March Madness is almost here.
With the 2025-26 men's basketball regular season coming to a close, conference tournaments are underway and the bracket for the NCAA tournament is taking shape.
In Ohio, two teams are projected to be among the 68 teams with hopes of dancing to the Final Four and a national title. Miami has the nation's attention with an undefeated regular season and became the third team to ever enter its conference tournament with a 31-0 record and are expected to be around the bubble of at-large teams if they do not win the MAC title.
Meanwhile, Ohio State will look to boost its stock in the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 8 seed. The Buckeyes ended their regular season with three victories, including a Quad 1 win over Purdue.
When does men's March Madness 2026 start?
After Selection Sunday, the first March Madness game of the 2026 NCAA men's basketball tournament is on March 17 with the First Four round in Dayton.
The first round of 64 games are on March 19.
Where is the March Madness tournament being held this year?
Indianapolis is the main host for the men's tournament, hosting the Final Four and the National Championship. Here's a look at the men's tournament locations:
- First Four: UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio – Shop tickets now
- First & Second Rounds: Buffalo, N.Y., Greenville, S.C., Oklahoma City, Portland, Ore., Tampa, Fla., Philadelphia, San Diego and St. Louis.
- Sweet 16 & Elite 8: Houston, San Jose, Calif., Chicago, and Washington, D.C.
- Final Four & National Championship: Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis – Shop tickets now
March Madness 2026 full schedule for the men's tournament
- March 17-18: First Four
- March 19-20: First round
- March 21-22: Second round
- March 26-27: Sweet 16
- March 28-29: Elite 8
- April 4-5: Final Four
- April 6: National Championship
How to watch the most March Madness games
March Madness games tend to air across TNT, TruTV, TBS, and CBS. Without cable, you will need a subscription to watch March Madness games. Sling carries TNT, TBS and TruTV in the Sling Blue package, which is the USA TODAY Shopping recommendation to watch the most games throughout the tournament.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Men's March Madness 2026 schedule, dates, locations