“To define true madness, what is’t but to be nothing else but mad?” This is a line from “Hamlet,” but we all know what it’s really about. William Shakespeare would’ve loved a 12-over-5 upset. “This is March,” King Claudius mutters to the quad-box split screen.
The NCAA Tournament goes full throttle Thursday with a wall-to-wall 16-game lineup. Title hopefuls like Duke, Michigan, Houston, Illinois and Gonzaga make their formal introductions. At-large majors and small-conference champions prove their mettle. Upset potential looms from below. It’s sensory overload in the very best way. Here’s your faithful watch guide for this marathon of an opening day.
All times ET. All efficiency stats via KenPom.
March Madness schedule for round of 64, Day 1
GameTimeTVStream
Ohio St. vs. TCU
12:15 p.m.
CBS
Nebraska vs. Troy
12:40 p.m.
truTV
Max
Louisville vs. South Florida
1:30 p.m.
TNT
Max
Wisconsin vs. High Point
1:50 p.m.
TBS
Max
Duke vs. Siena
2:50 p.m.
CBS
Vanderbilt vs. McNeese
3:15 p.m.
truTV
Max
Michigan St. vs. North Dakota St.
4:05 p.m.
TNT
Max
Arkansas vs. Hawai’i
4:25 p.m.
TBS
Max
UNC vs. VCU
6:50 p.m.
TNT
Max
Michigan vs. Howard
7:10 p.m.
CBS
BYU vs. Texas
7:25 p.m.
TBS
Max
Saint Mary’s vs. Texas A&M
7:35 p.m.
truTV
Max
Illinois vs. Penn
9:25 p.m.
TNT
Max
Georgia vs. Saint Louis
9:45 p.m.
CBS
Gonzaga vs. Kennesaw St.
10 p.m.
TNT
Max
Houston vs. Idaho
10:10 p.m.
truTV
Max
Streaming is also available on the March Madness Live app.
No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 9 TCU
East Region
Ohio State has Bruce Thornton, a walking bucket and the program’s newly minted all-time scoring leader. The senior Buckeye makes his March Madness debut, and it comes against a TCU group ranked 23rd in defensive rating. The Horned Frogs have a microwave scorer of their own in sophomore David Punch. This looks like a well-balanced matchup.
No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 13 Troy
South Region
The Cornhuskers are 0-8 in the NCAA Tournament. They’re the one power-conference program without a single tourney triumph. That’s wild! But is such futility meant to last?
Nebraska lets it rip from outside; junior Pryce Sandfort just led the Big Ten in made 3s, and did so on 40.1 percent shooting. Fred Hoiberg’s Huskers try to finally break through, but Troy won’t go without a fight. No, not that Troy.
No. 6 Louisville vs. No. 11 South Florida
East Region
On Dec. 1, Pat Kelsey’s Cardinals were ranked sixth in the AP poll, then tumbled to an underwhelming ACC campaign. Freshman Mikel Brown Jr. averages more than 18 points per game, but a back injury kept him out of the conference tournament and he will be out again Thursday. Louisville will have to lean on senior Ryan Conwell, who also tops 18 points per outing.
South Florida ranks seventh in offensive rebounding rate, paced by bruising fourth-year forward Izaiyah Nelson. The Bulls last danced in 2012 as a No. 12 seed.
No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 12 High Point
West Region
This should be a disciplined affair. Wisconsin has the nation’s third-best turnover percentage, while High Point is close behind in sixth. The Badgers have been a third seed or a fifth seed in each of their last four March Madnesses (Marches Madness?). But Greg Gard’s group hasn’t advanced past the second round since 2017. Super-senior Nick Boyd can light it up; he had 38 points in Wisconsin’s upset of Illinois in the Big Ten tourney.
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 Siena
East Region
The ground shakes and the hardwood splinters. Top-seeded Duke is a total juggernaut this year, No. 4 in offensive rating and No. 2 on defense. Cameron Boozer is stunningly good, belying freshman status with controlled, rhythmic playmaking. It would be a “where were you when?” moment if the 32-2 Blue Devils lost in the first round. Siena is coached by Gerry McNamara, former national champion with Syracuse.
No. 5 Vanderbilt vs. No. 12 McNeese
South Region
After a feverish football season that smashed school records, Vandy now gets a chance to make basketball noise — specifically, that noise of squeaking shoes on a waxed court. The SEC tournament runner-up is efficient and aggressive behind sophomore Tyler Tanner. He averages better than 19 points, five assists and two steals per outing.
McNeese is a 12th seed for the third consecutive year. Bill Armstrong is in his first season as the Cowboys’ coach, but team manager “Aura” and his boombox are back.
No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 14 North Dakota State
East Region
Tom Izzo does not beware the ides of March. He welcomes them, even luxuriates in them. Michigan State seems to level up in elimination games under his watch … last week’s Big Ten quarterfinal aside. The Spartans have a pair of glass-cleaning upperclassmen in Jaxon Kohler and Coen Carr. They funnel back to redshirt sophomore Jeremy Fears Jr., the DI assist king at 9.2 per game.
North Dakota State won the Summit League’s regular season and its conference bracket. But the Bison are 2-4 all-time in tournament appearances.
No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 13 Hawai’i
West Region
Arkansas arrives with the fifth-most efficient offense, even as John Calipari runs things through two freshmen. Darius Acuff Jr. looks like an NBA lottery pick, slated at seventh in The Athletic’s updated mock draft. He’s the SEC Player of the Year, fresh off a 30-piece to win the conference tournament championship. And Meleek Thomas has a nice perimeter touch, coming in at 42.1 percent on high volume.
Hawai’i forces switches and gets to the foul line around 7-foot center Isaac Johnson.
No. 6 North Carolina vs. No. 11 VCU
South Region
The Tar Heels might sound muted without star freshman Caleb Wilson, who is on ice for his broken thumb. With Wilson, they notched signature wins against Duke and Kansas. In his absence, UNC fell to Clemson in an early-exit loss at the ACC tournament.
Hubert Davis still has Henri Veesaar and senior Seth Trimble to buoy possessions, though. On the other sideline, VCU coach Phil Martelli Jr. tries to reimagine the Shaka Smart vibes and pull a few upsets of his own.
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 16 Howard
Midwest Region
Michigan is a two-way force. Yaxel Lendeborg is a first-team All-American with senior seasoning. The Wolverines did lose the Big Ten title tilt to Purdue after posting a 19-1 conference record, but their top-rated defense almost certainly won’t lose to a 16 seed. Howard does deserves its props for winning Tuesday night’s First Four draw, its first tourney W in program history.
No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 Texas
West Region
AJ Dybantsa breaks games with elastic offense, soaring verticality and a deep bag. The 19-year-old could be the first overall pick come June. As it stands, his Cougars have been inconsistent if not disappointing, especially since Richie Saunders tore his ACL in mid-February.
BYU goes dancing ranked 10th in offensive efficiency but 58th on defense. Let’s see how the one-man show translates to the main stage. Texas nearly blew it against NC State in the First Four, but senior Tramon Mark’s stirring game-winner saved the day.
No. 7 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 10 Texas A&M
South Region
No one in this field makes free throws at a higher rate than Saint Mary’s. The Gaels go big and eat glass, thanks to two players who rank in the top 11 in offensive rebounding percentage: 7-foot-1 senior Harry Wessels (16.8) and 7-foot-3 redshirt sophomore Andrew McKeever (20.3, second-best in the nation).
Texas A&M counters with a sharp scoring punch but a tissue-paper defense. The lead Aggie is named Agee — Rashaun Agee, whose college career began back in 2019. His travels have stretched from the MAC to the WAC, the junior college circuit to the USC marquee.
No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 14 Penn
South Region
Illini versus Ivy. Illinois is the tournament’s tallest team and its second-most efficient offense. Freshman Keaton Wagler demands sticky coverage up top; fellow first-year David Mirkovic can dime from the post. This is the sixth straight tourney run under Brad Underwood. The current group has second- and third-weekend potential if its defense can hold things down.
Penn outlasted Yale in overtime for its automatic bid. The Quakers are coached by Fran McCaffery, longtime Iowa rock fighter. He was ejected in his final game with the Hawkeyes, a loss in the 2025 Big Ten tournament to … Illinois.
No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 9 Saint Louis
Midwest Region
This is a matchup of pace and space. Georgia cut its teeth in the crowded SEC and comes in with the nation’s No. 5 scoring offense. The Bulldog backcourt of Jeremiah Wilkinson and Blue Cain brings a relentless fast-break effort.
As a team, Saint Louis has shot an absurd 40.1 percent on treys throughout its 28-5 campaign. It now ventures out of the A-10 in search of a national heat check. Seven Billikens average between 9 and 13 points per game, led by goggles-wearing Robbie Avila.
No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 14 Kennesaw State
West Region
Gonzaga has one of the bracket’s oldest rosters and Mark Few’s crew does the most in the paint. Senior Graham Ike led the WCC in points per game and was second in effective field goal percentage. The program boasts the second-longest active streak for NCAA Tournament berths, trailing Izzo’s Spartans by one year. Kennesaw State pursues its maiden Madness victory against stacked odds.
No. 2 Houston vs. No. 15 Idaho
South Region
Houston was painfully close to cutting all nets down in 2025. That final possession still lingers for seniors Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp. The Cougars’ quest for redemption begins not with a bang, nor a whimper, but with a Vandal.
Idaho is playing in its first NCAA Tournament since 1990. The reward comes by way of Kelvin Sampson’s pressure schemes and Kingston Flemings’ smooth playmaking. The spread is colossal, but in the spirit of everything, let’s not wholly rule out Starch Madness shenanigans.
Ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process, and do not review stories before publication.