2026 March Madness: Men's NCAA tournament schedule, dates

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.

Check out the full March Madness tournament schedule below.

2026 NCAA tournament schedule, dates

Here is the 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

2026 March Madness tournament locations

2026 PRELIMINARY ROUND SITES

Round
Dates

City

Venue

Host(s)

First Four

March 17 & 18

Dayton, OH

UD Arena

University of Dayton

First/Second

March 19 & 21

Buffalo, NY

KeyBank Center

Metro AtlanticAthletic ConferenceCanisius CollegeNiagara University

First/Second

March 19 & 21

Greenville, SC

Bon Secours Wellness Arena

FurmanSouthern Conference

First/Second

March 19 & 21

Oklahoma City, OK

Paycom Center

Big 12 Conference

First/Second
March 19 & 21
Portland, OR
Moda Center
Oregon State University

First/Second
March 20 & 22
Tampa, FL
Amalie Arena
University of South Florida

First/Second
March 20 & 22
Philadelphia, PA
Wells Fargo Center
Saint Joseph’s University

First/Second
March 20 & 22
San Diego, CA
Viejas Arena
San Diego State University

First/Second

March 20 & 22

St. Louis, MO

Enterprise Center

Missouri Valley Conference

South Regional

March 26 & 28

Houston, TX

Toyota Center

University of Houston

West Regional

March 26 & 28

San Jose, CA

SAP Center

San Jose State University

Midwest Regional

March 27 & 29
Chicago, IL
United Center
Northwestern University

East Regional

March 27 & 29

Washington, D.C.

Capital One Arena

Georgetown University

Final Four
April 4 & 6
Indianapolis
Lucas Oil Stadium

Horizon LeagueIU Indianapolis

2025 NCAA men’s tournament bracket

Click or tap here for the interactive bracket

2025 NCAA tournament schedule, scores, highlights

All times ET

Monday, April 7 (National championship game in San Antonio)

Tuesday, March 18 (First Four in Dayton, Ohio)

Wednesday, March 19 (First Four in Dayton, Ohio)

Thursday, March 20 (First Round/Round of 64)

(9) Creighton 89, (8) Louisville 75
(4) Purdue 75, (13) High Point 63
(3) Wisconsin 85, (14) Montana 66
(1) Houston 78, (16) SIU Edwardsville 40
(1) Auburn 83, (16) Alabama State 63
(12) McNeese 69, (5) Clemson 67
(6) BYU 80, (11) VCU 71
(8) Gonzaga 89, (9) Georgia 68
(2) Tennessee 77, (15) Wofford 62
(10) Arkansas 79, (7) Kansas 72
(4) Texas A&M 80, (13) Yale 71
(11) Drake 67, (6) Missouri 57
(7) UCLA 72, (10) Utah State 47
(2) St. John’s 83, (15) Omaha 53
(5) Michigan 68, (12) UC San Diego 65
(3) Texas Tech 82, (14) UNC Wilmington 72

Friday, March 21 (First Round/Round of 64)

(9) Baylor 75, (8) Mississippi State 72
(2) Alabama 90, (15) Robert Morris 81
(3) Iowa State 82, (14) Lipscomb 55
(12) Colorado State 78, (5) Memphis 70
(1) Duke 93, (16) Mount St. Mary’s 49
(7) Saint Mary’s 59, (10) Vanderbilt 56
(6) Ole Miss 71, (11) North Carolina 64
(4) Maryland 81, (13) Grand Canyon 49
(1) Florida 95, (16) Norfolk State 69
(3) Kentucky 76, (14) Troy 57
(10) New Mexico 75, (7) Marquette 66
(4) Arizona 93, (13) Akron 65
(8) UConn 67, (9) Oklahoma 59
(6) Illinois 86, (11) Xavier 73
(2) Michigan State 87, (15) Bryant 62
(5) Oregon 81, (12) Liberty 52

Saturday, March 22 (Second Round/Round of 32)

Sunday, March 23 (Second Round/Round of 32)

Thursday, March 27 (Sweet 16)

Friday, March 28 (Sweet 16)

Saturday, March 29 (Elite Eight)

Sunday, March 30 (Elite Eight)

Saturday, April 5 (Final Four in San Antonio)

Here is a look at the 2024 tournament bracket: