2026 NCAA Tournament first, second round schedule: March Madness dates and tip times

Friday’s four-game slate in the 2026 NCAA Tournament closes out Sweet 16 action and features two No. 1 seeds in action — Duke and Michigan — along with second-seeded UConn and Iowa State as the favorites look to move on to Sunday’s Elite Eight round.

Duke tackles fifth-seeded St. John’s (7:10 p.m. ET, CBS) inside Capital One Area in one East Region semifinal while third-seeded Michigan State takes on the Huskies (9:45 p.m., CBS) in the second half of the doubleheader in Washington, D.C.

At the United Center in Chicago, No. 4 Alabama tries to cool off top-seeded Michigan (7:35 p.m., TBS/TruTV) in the early game of the Midwest Region semifinals before the Cyclones play No. 6 Tennessee (10:10 p.m., TBS/TruTV). Friday’s winners will play on Sunday with Final Four berths on the line.

Here is a full breakdown of the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Be sure to follow the live bracket throughout March Madness. 

2026 NCAA Tournament schedule, dates

Sweet 16

Thursday, March 26
Toyota Center (Houston), SAP Center (San Jose)

Friday, March 27
United Center (Chicago), Capital One Arena (Washington, D.C.)

Elite Eight

Saturday, March 28 — 6:09 p.m. start (TBS)
Toyota Center (Houston), SAP Center (San Jose)

Sunday, March 29 — 2:15 p.m. start (CBS)
United Center (Chicago), Capital One Arena (Washington, D.C.)

Final Four

Saturday, April 4 — 6:09 p.m. start (TBS)
Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)

National Championship

Monday, April 6 — 8:50 p.m. (TBS)
Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)

First round

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

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