March Madness tips off with 16 NCAA Tournament first-round fixtures
The 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament begins on Thursday with 16 first-round fixtures taking place across the United States.
College basketball fans have waited over 130 days since the campaign tipped off for the start of this prestigious knockout competition.
The opening day of March Madness features a packed programme following a captivating regular season that was heavily dominated by a standout freshman class.
Unprecedented runs and top seeds
A major talking point heading into the sprawling bracket is the perfect regular-season run achieved by the Miami RedHawks.
Meanwhile, number one seeds Duke and Michigan headline the Thursday slate as they begin their respective national championship campaigns.
The Blue Devils face off against the 16th-seeded Siena Saints during the afternoon session in what is expected to be a heavily one-sided affair.
Later in the evening, the Wolverines will take to the court to battle the Howard Bison as they look to avoid a historic first-round upset.
Thursday’s opening round fixtures
The highly anticipated tournament action commences shortly after midday when Texas Christian University squares off against Ohio State.
Several intriguing matchups fill the evening schedule, including a clash between the third-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs and Kennesaw State.
The final tip-off of the opening night sees the formidable Houston Cougars play the Idaho Vandals.
The full list of Thursday’s first-round games is as follows:
- TCU (9) v Ohio State (8)
- Troy (13) v Nebraska (4)
- South Florida (11) v Louisville (6)
- High Point (12) v Wisconsin (5)
- Siena (16) v Duke (1)
- McNeese (12) v Vanderbilt (5)
- North Dakota State (14) v Michigan State (3)
- Hawai’i (13) v Arkansas (4)
- VCU (11) v North Carolina (6)
- Howard (16) v Michigan (1)
- Texas (11) v BYU (6)
- Texas A&M (10) v Saint Mary’s (7)
- Penn (14) v Illinois (3)
- Saint Louis (9) v Georgia (8)
- Kennesaw State (14) v Gonzaga (3)
- Idaho (15) v Houston (2)