and TV channels:

March Madness® 2026 First Four Schedule

First Four games are played in Dayton, Ohio.

Tuesday, March 17

• (16) UMBC vs. (16) Howard — 6:40 p.m. ET | truTV
• (11) Texas vs. (11) NC State — 9:15 p.m. ET | truTV

Wednesday, March 18

• (16) Prairie View A&M vs. (16) Lehigh — 6:40 p.m. ET | truTV
• (11) Miami (Ohio) vs. (11) SMU — 9:15 p.m. ET | truTV

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March Madness 2026 First Round Schedule

Round of 64 games air on CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV.

Thursday, March 19

• (8) Ohio State vs. (9) TCU — 12:15 p.m. ET | CBS
• (4) Nebraska vs. (13) Troy — 12:40 p.m. ET | truTV
• (6) Louisville vs. (11) South Florida — 1:30 p.m. ET | TNT
• (5) Wisconsin vs. (12) High Point — 1:50 p.m. ET | TBS
• (1) Duke vs. (16) Siena — 2:50 p.m. ET | CBS
• (5) Vanderbilt vs. (12) McNeese — 3:15 p.m. ET | truTV
• (3) Michigan State vs. (14) North Dakota State — 4:05 p.m. ET | TNT
• (4) Arkansas vs. (13) Hawai’i — 4:25 p.m. ET | TBS
• (6) North Carolina vs. (11) VCU — 6:50 p.m. ET | TNT
• (1) Michigan vs. TBD — 7:10 p.m. ET | CBS
• (6) BYU vs. TBD — 7:25 p.m. ET | TBS
• (7) Saint Mary’s vs. (10) Texas A&M — 7:35 p.m. ET | truTV
• (3) Illinois vs. (14) Penn — 9:25 p.m. ET | TNT
• (8) Georgia vs. (9) Saint Louis — 9:45 p.m. ET | CBS
• (3) Gonzaga vs. (14) Kennesaw State — 10:00 p.m. ET | TNT
• (2) Houston vs. (15) Idaho — 10:10 p.m. ET | truTV

Friday, March 20

• (7) Kentucky vs. (10) Santa Clara — 12:15 p.m. ET | CBS
• (5) Texas Tech vs. (12) Akron — 12:40 p.m. ET | truTV
• (1) Arizona vs. (16) Long Island University — 1:35 p.m. ET | TNT
• (3) Virginia vs. (14) Wright State — 1:50 p.m. ET | TBS
• (2) Iowa State vs. (15) Tennessee State — 2:50 p.m. ET | CBS
• (4) Alabama vs. (13) Hofstra — 3:15 p.m. ET | truTV
• (8) Villanova vs. (9) Utah State — 4:10 p.m. ET | TNT
• (6) Tennessee vs. TBD — 4:25 p.m. ET | TBS
• (8) Clemson vs. (9) Iowa — 6:50 p.m. ET | TNT
• (5) St. John’s vs. (12) UNI — 7:10 p.m. ET | CBS
• (7) UCLA vs. (10) UCF — 7:25 p.m. ET | TBS
• (2) Purdue vs. (15) Queens — 7:35 p.m. ET | truTV
• (1) Florida vs. TBD — 9:25 p.m. ET | TNT
• (4) Kansas vs. (13) Cal Baptist — 9:45 p.m. ET | CBS
• (2) UConn vs. (15) Furman — 10:00 p.m. ET | TBS
• (7) Miami (FL) vs. (10) Missouri — 10:10 p.m. ET | truTV

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When Is the March Madness® Bracket Released?

The official March Madness bracket was released on Selection Sunday at 8 p.m. ET. Fans can download, print or fill out their brackets online, allowing them to follow each match from the First Four all the way to the national championship.

Find the printable bracket here.

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March Madness® Tournament Format Explained

Here’s a quick breakdown of how the college basketball tournament works:

The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament features 68 teams. Thirty-two of those teams earn automatic bids as conference champions, while the remaining 36 teams receive at-large bids selected by the NCAA committee.

The tournament begins with the First Four, where the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams compete for spots in the Round of 64. From there, the bracket is divided into four regions, with teams seeded from No. 1 to No. 16.

The Men’s Final Four is played on Saturday, with the national championship game held on Monday night to conclude the tournament.

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NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Favorites (2026)

Keep an eye on these programs when filling out your March Madness bracket:

Duke Blue Devils (No. 1)

The nation’s number one overall seed, Duke punctuated their dominant season with an ACC Tournament win. Now all eyes are on a National Championship. Freshman Cameron Boozer has a chance to be a household name if he can lead these Blue Devils to a Final Four.

Arizona Wildcats (No. 1)

Arizona put an exclamation point on their season in the Big Ten with a tournament win over Houston. The Wildcats wrapped the regular season with four wins against AP Top 25 teams in the final two weeks. Jaden Bradley, Brayden Burries and Anthony Dell’Orso have alternated playing key scoring roles down the stretch of the season. Koa Peat continued his impressive play with 21 points and six rebounds in 27 minutes in the Big Ten Final.

Florida Gators (No. 1)

The defending national champions couldn’t bring home the SEC title, but still pulled out a number one seed in the tournament. Florida’s balance and postseason experience make them one of the most dangerous teams in the field.

Michigan Wolverines (No. 1)

With a dominant 17-1 Big Ten record, Michigan separated itself in the conference until they ran into Purdue in the Big Ten final. The Wolverines have handled every major league test and are built for a deep run. They need Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr. to have a big tournament.

Purdue Boilermakers (No. 2)

Purdue’s experience and star power in Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn make them a threat to regain form quickly in tournament play, especially after a huge Big Ten Conference Championship against Michigan.

UConn Huskies (No. 2)

UConn lost the Big East title and missed out on a No. 1 seed, but they enter as a No. 2 and with a well-coached roster behind Dan Hurley. Silas Demary Jr., Tarris Reed Jr. and Alex Karaban are the players to watch for UConn.

Houston Cougars (No. 2)

Houston fell to Arizona in the Big 12 championship, but last year’s title runners-up will be a tough draw for anyone in the tournament. Freshman Kingston Flemings has been sensational. In a loss against Texas Tech, he dropped a career high 42-points to go along with six assists. Though he was bottled up in the Big 12 Tournament final, he has the chance to shine in March.

Arkansas Razorbacks (No. 4)

Arkansas brings elite scoring upside, highlighted by explosive performances from Darius Acuff Jr., who starred in the SEC Final with 30 points and 11 assists. The Razorbacks won their first conference tournament since 2000.

Gonzaga Bulldogs (No. 3)

Gonzaga was slipping from many people’s minds partly because their weak conference meant they hadn’t played a ranked team since mid-December. A WCC Championship win was enough to remind college basketball fans that the tournament darlings are back and ready to compete.

Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 4)

Winners of eight straight, Alabama’s high-powered offense under Nate Oats gives them the ability to overwhelm opponents, and if they get another shot at Florida, they’ll be eager for redemption. Latrell Wrightsell, Aden Holloway and Labaron Philon Jr. are a dangerous trio for the Crimson Tide.

Michigan State Spartans (No. 3)

Riding a late-season surge with a road win at Purdue, Michigan State looks like a classic Tom Izzo March team. Veteran leadership and defensive toughness give the Spartans Final Four upside. Jaxon Kohler and Jeremy Fears Jr. lead the charge for this Spartans squad.

Virginia Cavaliers (No. 3)

In a major bounce-back season under Ryan Odom, Virginia won nine straight before falling to Duke in the ACC Tournament final. With strong interior play and disciplined defense, they’re capable of grinding out tournament wins.

North Carolina Tar Heels (No. 6)

UNC stumbled at the tail end of the season with a season finale loss to Duke and a first-round ACC Tournament exit. Led by Seth Trimble, the Tar Heels have the fearlessness and scoring punch to make noise, but will they reach their potential?

Illinois Fighting Illini (No. 3)

After a midseason 12-game win streak that included multiple ranked wins, Illinois has proven it can beat top competition. But a first round loss to Wisconsin in the Big Ten tournament has sapped some of their momentum.

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Watch NCAA® March Madness® Live on DIRECTV

Stay on top of every upset, buzzer-beater and bracket prediction by watching March Madness live on DIRECTV. Follow NCAA scores, college hoops highlights and every round of the NCAA tournament in one place.

Plus, you can watch all the other college sports you love on DIRECTV.