The March madness, NCAA Tournament, is the most prestigious postseason event in college basketball.
According to NCAA, the 2026 March Madness tournament begins with selections on Sunday, March 15. Games start with the First Four on Tuesday, March 17 and Wednesday, March 18.
Action continues through the Final Four in Indianapolis on April 4 and 6.
2026 NCAA tournament schedule:
• Selection Sunday: 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 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
• NCAA championship game: April 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
March Madness teams:
Of the 365 Division I basketball programs, only 68 make the NCAA tournament.
The tournament consists of 31 automatic qualifiers and 37 at-large teams. The automatic qualifiers are the winners of the conference tournaments.
The First Four consists of two games featuring the lowest-ranked teams in the field and two games featuring the lowest-seeded teams to receive at-large bids.
March Madness locations 2026:
The tournament opens with the First Four games in Dayton, Ohio.
First- and second-round games take place at eight sites across the country.
Streaming options:
TV channels: CBS/ ESPN
Streaming options: ESPN app/ Fubo (free trial)
CBS will broadcast the men's NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday show, while ESPN will handle the women's Selection Sunday show.
Streaming options for both bracket reveal shows include Fubo, which carries both CBS and the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to new subscribers.
