All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
The 2026 March Madness bracket is now set. After the NCAA Selection Sunday TV special on March 15, Duke has now been slotted as the No. 1 overall seed in the college basketball tournament and grabbed the top seed in the East region. Michigan is a close second and a betting favorite against the Blue Devils. The Wolverines locked up the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region while Florida is the top seed in the South and Arizona in the West.
Who will win? Who will have a major upset? Who will take home the coveted NABC National Championship Trophy? You’ll have to tune in to find out.
How to Watch March Madness, At a Glance:
March Madness will be spread across a variety of different TV channels including CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. For those who don’t have cable, there’s plenty of ways to stream every NCAA tournament game online and for free. Keep reading on for our where to watch March Madness guide to learn about how you can take advantage of a few free trials to watch all the college basketball you want without paying a dime.
Where to Watch Every 2026 March Madness Games Online:
Watching March Madness can be tricky, but with our guide basketball fans can choose the right streaming platform to watch their favorite teams play. Fans can take advantage of multiple streaming services that offer free trials, so you can stream the college tournament for free. Signing up to streamers like DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV and Fubo, you can get right into the action.
DirecTV
Free Trial
DirecTV
Get access to CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV.
DirecTV is offering a five-day free trial, which will let you watch CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV for free. The Entertainment and Sports Programming Network is included in all of the streaming packages. In addition to unlimited DVR storage, you’ll get access to local channels and the ability to stream on as many devices as you want.
For those looking to sign up, Paramount+ offers an affordable Essential plan for $8.99 per month, which will give you access to the March Madness games alongside tens of thousands of episodes and movies, including exclusive and original content, as well as NFL on CBS, UEFA Champions League and 24/7 live news on CBS News.
If you want to go ad-free, you can subscribe to Paramount+ Premium for $13.99 per month and you’ll not only receive access to Showtime’s exclusive and original programs, but your local CBS station, additional live sports and the ability to download content to watch on-the-go.
Paramount+ doesn’t offer a free trial, but there is a slight workaround to subscribe to the platform for free this weekend. Right now, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial for Walmart+, which includes Paramount+ as one of its streaming perks.
Hulu
Free Trial
Hulu + Live TV
For the most content options, Hulu + Live TV gives you access to the entire Hulu library in addition to more than 95 live TV channels — including CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV for just $82.99 per month.
And, unlike the rest of the options, you can also expand your content library by bundling Hulu + Live TV with Disney+ and ESPN Unlimited. You’ll not only have all of the Hulu library to watch, but also exclusive and original programming available exclusively on ESPN Unlimited.
Max has multiple subscription tiers: ad-supported, commercial free and ultimate ad-free. Max’s paid subscriptions start at $10.99/month for the basic ad-supported streaming, or $18.49/month to watch ad free. With HBO Max you can watch each channel broadcasting March Madness games, including CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV.
The Premium ad-free package is $22.99 per month and includes 4K Ultra HD quality, 100 downloads to watch on the go and you can stream on up to four devices at once. You can also bundle Max with Hulu and Disney+ for $19.99/month for ad-supported streaming on up to two devices at once and $32.99/month for ad-free streaming.
Here’s the Full 2026 March Madness Schedule:
Don’t want to miss a game? We’ve compiled the full first round schedule for March Madness below, include dates, times and channel broadcast.
Tuesday, March 17
- 6:40 p.m. – No. 16 UMBC vs. No. 16 Howard (TruTV)
- 9:10 p.m. – No. 11 Texas vs. No. 11 NC State (TruTV)
Wednesday, March 18
- 6:40 p.m. – No. 16 Prairie View A&M vs. No. 16 Lehigh (TruTV)
- 9:10 p.m. – No. 11 Miami (Ohio) vs. No. 11 SMU (TruTV)
Thursday, March 19
- 12:15 p.m. – No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 9 TCU (CBS)
- 12:40 p.m. – No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 13 Troy (TruTV)
- 1:30 p.m. – No. 6 Louisville vs. No. 11 South Florida (TNT)
- 1:50 p.m. – No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 12 High Point (TBS)
- 2:50 p.m. – No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 Siena (CBS)
- 3:15 p.m. – No. 5 Vanderbilt vs. No. 12 McNeese (TruTV)
- 4:05 p.m. – No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 14 North Dakota State
- 4:25 p.m. – No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 13 Hawaii (TBS)
- 6:50 p.m. – No. 6 North Carolina vs. No. 11 VCU (TNT)
- 7:10 p.m. – No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 16 UMBC or Howard (CBS)
- 7:25 p.m. – No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 Texas or NC State (TBS)
- 7:35 p.m. – No. 7 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 10 Texas A&M (TruTV)
- 9:25 p.m. – No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 14 Penn (TNT)
- 9:45 p.m. – No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 9 Saint Louis (CBS)
- 10 p.m. – No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 14 Kennesaw State (TBS)
- 10:10 p.m. – No. 2 Houston vs. No. 15 Idaho (TruTV)
Friday, March 20
- 12:15 p.m. – No. 7 Kentucky vs. No. 10 Santa Clara (CBS)
- 12:40 p.m. – No. 5 Texas Tech vs. No. 12 Akron (TruTV)
- 1:35 p.m. – No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 16 LIU (TNT)
- 1:50 p.m. – No. 3 Virginia vs. No. 14 Wright State (TBS)
- 2:50 p.m. – No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 15 Tennessee State (CBS)
- 3:15 p.m. – No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 13 Hofstra (TruTV)
- 4:10 p.m. – No. 8 Villanova vs. No. 9 Utah State (TNT)
- 4:25 p.m. – No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 11 Miami (Ohio) or SMU (TBS)
- 6:50 p.m. – No. 8 Clemson vs. No. 9 Iowa (TNT)
- 7:10 p.m. – No. 5 St. John’s vs. No. 12 Northern Iowa (CBS)
- 7:25 p.m. – No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 UCF (TBS)
- 7:35 p.m. – No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 15 Queens
- 9:25 p.m. – No. 16 Prairie View A&M or Lehigh vs. No. 1 Florida (TNT)
- 9:45 p.m. – No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 13 Cal Baptist (CBS)
- 10 p.m. – No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 Furman (TBS)
- 10:10 p.m. – No. 7 Miami vs. No. 10 Missouri (TruTV)
Where to Buy 2026 March Madness Tickets Online
Want to cheer on your team in person? Here’s where you can find 2026 March Madness tickets available at StubHub, Vivid Seats, SeatGeek and Gametime.
