Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The 2026 NCAA Tournament tips off Thursday with 32 games across eight windows, offering a mix of potential upsets and NBA talent.
- CBS opens the tournament with a dramatic 8-9 matchup in the East Region between Ohio State and TCU.
- Other key matchups include high-scoring offenses, swarming defenses, and potential NCAA debuts for top NBA draft prospects.
The wait is nearly over as the first round of the NCAA Tournament kicks off in full on Thursday afternoon. 32 games over two days is a true basketball feast for March Madness enthusiasts, but unless you're planning to live at a sports bar there's no way to watch every game without a multi-screen setup.
Whether you're hoping to find an upset or check out some of the next great NBA players, the 2026 NCAA Tournament has something to everyone. With eight windows of four games each, let's dive in and highlight the must-games in every window, starting chronologically with Thursday's early afternoon window.
March Madness games to watch in the Thursday early afternoon window
- 8-seed Ohio State vs. 9-seed TCU at 12:15 p.m. ET (CBS)
- 5-seed Wisconsin vs. 12-seed High Point at 1:50 p.m. ET (TBS)
The first window of the tournament is stacked with an explosive 5-12 matchup between Wisconsin and High Point, a potential Cinderella candidate in South Florida and Nebraska seeking its first-ever NCAA Tournament win. Those are all intriguing games to watch, but the pick is the game CBS tabbed to open the entire tournament, an 8-9 matchup in the East Region between Ohio State and TCU.
The Buckeyes are a dangerous March Madness dark horse thanks to the exploits of guard Bruce Thornton, the program's all-time leading scorer who has exploded against good teams. The Horned Frogs have taken down a number of top seeds this year (Florida, Wisconsin, Iowa State) and won't be afraid of the moment, setting the stage for high drama with the right to face Duke in the Round of 32 on the line. That game will air on CBS at 12:15 p.m. ET.
March Madness games to watch in the Thursday late afternoon window
- 5-seed McNeese vs. 12-seed Vanderbilt at 3:15 p.m. ET (truTV)
There are two potential blowouts here: Duke's 1-16 matchup against a thin Siena team and Michigan State in the East's 3-14 matchup against North Dakota State. Arkansas-Hawaii is appealing to NBA fans looking to check out Darius Acuff, but the pick here is another 5-12 matchup between McNeese and Vanderbilt.
One of the trendiest sleeper picks in the tournament is Vanderbilt, which has an NBA-caliber guard in Tyler Tanner and showed their chops last week with a stunning blowout of Florida in the SEC Tournament. McNeese is back sans Will Wade but looking to pull another first-round upset behind a swarming defense that forces the second-most steals in the country behind High Point. Vanderbilt-McNeese airs at roughly 3:15 p.m. ET on TruTv.
March Madness games to watch in the Thursday early evening window
- 6-seed BYU vs. 11-seed Texas at 7:25 p.m. ET (TBS)
This window is also sneaky good as long as you avoid CBS' main game, which will see Michigan blow out First Four winner Howard quickly. There is significant upset potential for VCU over North Carolina and a great contrast in style between Texas A&M's Bucky Ball against slow-playing Saint Mary's, but the pick here is BYU and Texas.
This pick works well for the NBA fans, who get a chance to see A.J. Dybantsa take the March Madness stage for the first time. BYU will have its hands full with Texas, which survived a surge from NC State to get out of the First Four, as the Longhorns will look to pull off another huge victory against a top foe. This matchup will air at 7:25 p.m. on TBS.
March Madness games to watch in the Thursday late night window
- 8-seed Georgia vs. 9-seed Saint Louis at 9:45 p.m. ET (CBS)
This is by far the weakest window of the day with three potential blowouts in play featuring two of the 3-14 matchups (Illinois-Penn and Gonzaga-Kennesaw State), as well as a 2-15 between Houston and Idaho. If you don't want to catch up on sleep ahead of Friday's window, flip to CBS at roughly 9:45 p.m. ET for the 8-9 game in the Midwest Region between Georgia and Saint Louis.
Georgia puts the ball in the basket early and often, averaging nearly 90 points per game, while Saint Louis is one of the best mid-majors in the field this season. The Billikens have stumbled a bit down the stretch but they have all the firepower they need to make this a very compelling night cap to Day 1.
March Madness games to watch in the Friday early afternoon window
- 7-seed Kentucky vs. 10-seed Santa Clara at 9:15 p.m. ET (CBS)
- 5-seed Texas Tech vs. 12-seed Akron at 9:40 p.m. ET (truTV)
CBS is 2-for-2 in nailing games to start the full day of March Madness with its Friday afternoon tip-off at 12:15 p.m. ET between Kentucky and Santa Clara. The Midwest's 7-10 matchup is a potential upset special for Santa Clara, which is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996 and has the length to give the Wildcats serious problems.
You may also want to keep an eye on a 5-12 game in here between Texas Tech and Akron, which is another trendy upset pick, but the Red Raiders' three-point prowess adds some blowout potential. The other two games in here (Arizona-LIU and Virginia-Wright State) are serious mismatches.
March Madness games to watch in the Friday late afternoon window
- 4-seed Alabama vs. 13-seed Hostra at 3:15 p.m. ET (truTV)
This may be the best window of the day if you stay away from a 2-15 blowout between Iowa State and Tennessee State on CBS. Villanova-Utah State is an intriguing 8-9 game while Tennessee and Nate Ament await the First Four winner between Miami of Ohio and SMU, but the big drama comes in a 4-13 showdown between Alabama and Hofstra.
The Crimson Tide are an offensive machine but will be tested without guard Aden Holloway, their second-leading scorer who will be unavailable after an arrest for marijuana possession. The Pride have a dynamic two-guard combo of Cruz Davis and Preston Edmead that has experience against high-major competition, including road wins at Syracuse and Pittsburgh. This matchup will air at roughly 3:15 p.m. on TruTV.
March Madness games to watch in the Friday early evening window
- 5-seed St. John's vs. 12-seed Northern Iowa at 7:10 p.m. ET (CBS)
The final 5-12 matchup of the round gets the primetime CBS treatment on Friday night and you should be locked in to see Saint John's take on Northern Iowa at 7:15 p.m. ET. Rick Pitino's team has legitimate beef with its seeding and geographical placement, which set them up with one of the most dangerous 12-seeds in the field in Northern Iowa.
Purdue will likely blow out Queens in the window's 2-15 matchup and the weakest 8-9 game between Clemson and Iowa is here as well. A 7-10 matchup between UCLA and UCF is worth monitoring, but if Donovan Dent is unable to play for the Bruins the chances the Knights pull an upset skyrockets.
March Madness games to watch in the Friday late night window
- 4-seed Kansas vs. 13-seed Cal Baptist at 9:45 p.m. ET (CBS)
There are two potential blowouts in this window: Florida drawing a First Four winner as a 1-seed while UCONN should flatten Furman in a 2-15 matchup. Miami-Missouri may be the closest game on paper, but the most fun should come at around 9:45 p.m. ET on CBS as Kansas takes on Cal Baptist in the East's 4-13 matchup.
This is another pick for the NBA fans, who will get to see potential No. 1 pick Darryn Peterson ply his craft in the NCAA Tournament. The Jekyll-and-Hyde Jayhawks may also play closer than expected against Cal Baptist, which is looking to make a statement in its first NCAA Tournament appearance by knocking off one of the sport's true blue bloods.