2026 NCAA Tournament first round schedule: March Madness ...

What’s Happening

Real talk: Check out the master schedule for the first and second rounds of the 2026 NCAA Tournament so you can watch all the March Madness 2026 NCAA Tournament first round schedule: March Madness bracket, game dates, tip times and TV channels Check out the master schedule for the first and second rounds of the 2026 NCAA Tournament so you can watch all the March Madness By Cameron Salerno Mar 19, 2026 at 2:33 pm ET • 3 min read Imagn Images The first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, emanating from various neutral sites across the country, begins on Thursday, as the road to the Final Four in Indianapolis is officially underway.

Of Friday, 32 teams will have advanced to the second round, while the other 32 will see their seasons come to a premature close. There are plenty of storylines and marquee games to ponder on Thursday’s slate. (plot twist fr)

The first game of the first round features (8) Ohio State against (9) TCU with the winner of that game getting either No.

The Details

1 overall seed Duke or (16) Siena in the second round on Saturday. Follow live scores and updates from the first round of 2026 March Madness One of the main themes of this tournament is star freshmen leading their respective teams to the Big Dance.

The leading scorer for 13 of the 68 teams in this year’s NCAA Tournament is a freshman. One of those players who will play on Thursday is BYU star AJ Dybantsa, who is averaging 25.

Why This Matters

3 points per game, ranking No. 1 among all Division I players. Dybantsa and (6) BYU face (11) Texas, a team fresh off a win over NC State in the First Four.

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The Bottom Line

The Bulls have a matchup against (6) Louisville, a team that will be without its best player in the first round because of a back injury: Mikel Brown Jr. Here is the full first-round schedule and beyond to get you ready for the NCAA Tournament, and be sure to follow the live bracket throughout March Madness.

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