2026 March Madness Schedule
Key Dates & Rounds
NCAA March Madness Tournament
- Selection Sunday – March 15
- First Four – March 17-18
- First Round – March 19-20
- Second Round – March 21-22
- Sweet 16 – March 26-27
- Elite Eight – March 28-29
- Final Four – April 4
- National Championship – April 6
Conference Championships
Monday, March 9:
- Southern Conference (SoCon): Furman vs. East Tennessee State – 7:00 p.m. on ESPN (Asheville, N.C.)
- Sun Belt Conference: Championship game (e.g., Georgia Southern vs. Troy or finalists) – ~6:00–7:00 p.m. on ESPN (Pensacola, Fla.; time varies slightly by sources)
Tuesday, March 10:
- Northeast Conference (NEC): Championship – 7:00 p.m. on ESPN2 (higher seed hosts; LIU already awarded AQ due to ineligibility rules)
- Horizon League: Championship – ~7:00 p.m. on ESPN2 (campus site)
- Atlantic Sun (ASUN): Already decided (Queens won on March 8)
Wednesday, March 11:
- Patriot League: Championship – 7:00 p.m. on CBS Sports Network (higher seed hosts)
- Big Sky: Championship – 11:30 p.m. on ESPN2
- Southland: Championship – 5:00 p.m. on ESPN2
Thursday, March 12:
- No Championship Games
Friday, March 13:
- Big 12: Semifinals leading into Saturday final
- ACC: Semifinals
- SEC: Semifinals
- Big Ten: Semifinals
Saturday, March 14:
- ACC Championship: 8:30 p.m. on ESPN (Spectrum Center, Charlotte, N.C.)
- Big 12 Championship: ~6:00 p.m. on CBS or ESPN (T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Mo.)
- Big West Championship: TBA
- Mountain West Championship: ~6:00 p.m. on CBS (Las Vegas)
- Other mid-majors (e.g., America East at 11 a.m. on ESPN2, Ivy League)
Sunday, March 15:
- Big Ten Championship: 3:30 p.m. on CBS (United Center, Chicago)
- Atlantic 10 Championship: 1:00 p.m. on CBS (Pittsburgh)
- American Championship: 3:15 p.m. on ESPN (Birmingham, Ala.)
- SEC Championship: 1:00 p.m. on ESPN (Nashville, Tenn.)
- Selection Sunday follows immediately after the last game (~6:00 p.m. ET on CBS)