Updated 2026 March Madness Schedule with Sweet 16 Bracket Set for Men's NCAA Tournament

The Sweet 16 matchups are set.

With the first weekend of the NCAA tournament in the books, only 16 teams are left standing. Below we'll take a look at the remaining schedule and break down some of the most enticing matchups on tap.

Thursday, March 26

No. 11 Texas vs. No. 2 Purdue, 7:10 p.m. ET, CBS

No. 9 Iowa vs. No. 4 Nebraska, 7:30 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV

No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 1 Arizona, 9:45 p.m. ET, CBS

No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 2 Houston, 10:05 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV

Friday, March 27

No. 5 St. John's vs. No. 1 Duke, 7:10 p.m. ET, CBS

No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 Michigan, 7:35 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV

No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 2 UConn, 9:45 p.m. ET, CBS

No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 2 Iowa State, 10:10 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV

Remaining Rounds

Elite Eight: Saturday, March 28 and Sunday, March 29

Final Four: Saturday, April 4 

NCAA Championship Game: Monday, April 6

Preview

The lowest seed remaining in the tournament is No. 11 Texas, fresh off upsets against BYU and Gonzaga. Purdue will provide a different challenge, however, led by the veteran backcourt of Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and C.J. Cox. Never underestimate the power of an experienced backcourt in March.

Big Ten rivals Iowa and Nebraska will settle their season series in the Sweet 16 after the Hawkeyes pulled off the biggest upset of the tournament thus far, knocking off defending champions Florida. They'll face a Cornhuskers' team making the first trip to the Sweet 16 in program history.

Darius Acuff Jr. and Arkansas won the SEC tournament and haven't slowed down, scoring 94 and 97 points, respectively in their first two games. Can the hot hand knock out another No. 1 seed in Arizona? The Wildcats have been one of the favorites among those filling out brackets, but the Razorbacks are playing excellent basketball right now.

Rick Pitino will try to lead St. John's past the loaded Duke Blue Devils in the school's first Sweet 16 appearance since 1999. The team will need to call upon its stifling defense to try and slow down superstar Cam Boozer.

UConn and Michigan State are college basketball blue bloods at this point, setting up one of the most intriguing Sweet 16 showdowns. The East Regional was absolutely stacked this year, and whichever team survives it will be very battle-tested.