2026 NCAA Tournament bracket: March Madness first round schedule, scores by region

It’s about that time. The 2026 NCAA Tournament is through its first two days, and the bracket is sure to deliver some bangers across the first and second rounds of competition over the next four days. The field of 68 teams has already shrunken to 64 as the roller coaster continues with 16 more teams set to be eliminated by the time Thursday’s action concludes.

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. Sometimes, though, you want to visualize the entire bracket in a schedule format, which is precisely why we are here — so you can follow not just your team but those it may compete against on its journey to the Final Four.

Don’t forget to follow along with your printable bracket as first-round games begin Thursday. A stellar 8-9 matchup of the tournament kicks off the madness as (8) Ohio State meets (9) TCU in the opening first-round showdown. There’s a bevy of top-tier teams and showdowns set across the 12 hours that games are played Thursday, and prognosticators believe a few notable upsets are in store.

Below you will find a March Madness schedule that features viewing information for each game on the slate broken down by region. 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

Friday — St. Louis

Friday — Tampa

Friday — Philadelphia

South

FIRST FOUR

Wednesday — Dayton

FIRST ROUND

Thursday — Oklahoma City

Thursday — Greenville

Thursday — Oklahoma City

Friday — Tampa

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

2026 NCAA Tournament second round schedule

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)