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PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND - MARCH 19: The March Madness logo is pictured at Amica Mutual Pavillion during Practice Day ahead of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament on March 19, 2025 in Providence, Rhode Island. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
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March Madness is one of the most popular sporting events of the year. Even those who don’t watch college basketball up to this point often become engaged because of how fun making a bracket can be.
Regardless of whether you’re a die hard college basketball fan or you’re making a bracket just for fun, here’s what you need to know about how you can watch the tournament.
Below, we’ll break down when the tournament starts, how to find the full schedule for each game, and where you can watch these games.
When Does March Madness 2026 Start?
The March Madness tournament includes a few games are called the first four. These are the last teams to make the tournament.
That part of the tournament kicks off on March 17th, where UMBC takes on Howard at 6:40 pm ET. The winner of that game becomes the 16th seed in the Midwest side of the bracket.
In total, four games are played, and it goes from Tuesday the 17th through Wednesday the 18th.
Now, the round of 64 is when most fans start paying attention because the bracket is officially set by this point. The first game for that starts with Ohio State taking on TCU at 12:15 pm.
The first day for the round of 64 is Thursday, where there’s a total of 16 games being played on the day. That ranges from 12:15 pm as mentioned above to 10:10 pm, where Houston and Idaho end of the night.
After that, the schedule is very similar for the second day. Friday has the first game kicking off at the same time, 12:15 pm. That game is Kentucky taking on Santa Clara.
There are another 16 games listed on Friday as well, with Miami (Florida) facing off against Missouri as the last game at 10:10 pm.
That means that while 64 teams were in on Thursday, that cuts all the way down to 32 by Friday night. This tournament is single elimination, which is why it’s so tough to predict, and these games are extremely exciting.
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SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 20: Detail of a basketball on the court as Nevada Wolf Pack practice ahead of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Delta Center on March 20, 2024 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
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How to Find the Full March Madness Schedule
The best way to find the schedule for every March Madness game is by using the official NCAA.com website. You can find the link to the full schedule as of now, right here.
The NCAA site is a great resource to keep up with the details of the tournament, as it lists the matchups, seeding, time, and TV provider all in one place.
Regardless of whether you’re looking to track your favorite team, crucial matchups in your bracket, or just enjoy the tournament, this site should help you a ton.
Where Can You Watch March Madness?
That same link mentioned above also tells you where every single game is being displayed. The first four games are all on truTV and they host a number of games after that as well.
The other places to watch these games on Thursday (18th) and Friday (19th) include truTV, TNT, TBS, as well as CBS.
With that being said, this article should help you understand when the March Madness tournament starts, on top of details regarding how you can watch the event.
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