2026 March Madness Bracket: Complete NCAA Tournament Guide — Schedule, Seeds, Locations and Predictions

The 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket is set and March Madness officially begins tomorrow. Duke, Arizona, Michigan and Florida claimed the No. 1 seeds in the four regions, while 31-1 Miami (Ohio) will have to fight through an extra game to play in the first round. Here is everything you need to fill out your printable NCAA bracket 2026 and win your bracket challenge.

When Does March Madness Start — Full 2026 NCAA Tournament Schedule

The First Four tips off Tuesday, March 17 and Wednesday, March 18 before the first round gets underway Thursday, March 19 and Friday, March 20. The Second Round runs Saturday, March 21 and Sunday, March 22. The Sweet 16 follows Thursday, March 26 and Friday, March 27. The Elite Eight is Saturday, March 28 and Sunday, March 29. The Final Four is Saturday, April 4 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and the NCAA Championship Game is Monday, April 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Games will be aired across CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV, all available on March Madness Live. Games airing on CBS will also be available to Paramount+ subscribers, while those on TBS, TNT and truTV are available via HBO Max.

First Four Games in Dayton — Full Schedule and Times

Tuesday, March 17 in Dayton: No. 16 UMBC vs. No. 16 Howard at 6:40 p.m. ET on truTV, and No. 11 Texas vs. No. 11 NC State at 9:15 p.m. ET on truTV. Wednesday, March 18 in Dayton: No. 16 Prairie View A&M vs. No. 16 Lehigh at 6:40 p.m. ET on truTV, and No. 11 Miami (Ohio) vs. No. 11 SMU at 9:15 p.m. ET on truTV.

Miami (Ohio), despite that 31-1 record, barely scratched its way into the bracket. The RedHawks are an 11-seed and have to play a First Four game against SMU on Wednesday. They are an 8.5-point underdog against SMU and a 1,500-1 longshot to win it all according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

Complete 2026 NCAA Bracket — All Four Regions

The full bracket breaks down as follows:

EAST REGION — Washington DC 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.

WEST REGION — San Jose 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.

MIDWEST REGION No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 16 UMBC/Howard, No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 9 St. 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.

SOUTH REGION — Houston No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Prairie 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 (TBD).

First Round Locations for the 2026 NCAA Tournament Bracket

Thursday, March 19 first-round sites are KeyBank Center in Buffalo, Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, and Moda Center in Portland. Friday, March 20 sites include Benchmark International Arena in Tampa and Xfinity Mobile Arena.

March Madness Odds and Bracket Predictions 2026

Michigan enters the tournament with a slight odds edge at +325 over ACC champion Duke at +333, followed by Big 12 winner Arizona at +425 and last year's champion Florida at +600.

Duke will not be at full strength anytime soon, as starters Caleb Foster with a broken foot and Patrick Ngongba II with a foot injury both missed the ACC Tournament — a significant concern heading into the East Region.

Duke was the king of the ACC all year and won the regular-season title and the conference tournament title. Arizona was the bully of the Big 12 all year — the Wildcats won the regular-season title and the conference tournament title as well.

ESPN Bracket Challenge and CBS Sports Bracket Challenge — How to Play

Both the ESPN Tournament Challenge and CBS Sports Bracket Challenge are live right now. Both are free to enter. The ESPN Bracket Challenge offers a dream trip to the 2027 Final Four as its grand prize. To fill out your printable NCAA bracket 2026, visit NCAA.com for the official printable bracket or use the interactive bracket tool available on ESPN and CBS Sports. The official printable bracket for the 2026 NCAA Tournament is available now at NCAA.com — click or tap the printable bracket link. The First Four tips off at 6:40 p.m. ET tomorrow night — March Madness 2026 starts now.