{"id":821201,"date":"2026-03-19T13:35:33","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T13:35:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/821201\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T13:35:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T13:35:33","slug":"mens-march-madness-watch-guide-2026-tv-times-schedule-for-thursdays-round-of-64","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/821201\/","title":{"rendered":"Men\u2019s March Madness watch guide 2026: TV times, schedule for Thursday\u2019s round of 64"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cTo define true madness, what is\u2019t but to be nothing else but mad?\u201d This is a line from \u201cHamlet<\/a>,\u201d but we all know what it\u2019s really about. William Shakespeare would\u2019ve loved a 12-over-5 upset. \u201cThis is March<\/a>,\u201d King Claudius mutters to the quad-box split screen.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s sensory overload in the very best way. Here\u2019s your faithful watch guide for this marathon of an opening day.<\/p>\n

All times ET. All efficiency stats via KenPom.<\/p>\n

March Madness schedule for round of 64, Day 1
\n GameTimeTVStream<\/p>\n

Ohio St. vs. TCU<\/p>\n

12:15 p.m.<\/p>\n

CBS<\/p>\n

Nebraska vs. Troy<\/p>\n

12:40 p.m.<\/p>\n

truTV<\/p>\n

Max<\/p>\n

Louisville vs. South Florida<\/p>\n

1:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

TNT<\/p>\n

Max<\/p>\n

Wisconsin vs. High Point<\/p>\n

1:50 p.m.<\/p>\n

TBS<\/p>\n

Max<\/p>\n

Duke vs. Siena<\/p>\n

2:50 p.m.<\/p>\n

CBS<\/p>\n

Vanderbilt vs. McNeese<\/p>\n

3:15 p.m.<\/p>\n

truTV<\/p>\n

Max<\/p>\n

Michigan St. vs. North Dakota St.<\/p>\n

4:05 p.m.<\/p>\n

TNT<\/p>\n

Max<\/p>\n

Arkansas vs. Hawai’i<\/p>\n

4:25 p.m.<\/p>\n

TBS<\/p>\n

Max<\/p>\n

UNC vs. VCU<\/p>\n

6:50 p.m.<\/p>\n

TNT<\/p>\n

Max<\/p>\n

Michigan vs. Howard<\/p>\n

7:10 p.m.<\/p>\n

CBS<\/p>\n

BYU vs. Texas<\/p>\n

7:25 p.m.<\/p>\n

TBS<\/p>\n

Max<\/p>\n

Saint Mary’s vs. Texas A&M<\/p>\n

7:35 p.m.<\/p>\n

truTV<\/p>\n

Max<\/p>\n

Illinois vs. Penn<\/p>\n

9:25 p.m.<\/p>\n

TNT<\/p>\n

Max<\/p>\n

Georgia vs. Saint Louis<\/p>\n

9:45 p.m.<\/p>\n

CBS<\/p>\n

Gonzaga vs. Kennesaw St.<\/p>\n

10 p.m.<\/p>\n

TNT<\/p>\n

Max<\/p>\n

Houston vs. Idaho<\/p>\n

10:10 p.m.<\/p>\n

truTV<\/p>\n

Max<\/p>\n

Streaming is also available on the March Madness Live app.\u00a0<\/p>\n

No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 9 TCU<\/p>\n

East Region<\/p>\n

Ohio State has Bruce Thornton, a walking bucket and the program\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 13 Troy<\/p>\n

South Region<\/p>\n

The Cornhuskers are 0-8 in the NCAA Tournament. They\u2019re the one power-conference program without a single tourney triumph. That\u2019s wild! But is such futility meant to last?<\/p>\n

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\u2019s Huskers try to finally break through, but Troy won\u2019t go without a fight. No, not that Troy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

No. 6 Louisville vs. No. 11 South Florida<\/p>\n

East Region<\/p>\n

On Dec. 1, Pat Kelsey\u2019s 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<\/a>. Louisville will have to lean on senior Ryan Conwell, who also tops 18 points per outing.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 12 High Point<\/p>\n

West Region<\/p>\n

This should be a disciplined affair. Wisconsin has the nation\u2019s 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\u2019s group hasn\u2019t advanced past the second round since 2017. Super-senior Nick Boyd can light it up; he had 38 points in Wisconsin\u2019s upset of Illinois in the Big Ten tourney.<\/p>\n

No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 Siena<\/p>\n

East Region<\/p>\n

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 \u201cwhere were you when?\u201d moment if the 32-2 Blue Devils lost in the first round. Siena is coached by Gerry McNamara, former national champion with Syracuse.<\/p>\n

No. 5 Vanderbilt vs. No. 12 McNeese<\/p>\n

South Region<\/p>\n

After a feverish football season that smashed school records, Vandy now gets a chance to make basketball noise \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

McNeese is a 12th seed for the third consecutive year. Bill Armstrong is in his first season as the Cowboys\u2019 coach, but team manager \u201cAura\u201d<\/a> and his boombox<\/a> are back.<\/p>\n

No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 14 North Dakota State<\/p>\n

East Region<\/p>\n

Tom Izzo does not beware the ides of March<\/a>. He welcomes them, even luxuriates in them. Michigan State seems to level up in elimination games under his watch \u2026 last week\u2019s Big Ten quarterfinal aside<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n

North Dakota State won the Summit League\u2019s regular season and its conference bracket. But the Bison are 2-4 all-time in tournament appearances.<\/p>\n

No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 13 Hawai\u2019i<\/p>\n

West Region<\/p>\n

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\u2019s updated mock draft<\/a>. He\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Hawai\u2019i forces switches and gets to the foul line around 7-foot center Isaac Johnson.<\/p>\n

No. 6 North Carolina vs. No. 11 VCU<\/p>\n

South Region<\/p>\n

The Tar Heels might sound muted without star freshman Caleb Wilson, who is on ice for his broken thumb<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n

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<\/a> and pull a few upsets of his own.<\/p>\n

No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 16 Howard<\/p>\n

Midwest Region<\/p>\n

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\u2019t lose to a 16 seed. Howard does deserves its props for winning Tuesday night\u2019s First Four draw, its first tourney W in program history.<\/p>\n

No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 Texas<\/p>\n

West Region<\/p>\n

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<\/a> in mid-February.<\/p>\n

BYU goes dancing ranked 10th in offensive efficiency but 58th on defense. Let\u2019s 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\u2019s stirring game-winner<\/a>\u00a0saved the day.<\/p>\n

No. 7 Saint Mary\u2019s vs. No. 10 Texas A&M<\/p>\n

South Region<\/p>\n

No one in this field makes free throws at a higher rate than Saint Mary\u2019s. 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).<\/p>\n

Texas A&M counters with a sharp scoring punch but a tissue-paper defense. The lead Aggie is named Agee \u2014\u00a0Rashaun 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.<\/p>\n

No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 14 Penn<\/p>\n

South Region<\/p>\n

Illini versus Ivy. Illinois is the tournament\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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<\/a> with the Hawkeyes, a loss in the 2025 Big Ten tournament to \u2026 Illinois.<\/p>\n

No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 9 Saint Louis<\/p>\n

Midwest Region<\/p>\n

This is a matchup of pace and space. Georgia cut its teeth in the crowded SEC and comes in with the nation\u2019s No. 5 scoring offense. The Bulldog backcourt of Jeremiah Wilkinson and Blue Cain brings a relentless fast-break effort.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 14 Kennesaw State<\/p>\n

West Region<\/p>\n

Gonzaga has one of the bracket\u2019s oldest rosters and Mark Few\u2019s 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\u2019s Spartans by one year. Kennesaw State pursues its maiden Madness victory against stacked odds.<\/p>\n

No. 2 Houston vs. No. 15 Idaho<\/p>\n

South Region<\/p>\n

Houston was painfully close to cutting all nets down in 2025. That final possession<\/a>\u00a0still lingers for seniors Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp. The Cougars\u2019 quest for redemption begins not with a bang, nor a whimper, but with a Vandal.<\/p>\n

Idaho is playing in its first NCAA Tournament since 1990. The reward comes by way of Kelvin Sampson\u2019s pressure schemes and Kingston Flemings\u2019 smooth playmaking. The spread is colossal, but in the spirit of everything, let\u2019s not wholly rule out Starch Madness shenanigans.<\/p>\n

Ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply.\u00a0The 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.<\/p>\n