The first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament begins on Thursday, as March Madness returns in full after two nights of First Four action. The action gets going with a cluster of Big Ten teams, as No. 8 seed Ohio State takes on TCU on CBS to begin the day and No. 4 seed Nebraska looks for its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory against No. 13 seed Troy. 

A top storyline throughout the day will be the elite freshmen in action. No. 1 seed Duke, led by star forward Cam Boozer, begins its journey against No. 16 seed Siena at 2:50 p.m. ET. Then, No. 4 seed Arkansas and electric freshman guard Darius Acuff will play No. 13 seed Hawaii.

In the late window, No. 3 seed Illinois and flame-throwing freshman Keaton Wagler will take on No. 14 seed Penn. Finally, the day’s last game between No. 2 seed Houston and No. 15 seed Idaho will give Cougars guard Kingston Flemings his first chance to leave a legacy in March Madness.

2026 NCAA Tournament TV schedule

All times Eastern | NCAA Tournament schedule | LIVE bracket

(8) TCU vs. (9) Ohio State
12:15 p.m. | CBS | Watch live

(4) Nebraska vs. (13) Troy

12:40 p.m. | truTV | Watch live

(6) Louisville vs. (11) South Florida
1:30 p.m. | TNT | Watch live

(5) Wisconsin vs. (12) High Point

1:50 p.m. | TBS | Watch live

(1) Duke vs. (16) Siena
2:50 p.m. | CBS | Watch live

(5) Vanderbilt vs. (12) McNeese

3:15 p.m. | truTV | Watch live

(3) Michigan State vs. (14) North Dakota State
4:05 p.m. | TNT | Watch live

(4) Arkansas vs. (13) Hawaii
4:25 p.m. | TBS | Watch live

(6) North Carolina vs. (11) VCU
6:50 p.m. | TNT | Watch live

(1) Michigan vs. (16) Howard
7:10 p.m. | CBS | Watch live

(6) BYU vs. (11) Texas
7:25 p.m. | TBS | Watch live

(7) Saint Mary’s vs. (10) Texas A&M

7:35 p.m. | truTV | Watch live

(3) Illinois vs. (14) Penn
9:25 p.m. | TNT | Watch live

(8) Georgia vs. (9) Saint Louis
9:45 p.m. | CBS | Watch live

(3) Gonzaga vs. (14) Kennesaw State
10 p.m. | TBS | Watch live

(2) Houston vs. (15) Idaho
10:10 p.m. | truTV | Watch live

CBS Sports will be with you the entire way, updating this story with the latest from every first-round game on Thursday. Keep it locked here for scores, analysis and highlights.