There Are 16 NCAA Tournament Games This Friday – Here’s The Schedule

The opening round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament will resume this Friday with an absolutely loaded schedule.

Thursday's slate of games featured a few notable upsets, which included No. 12 High Point defeating No. 5 Wisconsin in an 83-82 thriller. No. 11 Texas kept its season alive as well by taking down No. 6 BYU behind a 23-point performance from Matas Vokietaitis.

Fans almost witnessed arguably the biggest upset in NCAA Tournament history, as No. 16 Siena had No. 1 Duke on the ropes. However, the Blue Devils survived thanks to strong performances from Cameron and Cayden Boozer.

Mar 7, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Florida Gators forward Thomas Haugh (10) dunks the ball during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images© Jordan Prather-Imagn Images&period;

While we can't guarantee any upsets this Friday, the schedule looks awfully promising.

Here are the remaining first-round games:

No. 10 Santa Clara vs. No. 7 Kentucky at 12:15 p.m. ET on CBS
No. 12 Akron vs. No. 5 Texas Tech at 12:40 p.m. ET on truTV
No. 16 Long Island vs. No. 1 Arizona at 1:35 p.m. ET on TNT
No. 14 Wright State vs. No. 3 Virginia at 1:50 p.m. ET on TBS
No. 15 Tennessee State vs. No. 2 Iowa State at 2:50 p.m. ET on CBS
No. 13 Hofstra vs. No. 4 Alabama at 3:15 p.m. ET on truTV
No. 9 Utah State vs. No. 8 Villanova at 4:10 p.m. ET on TNT
No. 11 Miami (OH) vs. No. 6 Tennessee at 4:25 p.m. ET on TBS
No. 9 Iowa vs. No. 8 Clemson at 6:50 p.m. ET on TNT
No. 12 Northern Iowa vs. No. 5 St. John's at 7:10 p.m. ET on CBS
No. 10 UCF vs. No. 7 UCLA at 7:25 p.m. ET on TBS
No. 15 Queens University vs. No. 2 Purdue at 7:35 p.m. ET on truTV
No. 16 Prairie View A&M vs. No. 1 Florida at 9:25 p.m. ET on TNT
No. 13 California Baptist vs. No. 4 Kansas at 9:45 p.m. ET on CBS
No. 15 Furman vs. No. 2 UConn at 10:00 p.m. ET on TBS
No. 10 Missouri vs. No. 7 Miami at 10:10 p.m. ET on truTV

Who's on upset alert?

There are plenty of fans picking No. 10 Santa Clara to upset No. 7 Kentucky this Friday.

No. 13 Hofstra has been a trendy upset pick in large part because No. 4 Alabama suspended its second-leading scorer, Aden Holloway. He was arrested on a felony drug possession earlier this week.

Last but not least, No. 11 Miami (Ohio) has to be considered a viable option due to its relentless 3-point shooting. If the RedHawks' shots start falling early, the Volunteers could be in trouble.

This story was originally published by The Spun on Mar 20, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Basketball section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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There Are 16 NCAA Tournament Games This Friday – Here’s The Schedule

Who's on upset alert?

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