2026 NCAA Tournament second round schedule: March Madness bracket, game dates, tip times, TV channels

2026 NCAA Tournament second round schedule: March Madness bracket, game dates, tip times, 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 21, 2026 at 6:40 pm ET • 3 min read

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The NCAA Tournament field has already been trimmed in half, and second-round action begins Saturday with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line across an eight-game slate. No. 1 overall seed Duke returns to action after narrowly avoiding what would have been a stunning first-round upset, and now faces No. 9 seed TCU (5:15 p.m. ET, CBS March Madness Live). 

Another No. 1 seed is also in action earlier in the day, as Michigan looks to reach the Sweet 16 in consecutive years under coach Dusty May when it takes on No. 9 seed Saint Louis (12:10 p.m. ET, CBS March Madness Live). The Wolverines enter the matchup as the clear favorite, but face a dangerous mid-major opponent looking to extend its own tournament run.

Upset intrigue is scattered throughout Saturday's slate, including No. 12 seed High Point looking to keep its Cinderella run alive against No. 4 seed Arkansas (9:45 p.m. ET, TBS March Madness Live). Another potential shocker comes in the late window, where No. 11 seed VCU matches against No. 3 seed Illinois and its high-scoring attack (7:50 p.m. ET, CBS March Madness Live).

Elsewhere, No. 4 seed Nebraska, fresh off securing its first NCAA Tournament win in program history, looks to continue its historic season against No. 5 seed Vanderbilt (8:45 p.m., TNT March Madness Live). The Commodores are trying to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2007.

Here is the full schedule and beyond to get you ready for the NCAA Tournament, and be sure to follow the live bracket throughout March Madness.

2026 NCAA Tournament schedule, dates

Second round

Saturday, March 21 KeyBank Center (Buffalo), Bon Secours Wellness Arena (Greenville), Paycom Center (Oklahoma City), Moda Center (Portland)

Time (ET)GameTV / Stream12:10 p.m.(1) Michigan 95, (9) Saint Louis 72 Highlights2:45 p.m.(3) Michigan State 77, (6) Louisville 69  Highlights5:15 p.m.(9) TCU vs. (1) Duke CBS (watch live)6:10 p.m.(10) Texas A&M vs. (2) Houston TNT (watch live)7:10 p.m.(11) Texas vs. (3) Gonzaga TBS (watch live)7:50 p.m.(11) VCU vs. (3) Illinois CBS (watch live)8:45 p.m.(5) Vanderbilt vs. (4) Nebraska TNT (watch live)9:45 p.m.(12) High Point vs. (4) Arkansas TBS (watch live)

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)

Time (ET)GameTV / Stream12:10 p.m.(7) Miami (FL) vs. (2) PurdueCBS (watch live)2:45 p.m.(7)  Kentucky vs. (2) Iowa StateCBS (watch live)5:15 p.m.(5) St. John's vs. (4) KansasCBS (watch live)6:10 p.m.(6) Tennessee vs. (3) VirginiaTNT (watch live)7:10 p.m.(9) Iowa vs. (1) FloridaTBS (watch live)7:50 p.m.(9) Utah State vs. (1) ArizonatruTV (watch live)8:45 p.m.(7) UCLA vs. (2) UConnTNT (watch live)9:45 p.m.(5) Texas Tech vs. (4) AlabamaTBS (watch live)

First round

Thursday, March 19 KeyBank Center (Buffalo), Bon Secours Wellness Arena (Greenville), Paycom Center (Oklahoma City), Moda Center (Portland)

Time (ET)GameTV / Stream12:15 p.m.(9) TCU 66, (8) Ohio State 64Highlights12:40 p.m.(4) Nebraska 76, (13) Troy 47Highlights1:30 p.m.(6) Louisville 83, (11) South Florida 79Highlights1:50 p.m.(12) High Point  83, (5) Wisconsin 82Highlights2:50 p.m.(1) Duke 71, (16) Siena 65 Highlights3:15 p.m.(5) Vanderbilt 78, (12) McNeese  68 Highlights4:05 p.m.(3) Michigan State 92, (14) North Dakota State 67 Highlights4:25 p.m.(4) Arkansas 97, (13) Hawaii 78 Highlights6:50 p.m.(11) VCU 78, (6) North Carolina 82 (OT)Highlights7:10 p.m.(1) Michigan 101, (16) Howard 80Highlights7:25 p.m.(11) Texas 79, (6) BYU 71 Highlights7:35 p.m.(10) Texas A&M 63, (7) Saint Mary's 50Highlights9:25 p.m.(3) Illinois 105, (14) Penn 70 Highlights9:45 p.m.(9) Saint Louis 102, (8) Georgia 77 Highlights10 p.m.(1(3) Gonzaga 73, (14) Kennesaw State 64  Highlights10:10 p.m.(2) Houston 78, (15) Idaho 47 Highlights

Friday, March 20 Benchmark International Arena (Tampa), Xfinity Mobile Arena (Philadelphia), Viejas Arena (San Diego), Enterprise Center (St. Louis)

Time (ET)GameTV / Stream12:15 p.m.(7) Kentucky 89, (10) Santa Clara 84Highlights12:40 p.m.(5) Texas Tech 91, (12) Akron 71Highlights1:35 p.m.(1) Arizona 92, (16) LIU 58Highlights1:50 p.m.(3) Virginia 82, (14) Wright State 73Highlights2:50 p.m.(2) Iowa State 108, (15) Tennessee State 74Highlights3:15 p.m.(4) Alabama 90, (13) Hofstra 70Highlights4:10 p.m.(9) Utah State  86, (8) Villanova 76Highlights4:25 p.m.(6) Tennessee 78, (11) Miami (Ohio) 56Highlights6:50 p.m.(9) Iowa 67, (8) Clemson 61Highlights7:10 p.m.(5) St. John's 79, (12) Northern Iowa 53Highlights7:25 p.m.(7) UCLA 75, (10) UCF 71 Highlights7:35 p.m.(2) Purdue 104, (15) Queens 71Highlights9:25 p.m.(1) Florida 114, (16) Prairie View A&M 55 Highlights9:45 p.m.(4) Kansas 68, (13) Cal Baptist 60 Highlights10 p.m.(2) UConn 82, (15) Furman 71 Highlights10:10 p.m.(7) Miami (FL) 80, (10) Missouri 66 Highlights Join the Conversation comments