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Thursday’s First Round Schedule
The 2026 NCAA Tournament is in full swing with 16 first-round games on Thursday, March 19. Here’s the complete schedule with TV channels :
| Time (ET) | Matchup | TV |
|---|---|---|
| 12:15 p.m. | No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 9 TCU | CBS |
| 12:40 p.m. | No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 13 Troy | truTV |
| 1:30 p.m. | No. 6 Louisville vs. No. 11 South Florida | TNT |
| 1:50 p.m. | No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 12 High Point | TBS |
| 2:50 p.m. | No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 Siena | CBS |
| 3:15 p.m. | No. 5 Vanderbilt vs. No. 12 McNeese | truTV |
| 4:05 p.m. | No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 14 North Dakota State | TNT |
| 4:25 p.m. | No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 13 Hawaii | TBS |
| 6:50 p.m. | No. 6 North Carolina vs. No. 11 VCU | TNT |
| 7:10 p.m. | No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 16 Howard | CBS |
| 7:25 p.m. | No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 Texas | TBS |
| 7:35 p.m. | No. 7 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 10 Texas A&M | truTV |
| 9:25 p.m. | No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 14 Penn | TNT |
| 9:45 p.m. | No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 9 Saint Louis | CBS |
| 10:00 p.m. | No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 14 Kennesaw State | TBS |
| 10:10 p.m. | No. 2 Houston vs. No. 15 Idaho | truTV |
Opening Game: Ohio State vs. TCU
The tournament tips off with an 8-9 matchup between Ohio State (21-12) and TCU (22-11) at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina . The Buckeyes enter as slight 2.5-point favorites with an over/under of 145.5 .
- Ohio State: Bruce Thornton (20.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 3.9 apg), John Mobley Jr. (15.7 ppg)
- TCU: David Punch (14.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg), Xavier Edmonds (12.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg)
Potential Bracket Busters
Several double-digit seeds could make noise in the first round :
- No. 11 VCU: The Rams have won 16 of their last 17 games and are prolific from 3-point range. They face No. 6 North Carolina, which is without injured star Caleb Wilson.
- No. 12 High Point: The Panthers went 30-4 and led the country in scoring margin (+19.7). They force the third-most turnovers per game and face No. 5 Wisconsin.
- No. 10 Texas A&M: First-year coach Bucky McMillan brings his up-tempo “Bucky Ball” style against No. 7 Saint Mary’s.
How to Watch
All games air across CBS, TNT, TBS, and truTV. Streaming options include the NCAA March Madness Live app, Fubo (free trial for CBS games), and Sling TV for TNT/TBS/truTV coverage .
