The 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament tips off March 17 with the First Four in Dayton, Ohio, launching a 68-team chase for the national title with compelling first-round matchups across four regions set for March 19–20.
The NCAA Tournament returns with 68 teams vying for a championship, and the path to the Final Four begins with the First Four in Dayton, Ohio. This year’s bracket features four No. 1 seeds—Duke (East), Michigan (Midwest), Florida (South), and Arizona (West)—headlining regions loaded with tight seedings and potential upset bids. All times below are Eastern.
First Four: Dayton’s Play-In Showcase
The tournament’s opening act unfolds over two nights at UD Arena, where eight teams battle for the last four spots in the first round. Notably, both Tuesday and Wednesday games feature matchups between teams with identical seeds, emphasizing the razor-thin margins in selection.
Tuesday, March 17
- No. 16 UMBC vs. No. 16 Howard, 6:40 p.m.
- No. 11 Texas vs. No. 11 North Carolina State, 9:15 p.m.
Wednesday, March 18
- No. 16 Prairie View A&M vs. No. 16 Lehigh, 6:40 p.m.
- No. 11 Miami (Ohio) vs. No. 11 SMU, 9:15 p.m.
The winners join the 64 automatic and at-large qualifiers, setting the stage for a first round spread across eight host cities.
First Round: Regional Breakdown
The first round splits into four regions with games in Greenville, S.C.; Buffalo, N.Y.; Oklahoma City; Portland, Ore.; San Diego; Philadelphia; and St. Louis; Tampa, Fla.. Here is the complete slate.
East Region – Greenville, S.C. and Buffalo, N.Y.
Thursday, March 19
- No. 9 TCU vs. No. 8 Ohio State, 12:15 p.m., Greenville, S.C.
- No. 11 South Florida vs. No. 6 Louisville, 1:30 p.m., Buffalo, N.Y.
- No. 16 Siena vs. No. 1 Duke, 2:50 p.m., Greenville, S.C.
- No. 14 North Dakota State vs. No. 3 Michigan State, 4:05 p.m., Buffalo, N.Y.
Friday, March 20
- No. 12 Northern Iowa vs. No. 5 St. John’s, 7:10 p.m., San Diego
- No. 10 UCF vs. No. 7 UCLA, 7:25 p.m., Philadelphia
- No. 13 Cal Baptist vs. No. 4 Kansas, 9:45 p.m., San Diego
- No. 15 Furman vs. No. 2 UConn, 10 p.m., Philadelphia
South Region – Oklahoma City and Tampa, Fla.
Thursday, March 19
- No. 13 Troy vs. No. 4 Nebraska, 12:40 p.m., Oklahoma City
- No. 12 McNeese vs. No. 5 Vanderbilt, 3:15 p.m., Oklahoma City
- No. 11 VCU vs. No. 6 North Carolina, 6:50 p.m., Greenville, S.C.
- No. 10 Texas A&M vs. No. 7 Saint Mary’s, 7:35 p.m., Oklahoma City
- No. 14 Penn vs. No. 3 Illinois, 9:25 p.m., Greenville, S.C.
- No. 15 Idaho vs. No. 2 Houston, 10:10 p.m., Oklahoma City
Friday, March 20
- No. 9 Iowa vs. No. 8 Clemson, 6:50 p.m., Tampa, Fla.
- No. 1 Florida vs. Winner, Prairie View A&M/Lehigh, 9:25 p.m., Tampa, Fla.
Midwest Region – Buffalo, N.Y. and St. Louis
Thursday, March 19
- No. 1 Michigan vs. Winner, Howard/UMBC, 7:10 p.m., Buffalo, N.Y.
- No. 9 Saint Louis vs. No. 8 Georgia, 9:45 p.m., Buffalo, N.Y.
Friday, March 20
- No. 10 Santa Clara vs. No. 7 Kentucky, 12:15 p.m., St. Louis
- No. 12 Akron vs. No. 5 Texas Tech, 12:40 p.m., Tampa, Fla.
- No. 14 Wright State vs. No. 3 Virginia, 1:50 p.m., Philadelphia
- No. 15 Tennessee State vs. No. 2 Iowa State, 2:50 p.m., St. Louis
- No. 13 Hofstra vs. No. 4 Alabama, 3:15 p.m., Tampa, Fla.
- No. 6 Tennessee vs. Winner, Miami (Ohio)/SMU, 4:25 p.m., Philadelphia
West Region – Portland, Ore. and San Diego
Thursday, March 19
- No. 12 High Point vs. No. 5 Wisconsin, 1:50 p.m., Portland, Ore.
- No. 13 Hawaii vs. No. 4 Arkansas, 4:25 p.m., Portland, Ore.
- No. 6 BYU vs. Winner, NC State/Texas, 7:25 p.m., Portland, Ore.
- No. 14 Kennesaw State vs. No. 3 Gonzaga, 10 p.m., Portland, Ore.
Friday, March 20
- No. 16 Long Island vs. No. 1 Arizona, 1:35 p.m., San Diego
- No. 9 Utah State vs. No. 8 Villanova, 4:10 p.m., San Diego
- No. 15 Queens vs. No. 2 Purdue, 7:35 p.m., St. Louis
- No. 10 Missouri vs. No. 7 Miami, 10:10 p.m., St. Louis
Key Dynamics and Fan Talk
The seedings reveal several talking points. The South Region places defending champion Florida as a No. 1 seed awaiting the Prairie View A&M/Lehigh winner, while Houston draws No. 15 Idaho in a test of depth versus star power. In the East, Duke’s path begins with No. 16 Siena, a prime candidate for a historic upset bid. Fans will debate the Midwest’s open slot for the Howard/UMBC winner to face Michigan, and the West’s Thursday slate in Portland features three teams—Wisconsin, Arkansas, Gonzaga—with recent deep run experience. The presence of two No. 16 vs. No. 16 and two No. 11 vs. No. 11 games in the First Four underscores the selection committee’s close evaluations.
For the fastest, most authoritative analysis of every game, bracket updates, and instant insights from onlytrustedinfo.com, stay with us as we break down the NCAA Tournament action from start to finish.
