MEAC champs Howard celebrated a First Four win on Tuesday.

Welcome to the NCAA Tournament, First Four live blog. Refresh to get updates as games progress.

What we know about NCAA Tournament, First Four

March 17 will mark the start of the NCAA Tournament, First Four 2026 with two matchups taking place in Dayton, Ohio.
The action will continue on March 18, with another set of games.
Check the latest B/R’s Mock Draft

9:26 PM / MARCH 17

Anatomy of a win

Bryce Harris hit a shot that Howard fans will remember forever. Harris scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in Howard’s first NCAA tourney win, and his clutch shot with 13 seconds remaining gave the Bison the edge it needed to defeat UMBC.

8:58 PM / MARCH 17

Last second shot

Howard had a chance to ice the game at the line, but UMBC rebounded and had an opportunity for a game-tying shot as time expired.

Howard survives to win its FIRST ever NCAA tournament game 👏#MarchMadness @HUMensBB pic.twitter.com/fBwVh7RF5l

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2026

8:55 PM / MARCH 17

Howard Bison move on to face No. 1 Michigan

The UMBC Retrievers never made it easy, but Howard earned an 86-83 First Four win Tuesday fueled by a game-high 23 points from Ose Okojie. No. 16 seed Howard, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular season and tourney champs, will progress to face the top-seeded Michigan Wolverines in the Midwest bracket.

HOWARD ADVANCES TO THE FIRST ROUND 🤩

The Bison defeat UMBC 86-83 and move on to face Michigan on Thursday 🔥 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/jGQqsXmMfh

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2026

5:10 PM / MARCH 16

First Four schedule

Play-in games for the 2026 NCAA Tournament are set. Here are the games for day 1.

16. UMBC vs. 16. Howard – 6:40pm E.T. – truTV
(11) Texas vs.  (11) NC State – 9:15pm E.T. – truTV

9:27 PM / MARCH 15

NCAA Tournament: Duke, Arizona, Michigan and Florida claim No. 1 seeds in men’s bracket

The men’s NCAA Tournament bracket is set, and Duke, Arizona, Michigan and Florida have claimed the four No. 1 seeds. Read more