{"id":192913,"date":"2026-03-16T00:47:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T00:47:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/192913\/"},"modified":"2026-03-16T00:47:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T00:47:15","slug":"march-madness-2026-ncaa-tournament-watch-times-bracket-news-first-round-schedule-how-to-watch-as-duke-arizona-michigan-florida-secure-no-1-seeds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/192913\/","title":{"rendered":"March Madness 2026: NCAA tournament watch times, bracket news, first-round schedule, how to watch as Duke, Arizona, Michigan, Florida secure No. 1 seeds"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 68-team bracket for the 2026 NCAA tournament<\/a> is here, kicking off the best three weeks of the year: March Madness<\/a>. So who will make it to the Final Four? And which Cinderellas will play spoiler this year? The action tips off this week, beginning with the First Four on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the first round on Thursday.<\/p>\n

To kick off the Selection Sunday show, Duke was announced as the tournament\u2019s No. 1 overall seed<\/a>, with Arizona, Michigan and Florida joining the Blue Devils on the top line.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Michigan enters the tournament with a slight odds edge (+325 via BetMGM) over ACC champion Duke<\/a> (+333), followed by Big 12 winner Arizona<\/a> (+425) and last year\u2019s champion, Florida (+600).<\/p>\n

But this could be anyone\u2019s title to win, as the top contenders enter the tournament with different levels of momentum. Not to mention, there are plenty of teams that could knock them off<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[Enter Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem now for your shot at $50K<\/a>]<\/p>\n

How to watch men\u2019s NCAA tournamentFirst Four<\/p>\n

Dates: Tuesday, March 17; Wednesday, March 18
Times: 6:40 p.m.; 9:10 p.m. ET
Channel: truTV<\/p>\n

First, second rounds<\/p>\n

Dates: March 19-22
Channels: CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Elite 8, Sweet 16<\/p>\n

Dates: March 27-30
Channels: CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV<\/p>\n

Final Four<\/p>\n

Date: April 4
Times: 6 p.m.; 8:30 p.m. ET
Channel: TBS<\/p>\n

National championship<\/p>\n

Date: April 6
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Channel: TBS<\/p>\n

Follow along with Yahoo Sports for the latest March Madness news coming out of Selection Sunday, including the full first-round schedule as games are revealed:<\/p>\n

Live39 updatesSun, March 15, 2026 at 3:40 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Yahoo Sports Staff<\/p>\n

The NCAA men’s tournament bracket has been revealed<\/a> with Duke as the No. 1 overall seed.<\/p>\n

Sun, March 15, 2026 at 5:45 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Yahoo Sports Staff<\/p>\n

The true start times are out for the first round after a few fake versions were kicking around the internet.<\/p>\n

Plan your weekend accordingly.<\/p>\n

Sun, March 15, 2026 at 5:36 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Yahoo Sports Staff<\/p>\n

Historically, underdogs have done well for bettors against the spread.<\/p>\n

Lately, that hasn\u2019t been the case.<\/p>\n

Yahoo\u2019s Frank Schwab lays out the numbers<\/a><\/p>\n

Sun, March 15, 2026 at 5:16 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Yahoo Sports Staff<\/p>\n

Last year\u2019s NCAA tournament wound up being one the chalkiest of all time. Was that a one-year anomaly or a sign of a larger trend?<\/p>\n

Yahoo\u2019s Dan Wolken examines<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Charlotte<\/p>\n

No. 16 seed UMBC upset No. 1 Virginia in the 2018 NCAA tournament. Will we see more upsets like that again? (Photo by John McDonnell\/The Washington Post via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

(The Washington Post via Getty Images)Sun, March 15, 2026 at 5:07 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Yahoo Sports Staff<\/p>\n

At least two teams so far, Indiana and Belmont, are declining to participate in the NIT this year after missing out on the NCAA tournament.<\/p>\n

Full story<\/a><\/p>\n

Sun, March 15, 2026 at 4:58 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Yahoo Sports Staff<\/p>\n

It happened last year. The odds say it\u2019s unlikely to happen again.<\/p>\n

Sun, March 15, 2026 at 4:35 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Yahoo Sports Staff<\/p>\n

Former Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, who\u2019s son Steven coaches the team now, wasn\u2019t happy about the Tigers being left out of the tournament field.<\/p>\n

Sun, March 15, 2026 at 4:25 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Yahoo Sports Staff<\/p>\n

That\u2019s right. At least according to an analysis of KenPom ratings.<\/p>\n

Duke has UConn and Michigan State \u2014 two of the 11 KenPom-certified national championship contenders \u2014 before even reaching the Final Four. And Kansas is a rugged No. 4.<\/p>\n

UConn ranks 28th in KenPom offense and 11th in defense. Michigan State’s profile is strong enough to be labeled a title contender by KenPom. Kansas, meanwhile, is one of just 11 teams in the nation with eight Quad 1 wins, with a defense-only rating that qualifies for the Sweet 16 KenPom tier.<\/p>\n

No other No. 1 seed faces that stacked of threats in their region on the road to Indianapolis. Duke is the best team in the country and has the hardest path to the championship \u2014 a rough combination.<\/p>\n

Who has the second-toughest region as a No. 1? Michigan. The Midwest Region\u2019s lower seeds are softer than the East\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Sun, March 15, 2026 at 4:15 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Yahoo Sports Staff<\/p>\n

The betting odds favor Michigan to win the national title, followed closely by Duke and Arizona.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a full look at the top tournament favorites<\/a><\/p>\n

2026 men\u2019s NCAA tournament favoritesSun, March 15, 2026 at 3:55 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Yahoo Sports Staff<\/p>\n

Multi-bid conferences<\/p>\n

SEC: 10
Big Ten: 9
ACC 8
Big 12: 8
Big East: 3
WCC: 3
Atlantic 10: 2
MAC: 2<\/p>\n

Sun, March 15, 2026 at 3:46 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Yahoo Sports Staff<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how the bubble teams shook out in the bracket:<\/p>\n

Last four in<\/p>\n

NC State
Texas
SMU
Miami (Ohio)<\/p>\n

First four out<\/p>\n

Oklahoma
Auburn
San Diego State
Indiana<\/p>\n

\"NickSun, March 15, 2026 at 3:38 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Nick Bromberg<\/p>\n

The South region features a couple of geographic disadvantages for higher-seeded teams.<\/p>\n

The region host is Houston, meaning the No. 2 Cougars could meet No. 1 Florida in the Elite Eight just a few miles from campus. That would be a raucous environment against Florida.<\/p>\n

No. 3 Illinois, meanwhile, faces the prospect of playing No. 6 North Carolina in Greenville, South Carolina, in the second round. That would be a very, very pro-North Carolina crowd, unless there were enough Duke fans there to root against the Tar Heels.<\/p>\n

Sun, March 15, 2026 at 3:35 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Yahoo Sports Staff<\/p>\n

No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Prarie View A&M\/Lehigh
No. 8 Clemson vs. No. 9 Iowa
No. 5 Vanderbilt vs. No. 12 McNeese
No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 13 Troy
No. 6 North Carolina vs. No. 11 VCU
No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 14 Penn
No. 7 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 10 Texas A&M
No. 2 Houston vs. No. 15 Idaho<\/p>\n

\"South<\/p>\n

South region revealed<\/p>\n

Sun, March 15, 2026 at 3:30 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Yahoo Sports Staff<\/p>\n

You can make a case for any number of teams behind Michigan to get to the Elite Eight \u2014 and maybe even the Final Four \u2014 in the Midwest region.<\/p>\n

St. Louis is going to be an incredibly popular place in the first round given Iowa State and Kentucky also playing there. That\u2019s going to be the most expensive ticket among any of the eight subregional sites.<\/p>\n

Sun, March 15, 2026 at 3:27 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Yahoo Sports Staff<\/p>\n

No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 16 UMBC\/Howard
No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 9 Saint Louis
No. 5 Texas Tech vs. No. 12 Akron
No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 13 Hofstra
No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 11 SMU\/Miami (Ohio)
No. 3 Virginia vs. No. 14 Wright State
No. 7 Kentucky vs. No. 10 Santa Clara
No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 15 Tennessee State<\/p>\n

\"Midwest<\/p>\n

Midwest region revealed<\/p>\n

\"NickSun, March 15, 2026 at 3:18 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Nick Bromberg<\/p>\n

The Boilermakers\u2019 Big Ten tournament run clearly impressed the committee \u2026 and Purdue could end up playing a de facto road game in the second round.<\/p>\n

No. 10 Missouri was a bubble team entering the tournament. Not only are the Tigers avoiding having to go to Dayton, they\u2019ll be playing No. 7 Miami in St. Louis. That\u2019s a head-scratching location decision by the committee.<\/p>\n

Sun, March 15, 2026 at 3:16 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Yahoo Sports Staff<\/p>\n

No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 16 LIU
No. 8 Villanova vs. No. 9 Utah State
No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 12 High Point
No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 13 Hawaii
No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 Texas\/NC State
No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 14 Kennesaw State
No. 7 Miami (Florida) vs. No. 10 Missouri
No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 15 Queens<\/p>\n

\"NCAA<\/p>\n

NCAA tournament West region<\/p>\n

\"NickSun, March 15, 2026 at 3:09 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Nick Bromberg<\/p>\n

The Red Storm could have easily been a No. 4 after beating UConn on Saturday night. UConn, meanwhile, is also in that region. And even though Duke will be the prohibitive favorite to win the region and make the Final Four, don\u2019t totally rule out another UConn-St. John\u2019s game in the Elite Eight.<\/p>\n

Sun, March 15, 2026 at 3:08 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Yahoo Sports Staff<\/p>\n

No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 Siena
No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 9 TCU
No. 5 St. John’s vs. No. 12 Northern Iowa
No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 13 Cal Baptist
No. 6 Louisville vs. No. 11 South Florida
No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 14 North Dakota State
No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 UCF
No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 Furman<\/p>\n

\"NCAA<\/p>\n

NCAA men’s tournament East Region<\/p>\n

Sun, March 15, 2026 at 3:02 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Yahoo Sports Staff<\/p>\n

No surprise here, but the Blue Devils are the top seed in the NCAA tournament.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 68-team bracket for the 2026 NCAA tournament is here, kicking off the best three weeks of the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":192914,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[21852,28,30,29,33737,142,89822],"class_list":["post-192913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-duke","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-march-madness","tag-ncaa","tag-tbs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=192913"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192913\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/192914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=192913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=192913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=192913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}