2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

The 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament is an ongoing event involving 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the NCAA Division I men's college basketball national champion for the 2025–26 season. The 87th edition of the tournament began on March 17 and will conclude with the championship game on April 6, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Atlantic Sun champion Queens and Western Athletic Conference (WAC) champion California Baptist made their tournament debuts. Queens qualified in its first year of eligibility, becoming only the fifth school since 1972 to achieve the feat.

Ohio Valley champion Tennessee State made its third-ever appearance, its first since (/wiki/1994NCAADivisionImen'sbasketballtournament), while Big Sky champion Idaho made its first appearance since (/wiki/1990NCAADivisionImen'sbasketballtournament). Coastal Athletic champion Hofstra made its first appearance since (/wiki/2001NCAADivisionImen'sbasketballtournament). Mid-American Conference (MAC) champion Akron and Southland champion McNeese each made their third consecutive tournament appearance.

For the first time since (/wiki/2022NCAADivisionImen'sbasketballtournament) there was a Philadelphia Big 5 school in the tournament, with both Villanova and Penn qualifying. Teams from 33 U.S. states and the District of Columbia participated.

For the second consecutive season, all top four seeds advanced to the second round. This was the first time since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985 that this had happened. The biggest upset in the first round was 5th seeded Wisconsin losing to 12th seed High Point. Nebraska, High Point, Howard, and Prairie View A&M each earned their first ever tournament wins, although Howard and Prairie View A&M accomplished this in the First Four. Nebraska had previously been the only power conference team to have never won an NCAA tournament game. The average margin of victory in the first round was 17.4 points, the highest since the tournament expanded in 1985. This coupled with higher seeds' tendency to win during the 2025 tournament has lead to a belief that mid-major programs are unable to compete with major conference programs in the NIL and transfer portal era. However, No. 1 overall seed Duke did get a challenge from No. 16 seed Siena, trailing by 13 points before recovering to win the game by six points. Additionally, for the 18th straight year, a double digit seed made the Sweet 16, although for the third consecutive year no 12-seed or lower team made the Sweet 16, and for the fourth consecutive year only one double digit seed made the Sweet 16. For the second straight season, no mid-major teams made the Sweet 16.

The Final Four comprises #1 seed Michigan, #1 seed Arizona, #2 seed Connecticut and #3 seed Illinois. While Illinois is the lowest numbered seed to make the Final Four in two years, the Final Four was noted for not having a real Cinderella story.

Tournament procedure

2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

A total of 68 teams entered the 2026 tournament. Thirty-one automatic bids were awarded to each program that won its conference's tournament. The remaining 37 teams received at-large bids, with selections extended by the NCAA selection committee on "Selection Sunday", March 15. The selection committee also seeded the entire field from 1 to 68.

Eight teams (the four-lowest seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at large-teams) played in the First Four. The winners of these games advanced to the main tournament bracket.

NET	School	Conference	Record
48	Oklahoma	SEC	19–15
38	Auburn	17–16
47	San Diego State	Mountain West	22–11
41	Indiana	Big Ten	18–14

Schedule and venues

2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

The following are the sites selected to host each round of the 2026 tournament:

• March 17 and 18 • University of Dayton Arena, in Dayton, Ohio (host: University of Dayton)

• March 19 and 21 • KeyBank Center, in Buffalo, New York (hosts: Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Canisius University, & Niagara University) • Bon Secours Wellness Arena, in Greenville, South Carolina (hosts: Furman University & Southern Conference) • Paycom Center, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (host: Big 12 Conference) • Moda Center, in Portland, Oregon (host: Oregon State University) • March 20 and 22 • Benchmark International Arena, in Tampa, Florida (host: University of South Florida) • Xfinity Mobile Arena, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (host: Saint Joseph's University) • Viejas Arena, in San Diego, California (host: San Diego State University) • Enterprise Center, in St. Louis, Missouri (host: Missouri Valley Conference)

Regional Semifinals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)

• March 26 and 28 • South Regional • Toyota Center, in Houston, Texas (host: Rice University) • West Regional • SAP Center, in San Jose, California (host: San Jose State University) • March 27 and 29 • Midwest Regional • United Center, in Chicago, Illinois (host: Big Ten Conference) • East Regional • Capital One Arena, in Washington, D.C. (host: Georgetown University)

National semifinals and Championship game (Final Four)

• April 4 and 6 • Lucas Oil Stadium, in Indianapolis, Indiana (hosts: Horizon League and Indiana University Indianapolis)

Indianapolis will host the Final Four for the ninth time, having previously hosted in (/wiki/2021NCAADivisionImen'sbasketballtournament).

Qualification and selection of teams

Automatic qualifiers

Teams who won their conference championships (31) automatically qualify.

<table><thead><tr><th>Conference</th><th>Team</th><th>Appearance</th><th>Last bid</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>America East</td><td>UMBC</td><td>3rd</td><td>2018</td></tr><tr><td>American</td><td>South Florida</td><td>4th</td><td>2012</td></tr><tr><td>Atlantic 10</td><td>VCU</td><td>21st</td><td>2025</td></tr><tr><td>ACC</td><td>Duke</td><td>48th</td><td>2025</td></tr><tr><td>Atlantic Sun</td><td>Queens</td><td>1st</td><td>Never</td></tr><tr><td>Big 12</td><td>Arizona</td><td>40th</td><td>2025</td></tr><tr><td>Big East</td><td>St. John's</td><td>32nd</td><td>2025</td></tr><tr><td>Big Sky</td><td>Idaho</td><td>5th</td><td>1990</td></tr><tr><td>Big South</td><td>High Point</td><td>2nd</td><td>2025</td></tr><tr><td>Big Ten</td><td>Purdue</td><td>37th</td><td>2025</td></tr><tr><td>Big West</td><td>Hawai’i</td><td>6th</td><td>2016</td></tr><tr><td>CAA</td><td>Hofstra</td><td>5th</td><td>2001</td></tr><tr><td>CUSA</td><td>Kennesaw State</td><td>2nd</td><td>2023</td></tr><tr><td>Horizon</td><td>Wright State</td><td>5th</td><td>2022</td></tr><tr><td>Ivy League</td><td>Penn</td><td>25th</td><td>2018</td></tr><tr><td>MAAC</td><td>Siena</td><td>7th</td><td>2010</td></tr><tr><td>MAC</td><td>Akron</td><td>8th</td><td>2025</td></tr><tr><td>MEAC</td><td>Howard</td><td>5th</td><td>2024</td></tr><tr><td>Missouri Valley</td><td>Northern Iowa</td><td>9th</td><td>2016</td></tr><tr><td>Mountain West</td><td>Utah State</td><td>26th</td><td>2025</td></tr><tr><td>NEC</td><td>LIU</td><td>8th</td><td>2018</td></tr><tr><td>Ohio Valley</td><td>Tennessee State</td><td>3rd</td><td>1994</td></tr><tr><td>Patriot</td><td>Lehigh</td><td>6th</td><td>2012</td></tr><tr><td>SEC</td><td>Arkansas</td><td>37th</td><td>2025</td></tr><tr><td>Southern</td><td>Furman</td><td>8th</td><td>2023</td></tr><tr><td>Southland</td><td>McNeese</td><td>5th</td><td>2025</td></tr><tr><td>SWAC</td><td>Prairie View A&M</td><td>3rd</td><td>2019</td></tr><tr><td>Summit League</td><td>North Dakota State</td><td>5th</td><td>2019</td></tr><tr><td>Sun Belt</td><td>Troy</td><td>4th</td><td>2025</td></tr><tr><td>WAC</td><td>California Baptist</td><td>1st</td><td>Never</td></tr><tr><td>WCC</td><td>Gonzaga</td><td>28th</td><td>2025</td></tr></tbody></table>

Bids by state

<table><thead><tr><th>Bids</th><th>State</th><th>Schools</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>2</td><td>Alabama</td><td>Alabama, Troy</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Arkansas</td><td>Arkansas</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Arizona</td><td>Arizona</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>California</td><td>California Baptist, Santa Clara, St. Mary's, UCLA</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Connecticut</td><td>UConn</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Florida</td><td>Florida, Miami (FL), South Florida, UCF</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Georgia</td><td>Georgia, Kennesaw State</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Hawaii</td><td>Hawaii</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Idaho</td><td>Idaho</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Indiana</td><td>Purdue</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Illinois</td><td>Illinois</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Iowa</td><td>Iowa, Iowa State, Northern Iowa</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Kansas</td><td>Kansas</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Kentucky</td><td>Louisville, Kentucky</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Louisiana</td><td>McNeese</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Maryland</td><td>UMBC</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Michigan</td><td>Michigan, Michigan State</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Missouri</td><td>Missouri, St. Louis</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Nebraska</td><td>Nebraska</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>New York</td><td>Hofstra, LIU, Siena, St. John's</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>North Carolina</td><td>Duke, High Point, North Carolina, NC State, Queens</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>North Dakota</td><td>North Dakota State</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Ohio</td><td>Akron, Miami (OH), Ohio State, Wright State</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Pennsylvania</td><td>Lehigh, Penn, Villanova</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>South Carolina</td><td>Clemson, Furman</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Tennessee</td><td>Tennessee, Tennessee State, Vanderbilt</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>Texas</td><td>Houston, Prairie View A&M, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, TCU</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Utah</td><td>BYU, Utah State</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Virginia</td><td>Virginia, VCU</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Washington</td><td>Gonzaga</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Washington, D.C.</td><td>Howard</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Wisconsin</td><td>Wisconsin</td></tr></tbody></table>

Tournament bracket

2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

All times are listed in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4). Games on CBS are also on Paramount+, while games on TBS, TNT, and truTV are also on HBO Max.

First Four – Dayton, Ohio

The First Four games involve eight teams: the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams.

East regional – Washington, D.C.

<table><thead><tr><th></th><th>First round Round of 64 March 19–20</th><th></th><th></th><th>Second round Round of 32 March 21–22</th><th></th><th></th><th>Regional semifinals Sweet 16 March 27</th><th></th><th></th><th>Regional Final Elite 8 March 29</th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td></td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td></td><td></td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td></td><td></td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td></td><td></td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>1</td><td>Duke</td><td>71</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>16</td><td>Siena</td><td>65</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td>1</td><td>Duke</td><td>81</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Greenville – Thu/Sat</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>9</td><td>TCU</td><td>58</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>8</td><td>Ohio State</td><td>64</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>9</td><td>TCU</td><td>66</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td>1</td><td>Duke</td><td>80</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>5</td><td>St. John's</td><td>75</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>5</td><td>St. John's</td><td>79</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>12</td><td>Northern Iowa</td><td>53</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td>5</td><td>St. John's</td><td>67</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>San Diego – Fri/Sun</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>4</td><td>Kansas</td><td>65</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>4</td><td>Kansas</td><td>68</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>13</td><td>California Baptist</td><td>60</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td>1</td><td>Duke</td><td>72</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>2</td><td>UConn</td><td>73</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>6</td><td>Louisville</td><td>83</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>11</td><td>South Florida</td><td>79</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td>6</td><td>Louisville</td><td>69</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Buffalo – Thu/Sat</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>3</td><td>Michigan State</td><td>77</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>3</td><td>Michigan State</td><td>92</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>14</td><td>North Dakota State</td><td>67</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td>3</td><td>Michigan State</td><td>63</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>2</td><td>UConn</td><td>67</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>7</td><td>UCLA</td><td>75</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>10</td><td>UCF</td><td>71</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td>7</td><td>UCLA</td><td>57</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Philadelphia – Fri/Sun</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>2</td><td>UConn</td><td>73</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>2</td><td>UConn</td><td>82</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>15</td><td>Furman</td><td>71</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

East regional all-tournament team

• Tarris Reed (MOP) - UConn • Cameron Boozer, Duke • Cayden Boozer, Duke • Zuby Ejiofor, St. John's • Isaiah Evans, Duke

South regional – Houston, Texas

<table><thead><tr><th></th><th>First round Round of 64 March 19–20</th><th></th><th></th><th>Second round Round of 32 March 21–22</th><th></th><th></th><th>Regional semifinals Sweet 16 March 26</th><th></th><th></th><th>Regional Final Elite 8 March 28</th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td></td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td></td><td></td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td></td><td></td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td></td><td></td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>1</td><td>Florida</td><td>114</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>16</td><td>Prairie View A&M</td><td>55</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td>1</td><td>Florida</td><td>72</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Tampa – Fri/Sun</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>9</td><td>Iowa</td><td>73</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>8</td><td>Clemson</td><td>61</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>9</td><td>Iowa</td><td>67</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td>9</td><td>Iowa</td><td>77</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>4</td><td>Nebraska</td><td>71</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>5</td><td>Vanderbilt</td><td>78</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>12</td><td>McNeese</td><td>68</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td>5</td><td>Vanderbilt</td><td>72</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Oklahoma City – Thu/Sat</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>4</td><td>Nebraska</td><td>74</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>4</td><td>Nebraska</td><td>76</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>13</td><td>Troy</td><td>47</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td>9</td><td>Iowa</td><td>59</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>3</td><td>Illinois</td><td>71</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>6</td><td>North Carolina</td><td>78</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>11</td><td>VCU</td><td>82OT</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td>11</td><td>VCU</td><td>55</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Greenville – Thu/Sat</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>3</td><td>Illinois</td><td>76</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>3</td><td>Illinois</td><td>105</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>14</td><td>Penn</td><td>70</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td>3</td><td>Illinois</td><td>65</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>2</td><td>Houston</td><td>55</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>7</td><td>Saint Mary's</td><td>50</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>10</td><td>Texas A&M</td><td>63</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td>10</td><td>Texas A&M</td><td>57</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Oklahoma City – Thu/Sat</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>2</td><td>Houston</td><td>88</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>2</td><td>Houston</td><td>78</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>15</td><td>Idaho</td><td>47</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

South regional all-tournament team

• Keaton Wagler (MOP) - Illinois • David Mirković, Illinois • Andrej Stojaković, Illinois • Bennett Stirtz, Iowa • Pryce Sandfort, Nebraska

West regional – San Jose, California

	First round Round of 64 March 19–20			Second round Round of 32 March 21–22			Regional semifinals Sweet 16 March 26			Regional Final Elite 8 March 28
	1	Arizona	92
	16	LIU	58
		1	Arizona	78
	San Diego – Fri/Sun
			9	Utah State	66
	8	Villanova	76
	9	Utah State	86
		1	Arizona	109
			4	Arkansas	88
	5	Wisconsin	82
	12	High Point	83
		12	High Point	88
	Portland – Thu/Sat
			4	Arkansas	94
	4	Arkansas	97
	13	Hawai’i	78
		1	Arizona	79
			2	Purdue	64
	6	BYU	71
	11	Texas	79
		11	Texas	74
	Portland – Thu/Sat
			3	Gonzaga	68
	3	Gonzaga	73
	14	Kennesaw State	64
		11	Texas	77
			2	Purdue	79
	7	Miami (FL)	80
	10	Missouri	66
		7	Miami (FL)	69
	St. Louis – Fri/Sun
			2	Purdue	79
	2	Purdue	104
	15	Queens	71

West regional all-tournament team

• Koa Peat (MOP) - Arizona • Jaden Bradley, Arizona • Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue • Tramon Mark, Texas • Braden Smith, Purdue

Midwest regional – Chicago, Illinois

	First round Round of 64 March 19–20			Second round Round of 32 March 21–22			Regional semifinals Sweet 16 March 27			Regional Final Elite 8 March 29
	1	Michigan	101
	16	Howard	80
		1	Michigan	95
	Buffalo – Thu/Sat
			9	Saint Louis	72
	8	Georgia	77
	9	Saint Louis	102
		1	Michigan	90
			4	Alabama	77
	5	Texas Tech	91
	12	Akron	71
		5	Texas Tech	65
	Tampa – Fri/Sun
			4	Alabama	90
	4	Alabama	90
	13	Hofstra	70
		1	Michigan	95
			6	Tennessee	62
	6	Tennessee	78
	11	Miami (OH)	56
		6	Tennessee	79
	Philadelphia – Fri/Sun
			3	Virginia	72
	3	Virginia	82
	14	Wright State	73
		6	Tennessee	76
			2	Iowa State	62
	7	Kentucky	89OT
	10	Santa Clara	84
		7	Kentucky	63
	St. Louis – Fri/Sun
			2	Iowa State	82
	2	Iowa State	108
	15	Tennessee State	74

Midwest regional all-tournament team

• Yaxel Lendeborg (MOP) - Michigan • Elliot Cadeau, Michigan • Roddy Gayle Jr., Michigan • Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Tennessee • Labaron Philon Jr., Alabama

Final Four – Indianapolis, Indiana

During the Final Four round, regardless of the seeds of the participating teams, the champion of the overall top seed's region (No. 2 UConn, East Region) plays against the champion of the fourth overall top seed's region (No. 3 Illinois Fighting Illini, South Region), and the champion of the second overall top seed's region (No. 1 Arizona Wildcats, West Region) plays against the champion of the third-ranked top seed's region (No. 1 Michigan Wolverines, Midwest Region).

	National Semifinals Final Four Saturday, April 4			National Championship Game Monday, April 6
	E2	UConn	6:09 p.m.
	S3	Illinois	TBS/TNT/truTV/HBO Max
			8:50 p.m.
				TBS/TNT/truTV
	W1	Arizona	8:49 p.m.
	MW1	Michigan	TBS/TNT/truTV/HBO Max

Record by conference

2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

Conference	Bids	Record	Win %	FF	R64	R32	S16	E8	F4	CG	NC
Big Ten	9	19–7	.731	–	9	7	6	4	2
Big East	3	6–2	.750	–	3	2	2	1	1
Big 12	8	11–7	.611	–	8	6	3	1	1
ACC	8	6–8	.429	2	6	4	1	1	–	–	–
SEC	10	14–10	.583	1	10	8	4	1	–	–	–
Atlantic 10	2	2–2	.500	–	2	2	–	–	–	–	–
Big South	1	1–1	.500	–	1	1	–	–	–	–	–
Mountain West	1	1–1	.500	–	1	1	–	–	–	–	–
WCC	3	1–3	.250	–	3	1	–	–	–	–	–
MEAC	1	1–1	.500	1	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
SWAC	1	1–1	.500	1	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
MAC	2	1–2	.333	1	2	–	–	–	–	–	–
American	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
Atlantic Sun	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
Big Sky	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
Big West	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
CAA	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
CUSA	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
Horizon	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
Ivy	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
MAAC	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
MVC	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
NEC	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
OVC	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
Southern	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
Southland	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
Summit	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
Sun Belt	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
WAC	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
America East	1	0–1	.000	1	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Patriot	1	0–1	.000	1	–	–	–	–	–	–	–

• The FF, R64, R32, S16, E8, F4, CG, and NC columns indicate how many teams from each conference were in the First Four, round of 64, round of 32, Sweet 16 and Elite Eight (regional semifinals and finals), Final Four and championship game (national semifinal and final), and national champion, respectively. The sum of the number of teams a conference placed in each round therefore does not equal the number of bids a conference received.

Tournament notes

Upsets

Per the NCAA, an upset occurs "when the losing team in an NCAA tournament game was seeded at least five seed lines better than the winning team". The 2026 tournament had a total of six upsets.

Round	West	East	Midwest	South
Round of 64	No. 12 High Point defeated No. 5 Wisconsin, 83–82 No. 11 Texas defeated No. 6 BYU, 79–71	None	No. 11 VCU defeated No. 6 North Carolina, 82–78 OT
Round of 32	No. 11 Texas defeated No. 3 Gonzaga, 74–68	None	No. 9 Iowa defeated No. 1 Florida, 73–72
Sweet 16	None	No. 9 Iowa defeated No. 4 Nebraska, 77–71
Elite 8	None
Final 4	None
National Championship	None

Game officials

2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

• UMBC vs. Howard – Michael Kitts, Josue Nieves, Evon Burroughs • Texas vs. NC State – Nate Harris, Michael Greenstein, Marques Pettigrew • Prairie View A&M vs. Lehigh – Scott Brown, Greg Evans, Courtney Green • Miami (OH) vs. SMU – James Ford, Edwin Young, Ronald Groover

Regional semifinals and final (Sweet 16 and Elite Eight)

National semifinals and finals (Final Four and National Championship)

• Indianapolis • UConn vs Illinois, Semifinal Game 1 – • Arizona vs Michigan, Semifinal Game 2 – • TBD vs TBD, National championship game –

Media coverage

Television

CBS Sports and TNT Sports have US television rights to the tournament. As part of a cycle that began in 2016, TBS will televise the 2026 Final Four and the National Championship Game.

In November 2025, TNT Sports and ESPN announced an agreement to allow ESPN's Dick Vitale to call First Four games on truTV alongside TNT Sports' Charles Barkley. In exchange, Vitale and Barkley called a December 13, 2025 regular season game on ESPN between Indiana and Kentucky.

CBS Mornings co-host and The NFL Today analyst Nate Burleson will replace Ernie Johnson for the first two weeks of the tournament, as Johnson announced his semi-retirement from hosting March Madness to focus on his increasing Inside the NBA duties for ESPN and ABC under a sub-licensing agreement from TNT Sports. Johnson will continue to host the Final Four and National Championship Game.

Television channels

• Selection Show – CBS • First Four – truTV • First and Second Rounds – CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV • Regional Semifinals and Finals – CBS and TBS/truTV • National Semifinals and Finals (Final Four and National Championship) – TBS, TNT and truTV

Streaming

• HBO Max (only TBS, TNT, and truTV games), ad free tiers only. • Paramount+ (only CBS games)

Studio hosts

• Nate Burleson (New York City) – First and Second rounds and regionals • Adam Zucker (New York City) – First and Second rounds • Adam Lefkoe (Atlanta and Indianapolis) – First Four, First and Second rounds, regional semifinals and Final Four • Ernie Johnson (Indianapolis) – Final Four and national championship game • Jamie Erdahl (New York City) – First and Second rounds (game breaks)

Studio analysts

• Charles Barkley (New York City and Indianapolis) – First and Second rounds, regionals, Final Four and national championship game • Seth Davis (New York City) – First and Second rounds • Clark Kellogg (New York City and Indianapolis) – First and Second rounds, regionals, Final Four and national championship game • Jamal Mashburn (Atlanta and Indianapolis) – First Four, First and Second rounds, regional semifinals and Final Four • Renee Montgomery (New York City) – First and Second rounds • Candace Parker (Indianapolis) – Final Four • Bruce Pearl (Atlanta, New York City and Indianapolis) – First Four, First and Second rounds, regionals, Final Four and national championship game • Jalen Rose (Atlanta and Indianapolis) – First Four, First and Second rounds, regional semifinals and Final Four • Kenny Smith (New York City and Indianapolis) – First round, regionals, Final Four and national championship game • Gene Steratore (New York City and Indianapolis) (Rules Analyst) – First Four, First and Second rounds, regionals, Final Four and national championship game • Chris Webber (Indianapolis) – Final Four

Broadcast assignments

• Ian Eagle/Bill Raftery/Grant Hill/Tracy Wolfson – First and Second rounds in Greenville, South Carolina; East Regional at Washington, D.C.; Final Four and National Championship in Indianapolis, Indiana • Brian Anderson or Jason Benetti/Jim Jackson/Allie LaForce – First and Second rounds in Buffalo, New York; West Regional at San Jose, California • Benetti called the First Round, while Anderson called the Second Round and the West Regional. • Kevin Harlan/Robbie Hummel/Stan Van Gundy/Lauren Shehadi – First and Second rounds in San Diego, California; South Regional at Houston, Texas • Andrew Catalon/Steve Lappas/Evan Washburn – First and Second rounds in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Midwest Regional at Chicago, Illinois • Brad Nessler/Wally Szczerbiak/Jared Greenberg – First and Second rounds in Portland, Oregon • Spero Dedes/Jim Spanarkel/Jon Rothstein – First and Second rounds in St. Louis, Missouri • Brandon Gaudin/Chris Webber/Andy Katz – First and Second Rounds in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma • Tom McCarthy/Candace Parker/Dan Bonner/AJ Ross – First and Second rounds in Tampa, Florida • Jordan Kent/Jim Spanarkel/Jenny Dell – First Four first game during Tuesday session and both games during Wednesday session in Dayton, Ohio • Brian Anderson/Charles Barkley/Dick Vitale/Jenny Dell – First Four second game during Tuesday session in Dayton, Ohio

Radio

Westwood One will have exclusive coverage of the entire tournament.

Television ratings

Most watched tournament games

(#) Tournament seedings and region in parentheses.

<table><thead><tr><th>Rank</th><th>Round</th><th>Date and time (ET)</th><th>Matchup</th><th>Network</th><th>Viewers (millions)</th><th>TV rating</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td>Second Round</td><td>March 22, 5:15 p.m.</td><td>(4 E) Kansas</td><td>65–67</td><td>(5 E) St. John's</td><td>CBS</td><td>10.58</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>March 22, 2:45 p.m.</td><td>(2 MW) Iowa State</td><td>82–63</td><td>(7 MW) Kentucky</td><td>9.79</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>March 21, 5:15 p.m.</td><td>(1 E) Duke</td><td>81–58</td><td>(9 E) TCU</td><td>9.55</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>March 21, 2:45 p.m.</td><td>(3 E) Michigan State</td><td>77–69</td><td>(6 E) Louisville</td><td>8.47</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>March 22, 12:10 p.m.</td><td>(2 W) Purdue</td><td>79–69</td><td>(7 W) Miami (FL)</td><td>6.83</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>March 21, 12:10 p.m.</td><td>(1 MW) Michigan</td><td>95–72</td><td>(9 MW) Saint Louis</td><td>6.25</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>March 21, 7:50 p.m.</td><td>(3 S) Illinois</td><td>76–55</td><td>(11 S) VCU</td><td>5.65</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>First Round</td><td>March 19, 2:50 p.m.</td><td>(1 E) Duke</td><td>71–65</td><td>(16 E) Siena</td><td>5.43</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>Second Round</td><td>March 22, 7:10 p.m.</td><td>(1 S) Florida</td><td>72–73</td><td>(9 E) Iowa</td><td>TBS</td><td>5.14</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>First Round</td><td>March 22, 2:45 p.m.</td><td>(7 MW) Kentucky</td><td>89–84OT</td><td>(10 MW) Santa Clara</td><td>CBS</td><td>4.99</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>