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When does March Madness start? 2026 Men's NCAA Tournament schedule, dates
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- When does March Madness start? 2026 Men's NCAA Tournament schedule, dates
In just one more sleep, there will be finally be a bracket .
The 2026 men's NCAA Tournament selection show is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 15 when the NCAA selection committee unveils the entire field, one seed after another, from No. 1 through 16 and everything in between.
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Some teams have already secured their spot in the field by winning their respective conference tournaments . There are a handful of automatic berths up for grabs on Selection Sunday, as the Ivy League, SEC, Atlantic 10, American Conference and Big Ten all still have to play their conference championship games.
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Following First Four games on Tuesday, March 17 and Wednesday, March 18, first-round action will begin on Thursday, March 19 at various locations throughout the country. The Final Four will start on Saturday, April 4 in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium, with the national championship game two nights later.
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Here's what to know about the key dates for March Madness:
When does March Madness start?
March Madness gets underway on Sunday, March 15 at 6 p.m. ET with the unveiling of the 68-team bracket. The bracket will be revealed on CBS once every conference tournament championship game has been completed.
Games get going on Tuesday, March 17 in Dayton, Ohio, at UD Arena with the First Four. The final 64-team bracket will then officially get underway with first-round games two days later on Thursday, March 19.
Complete March Madness 2026 schedule
Here's a rundown of the schedule for the 2026 NCAA men's tournament:
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First Four: March 17-18
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First round: March 19-20
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Second round: March 21-22
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Sweet 16: March 26-27
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Elite Eight: March 28-29
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Final Four: Saturday, April 4 (at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis)
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National championship game: Monday, April 6 (at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When does March Madness start? NCAA Tournament schedule, dates
