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    March Madness: How to watch and what to watch in the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament
    • March 17, 2026

    March Madness is here.

    The beloved annual tradition that is the NCAA Tournament opened with Selection Sunday, opening the door for hundreds of thousands of fans to fill out brackets and take a shot at winning the office pool.

    The tournament tips off with the First Four on March 17-18 in Dayton, Ohio, with the first round starting March 19 at sites across the country. For the first time, the NCAA will punish teams that do not provide player availability reports. Fines start at $10,000. The reports are intended to to combat betting-related pressure, solicitations and harassment athletes receive from bettors connected to their playing status.

    If you like the tourney at 68 teams, enjoy the moment! Discussions continue on whether to expand the field by at least four teams and possibly more.

    The betting favorites

    According to BetMGM Sportsbook, the favorites to win the national championship are Duke (plus-320), Michigan (plus-325), Arizona (plus-475) and defending champ Florida (plus-675).

    Food for thought: Michigan State in 2000 was the last Big Ten team to win the national championship, which was played that year in Indianapolis, the site of this year’s Final Four. But remember: Three of Duke’s five national championships (1991, 2010 and 2015) were won in Indianapolis while Arizona captured its only national title in Indy in 1997. Florida also won the first of back-to-back national championships in 2006 — also in Indy.

    How to watch

    Every game of the men’s tournament will be aired — here is a schedule that will be updated with matchups — either on CBS, TBS, TNT or TruTV and their digital platforms, including Paramount+. TBS will broadcast the Final Four and national title game this year. The NCAA will also stream games via its March Madness Live option.

    Clemson guard Efrem Johnson (4) shoots against Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr. (0) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
    Clemson guard Efrem Johnson (4) shoots against Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr. (0) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

    Who is playing

    There are 31 automatic bids for league tournament champions. The selection committee will then pick 37 at-large teams.

    When the Madness begins

    After the First Four, the first- and second-round games will be played March 19-22 in Buffalo, New York; Greenville, South Carolina; Oklahoma City; Portland, Oregon; Philadelphia; San Diego; St. Louis; and Tampa, Florida.

    Ohio State center Ivan Njegovan (7) celebrates a dunk with teammate John Mobley Jr. (0) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Purdue Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
    Ohio State center Ivan Njegovan (7) celebrates a dunk with teammate John Mobley Jr. (0) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Purdue Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

    Sweet 16 games will be played March 26-29 in Houston (South), Washington (East), Chicago (Midwest) and San Jose, California (West).

    The Final Four is Saturday, April 4, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, with the title game the night of Monday, April 6, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern.

    Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

    ​ Orange County Register 

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