The 2026 NCAA Tournament begins Tuesday, March 17 with the First Four in Dayton, Ohio. That’s when March Madness truly kicks into gear with 68 teams all vying to become the 2025-26 national champion. With 67 games set to be televised across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV, fans will be able to keep up with all the action no matter when they tune in or how they choose to watch the games.
On the call for the NCAA Tournament this year will be several notable voices with Ian Eagle returning for the third straight year as lead play-by-play announcer and the voice of the Final Four alongside Bill Raftery, Grant Hill and reporter Tracy Wolfson.
Ernie Johnson will host studio coverage for the Final Four with Nate Burleson, Adam Zucker and Adam Lefkoe serving as hosts and Jamie Erdhal providing game updates throughout the NCAA Tournament. Studio analysts include Clark Kellogg, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Renee Montgomery in New York, and Bruce Pearl, Jamal Mashburn, Jalen Rose and Seth Davis in Atlanta.
Robbie Hummel will be on site through the Regional Finals with Candace Parker and Wally Szczerbiak calling games for the first time as Brandon Gaudin and Jared Greenberg join the team.
Brackets are here! Get your pools ready and enter our Bracket Challenge for your chance to win a dream trip to the 2027 Final FourⓇ.
CBS will lead the way, televising 21 games during the NCAA Tournament, including the Elite 8 and Sweet 16. TBS will televise 21 games, including the Final Four, Elite Eight and Sweet 16, while truTV will air or simulcast 23 games and TNT will air or simulcast 15 games. In addition to the March Madness Live app, where you can watch every game, Paramount+ subscribers will be able to watch all the games televised by CBS, while HBO Max subscribers can catch the games on TBS, TNT and truTV.
From the Selection Show all the way until the playing of “One Shining Moment” after a champion is crowned, CBS Sports and TNT Sports will be bringing you the magic.
Let’s take a look at the 2026 March Madness announcing teams along with the complete schedule for the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
2026 March Madness announcing teams
Play-by-Play | Analyst(s) || Reporter
* Regional Weekend announce teams | ~ Final Four team
- Ian Eagle | Bill Raftery, Grant Hill || Tracy Wolfson*~
- Brian Anderson | Jim Jackson || Allie LaForce*
- Kevin Harlan | Robbie Hummel, Stan Van Gundy || Lauren Shehadi*
- Andrew Catalon | Steve Lappas || Evan Washburn*
- Brad Nessler | Wally Szczerbiak || Jared Greenberg
- Spero Dedes | Jim Spanarkel || Jon Rothstein
- Tom McCarthy | Candice Parker, Dan Bonner || AJ Ross
- Brandon Gaudin | Chris Webber || Andy Katz
- Rules analyst: Gene Steratore
2026 NCAA Tournament schedule, dates
First Four
Tuesday, March 17
UD Arena (Dayton)
Wednesday, March 18
UD Arena (Dayton)
First round
Thursday, March 19
KeyBank Center (Buffalo), Bon Secours Wellness Arena (Greenville), Paycom Center (Oklahoma City), Moda Center (Portland)
Friday, March 20
Benchmark International Arena (Tampa), Xfinity Mobile Arena (Philadelphia), Viejas Arena (San Diego), Enterprise Center (St. Louis)
Second round
Saturday, March 21 — 12:10 p.m. start (CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV)
KeyBank Center (Buffalo), Bon Secours Wellness Arena (Greenville), Paycom Center (Oklahoma City), Moda Center (Portland)
Sunday, March 22 — 12:10 p.m. start (CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV)
Benchmark International Arena (Tampa), Xfinity Mobile Arena (Philadelphia), Viejas Arena (San Diego), Enterprise Center (St. Louis)
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 8
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)
