The first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament begins on Thursday, as March Madness returns in full after two nights of First Four action. The action gets going with a cluster of Big Ten teams, as No. 8 seed Ohio State takes on TCU on CBS to begin the day and No. 4 seed Nebraska looks for its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory against No. 13 seed Troy.
A top storyline throughout the day will be the elite freshmen in action. No. 1 seed Duke, led by star forward Cam Boozer, begins its journey against No. 16 seed Siena at 2:50 p.m. ET. Then, No. 4 seed Arkansas and electric freshman guard Darius Acuff will play No. 13 seed Hawaii.
In the late window, No. 3 seed Illinois and flame-throwing freshman Keaton Wagler will take on No. 14 seed Penn. Finally, the day’s last game between No. 2 seed Houston and No. 15 seed Idaho will give Cougars guard Kingston Flemings his first chance to leave a legacy in March Madness.
2026 NCAA Tournament TV schedule
All times Eastern | NCAA Tournament schedule | LIVE bracket
(8) TCU 66, (9) Ohio State 64
Highlights
(6) Louisville 83, (11) South Florida 79
Highlights
(1) Duke 71, (16) Siena 65
Highlights
(3) Michigan State 92, (14) North Dakota State 67
Highlights
Highlights
(6) North Carolina vs. (11) VCU
6:50 p.m. | TNT | Watch live
7:10 p.m. | CBS | Watch live
(6) BYU vs. (11) Texas
7:25 p.m. | TBS | Watch live
7:35 p.m. | truTV | Watch live
(3) Illinois vs. (14) Penn
9:25 p.m. | TNT | Watch live
(8) Georgia vs. (9) Saint Louis
9:45 p.m. | CBS | Watch live
(3) Gonzaga vs. (14) Kennesaw State
10 p.m. | TBS | Watch live
(2) Houston vs. (15) Idaho
10:10 p.m. | truTV | Watch live
CBS Sports will be with you the entire way, updating this story with the latest from every first-round game on Thursday. Keep it locked here for scores, analysis and highlights.