Mark your calendars! From Dayton's First Four to Indy's championship showdown, pinpoint every crucial date and city for the 2026 NCAA Tournament journey.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — We're just a few weeks from Selection Sunday and learning the 68 teams that will compete in the 2026 NCAA men's basketball tournament. As teams start to jockey for position and top seeds, we thought it was a good time to remind you of all the important dates for March Madness.
The Florida Gators are the defending national champions, and they've been red-hot lately, so it looks like they'll be in the field again, and seeded highly.
2026 NCAA tournament schedule, dates
Here is the schedule:
- Selection Sunday: Sunday, March 15
- First Four: Tuesday, Wednesday, March 17-18
- First round: Thursday, Friday, March 19-20
- Second round: Saturday, Sunday, March 21-22
- Sweet 16: March Thursday, Friday, March 26-27
- Elite Eight: Saturday, Sunday, March 28-29
- Final Four: Saturday, April 4 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
- NCAA championship game: Monday, April 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
2026 NCAA tournament schedule, dates
Here are the dates and locations for every round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
First Four (March 17-18)
UD Arena, Dayton, Ohio. (2 games each night)
First/Second-Round Sites
Four games in first round, two games in second round at each site.
Buffalo, N.Y. — Key Bank Center (March 17-19)
Greenville, S.C. — Bon Secours Wellness Arena (March 19-21)
Oklahoma City, Okla. — Paycom Center (March 19-21)
Portland, Ore. — Moda Center (March 19-21)
Tampa, Fla. — Benchmark International Arena (March 20-22)
Philadelphia, Pa. — Xfinity Mobie Arena (March 20-22)
San Diego, Calif. — Viejas Arena (March 20-22)
St. Louis, Mo. — Enterprise Center (March (20-22)
Regional Semifinals/Finals sites
South Regional — Toyota Center in Houston, Texas (March 26-28)
West Regional — SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. (March 26-28)
East Regional — Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. (March 27-29)
Midwest Regional — United Center in Chicago, Ill. (March 27-29)
NCAA Final Four
National semifinals — Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Ind. (April 4)
Championship game — Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Ind. (April 6)