March Madness 2026: First Four Results, Wednesday TruTV Schedule, and First Round Tipping Off Today
The 2026 NCAA Tournament is officially alive and delivering instant classics. Tuesday's NCAA First Four in Dayton produced two wire-to-wire thrillers, with Texas surviving on a buzzer beater and Howard making program history. Wednesday night brings two more First Four matchups on TruTV before the full 64-team bracket explodes into action on Thursday, March 19.
NCAA First Four Tuesday Results — Texas and Howard Advance
Both First Four matchups from Dayton came down to the wire, with No. 11 seed Texas and No. 16 seed Howard advancing to the first round with dramatic wins on Tuesday night.
Texas needed a game-winner from Tramon Mark — a guarded jumper inside the 3-point line with 1.1 seconds to go — to hold off a late NC State rally and survive 68-66. Howard got the first NCAA tournament win in school history earlier Tuesday with an 86-83 victory over UMBC.
| Game | Score | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Texas vs NC State | 68-66 | Texas |
| Howard vs UMBC | 86-83 | Howard |
Howard Makes History — Ose Okojie Stars in Program's First Ever Tournament Win
The win in the NCAA First Four for the Howard Bison marked the program's first NCAA Tournament victory after going 0-4 in their previous four appearances. With the win, Howard tied the program record for most wins at 24, matching its record during the 1986-87 season.
Howard led for most of the game, though UMBC staged a late push that made the Bison sweat. Ose Okojie scored 23 for Howard, while Bryce Harris clinched the game with a turnaround jumper to put the Bison up four with 13 seconds remaining. UMBC missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have forced overtime.
Wednesday TruTV NCAA First Four Schedule — Prairie View vs Lehigh and Miami (Ohio) vs SMU
The 2026 NCAA Tournament continues Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio, with two more NCAA First Four matchups. The opening game features No. 16 seed Prairie View facing No. 16 seed Lehigh, with the winner set to face No. 1 seed and reigning national champion Florida on Friday.
The second matchup of the Wednesday doubleheader features No. 11 Miami (Ohio) vs No. 11 SMU at 9:15 p.m. ET on TruTV. Both Wednesday games are broadcast exclusively on TruTV. Miami (Ohio) enters as one of the most compelling stories in college basketball this season after completing the regular season with just one loss.
Full Wednesday TruTV First Four Tip Times at a Glance
| Game | Time (ET) | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Prairie View A&M vs Lehigh | 6:40 p.m. | TruTV |
| Miami (Ohio) vs SMU | 9:15 p.m. | TruTV |
March Madness 2026 First Round Begins Today — Duke, Michigan, BYU, Texas on Thursday
The 2026 March Madness bracket's first round begins Thursday, March 19, with games running from noon through late night across CBS, TBS, TNT, and TruTV.
Thursday's marquee matchups include No. 1 Duke vs No. 16 Siena at 2:50 p.m. ET on CBS, No. 1 Michigan vs No. 16 Howard at 7:10 p.m. ET on CBS, and No. 6 BYU vs No. 11 Texas at 7:25 p.m. ET on TBS.
The Year of the Freshman — Historic Class Defines March Madness 2026
The 2025-26 college basketball season has been dubbed "the year of the freshman," and for good reason. Thirteen of the 68 teams in this year's NCAA Tournament have a freshman as their leading scorer — far and away the most in NCAA Tournament history, with the previous record of eight coming in 2008.
Duke star Cameron Boozer received good news Tuesday, being named a first-team AP All-American alongside two other freshmen. The top three of the 2026 NBA Draft — AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Cameron Boozer — are all in the field, making March Madness 2026 double as an NBA Draft showcase. The Final Four tips off April 4 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, with the national championship on April 6.
