The second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament gets underway on Saturday afternoon, and there are some fun matchups on the board. Which teams will stamp their ticket to the Sweet 16 next week?
No. 1 seed Michigan kicks off the second-round action with a game against No. 9 seed St. Louis (12:10 p.m. ET, CBS March Madness Live). The Wolverines weathered a potential upset from Howard in the first round, but they’ll get another tricky test on Saturday. The Billikens just put on an offensive clinic in their first-round win over No. 8 seed Georgia, a 102-77 blowout.
Speaking of No. 1 seeds that got a scare in the first round, Duke narrowly avoided disaster against No. 16 seed Siena with a 71-65 win. Star Cameron Boozer helped his team rally with 22 points and 13 rebounds. The Blue Devils will now play No. 9 seed TCU (5:15 p.m. ET, CBS March Madness Live), and the Horned Frogs have to have some confidence after pulling out a dramatic win against No. 8 seed Ohio State on Thursday.
After notching its first March Madness win in program history, No. 4 seed Nebraska will try to make more history with its first Sweet 16 berth. In order to do that, the Cornhuskers will have to beat No. 5 seed Vanderbilt (8:45 p.m., TNT March Madness Live), which hasn’t reached the Sweet 16 since 2007.
2026 NCAA Tournament bracket, scores
All times Eastern
East
FIRST ROUND
Thursday — Greenville
- (9) TCU 66, (8) Ohio State 64
- (1) Duke 71, (16) Siena 65
Thursday — Buffalo
- (6) Louisville 83, (11) South Florida 79
- (3) Michigan State 92, (14) North Dakota State 67
Friday — San Diego
- (5) St. John’s 79, (12) UNI 53
- (4) Kansas 68, (13) Cal Baptist 60
Friday — Philadelphia
- (7) UCLA 75, (10) UCF 71
- (2) UConn 82, (15) Furman 69
SECOND ROUND
Saturday — Greenville
- (1) Duke vs. (9) TCU | 5:15 p.m. | CBS
Saturday — Buffalo
- (3) Michigan State 77, (6) Louisville 69
Sunday — San Diego
- (5) St. John’s vs. (4) Kansas | 5:15 p.m. | CBS
Sunday — Philadelphia
- (7) UCLA vs. (2) UConn | 8:45 p.m. | TNT
West
FIRST FOUR
Tuesday — Dayton
- (11) Texas 68, (11) NC State 66
FIRST ROUND
Thursday — Portland
- (12) High Point 83, (5) Wisconsin 82
- (4) Arkansas 97, (13) Hawaii 78
- (11) Texas 79, (6) BYU 71
- (3) Gonzaga 73, (14) Kennesaw State 64
Friday — San Diego
- (1) Arizona 92, (16) LIU 58
- (9) Utah State 86, (8)Villanova 76
Friday — St. Louis
- (2) Purdue 104, (15) Queens 71
- (7) Miami (Fla.) 80, (10) Missouri 66
SECOND ROUND
Saturday — Portland
- (3) Gonzaga (11) Texas | 7:10 p.m. | TBS
- (4) Arkansas vs. (12) High Point | 9:45 p.m. | TBS
Sunday — San Diego
- (1) Arizona vs. (9) Utah State | 7:50 p.m. | TruTV
Sunday — St. Louis
- (2) Purdue vs. (7) Miami (FL) | 12:15 p.m. | CBS
Midwest
FIRST FOUR
Tuesday — Dayton
- (16) Howard 86, (16) UMBC 83
Wednesday — Dayton
- (11) Miami (Ohio) 89, SMU 79
FIRST ROUND
Thursday — Buffalo
- (1) Michigan 101, (16) Howard 80
- (9) Saint Louis 102, (8) Georgia 77
Friday — St. Louis
- (7) Kentucky 89, (10) Santa Clara 84 (OT)
- (2) Iowa State 108, (15) Tennessee State 74
Friday — Tampa
- (5) Texas Tech 91, (12) Akron 71
- (4) Alabama 90, (13) Hofstra 70
Friday — Philadelphia
- (3) Virginia 82, (14) Wright State 73
- (6) Tennessee 78, (11) Miami (Ohio) 56
SECOND ROUND
Saturday — Buffalo
- (1) Michigan 95, (9) Saint Louis 72
Sunday — St. Louis
- (2) Iowa State vs. (7) Kentucky | 2:45 p.m. | CBS
Sunday — Tampa
- (4) Alabama vs. (5) Texas Tech | 9:45 p.m. | TNT
Sunday — Philadelphia
- (3) Virginia vs. (6) Tennessee | 6:10 p.m. | TNT
South
FIRST FOUR
Wednesday — Dayton
- (16) Prairie View 67, (16) Lehigh 55
FIRST ROUND
Thursday — Oklahoma City
- (4) Nebraska 76, (13) Troy 47
- (5) Vanderbilt 78, (12) McNeese 68
Thursday — Greenville
- (11) VCU 78 (6) North Carolina 82 (OT)
- (3) Illinois 105, (14) Penn 70
Thursday — Oklahoma City
- (10) Texas A&M 63, (7) Saint Mary’s 50
- (2) Houston 78, (15) Idaho 47
Friday — Tampa
- (9) Iowa 67, (8) Clemson 61
- (1) Florida 114, (16) Prairie View A&M 55
SECOND ROUND
Saturday — Greenville
- (3) Illinois vs. (11) VCU | 7:50 p.m. | CBS
Saturday — Oklahoma City
- (2) Houston vs. (10) Texas A&M | 6:10 p.m. | TNT
- (4) Nebraska vs. (5) Vanderbilt | 8:45 p.m. | TNT
Sunday — Tampa
- (1) Florida vs. (8) Iowa | 7:10 p.m. | TBS
2026 NCAA Tournament schedule
Sweet 16
Thursday, March 26 — 7:10 p.m. start (CBS, TBS)
Toyota Center (Houston), SAP Center (San Jose)
Friday, March 27 — 7:10 p.m. start (CBS, TBS)
United Center (Chicago), Capital One Arena (Washington, D.C.)
Elite Eight
Saturday, March 28 — 6:09 p.m. start (TBS)
Toyota Center (Houston), SAP Center (San Jose)
Sunday, March 29 — 2:15 p.m. start (CBS)
United Center (Chicago), Capital One Arena (Washington, D.C.)
Final Four
Saturday, April 4 — 6:09 p.m. start (TBS)
Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)
National Championship
Monday, April 6 — 8:50 p.m. (TBS)
Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)
