March Madness bracket drops
Selection Sunday unveiled the full 2026 NCAA Men’s Tournament bracket — Duke, Arizona, Michigan and Florida landed the four No. 1 seeds — and the first-round schedule, tip times and TV channels were released so you can plan viewing across the opening week Yahoo Sports CBS Sports.
The First Four opens Tuesday-Wednesday in Dayton with NC State vs. Texas and Howard vs. UMBC on March 17, and SMU vs. Miami (OH) plus Lehigh vs. Prairie View A&M on March 18 ([sportingnews.com)]. The NCAA’s official schedule lists the First Four on March 17–18 at UD Arena in Dayton and the Round of 64 on Thursday–Friday, March 19–20, with regional sites in Buffalo, Greenville, Oklahoma City, Portland, Tampa, Philadelphia, San Diego and St. Louis hosting first/second-round pairs. ([ncaa.com)] Selection Sunday left several high-profile programs off the field, with outlets naming Auburn, San Diego State, Indiana and Oklahoma among the biggest snubs of 2026. ([athlonsports.com)] Purdue’s late surge in the Big Ten tournament vaulted the Boilermakers up the seed line, a committee move the selection chair attributed to Purdue’s conference championship win over Michigan. ([on3.com)] Betting markets opened with Michigan listed as a slight tournament favorite at roughly +325, just ahead of Duke at about +333, per the sportsbook odds reported on Selection Sunday. ([sports.yahoo.com)] Broadcast distribution will span 67 games across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV during the tournament, with the Final Four and national championship slated for TBS on April 4 and April 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. ([cbssports.com)] One early marquee first-round date to note: No. 2 Purdue draws 15-seed Queens on Friday in St. Louis, with the Boilermakers scheduled to tip at 7:35 p.m. ET. ([therookiewire.usatoday.com)]
