Ian Eagle on calling the wildest moments in March Madness history
CBS announcer and March Madness play-by-play voice Ian Eagle breaks down how he handles the emotions of the NCAA Tournament.
One of the best days on the sports calendar has arrived.
March Madness tips off today, March 19, with 16 first-round games at four sites as the bracket is now at 64 teams following the First Four games earlier this week. By the end of the day, 16 teams’ seasons will be over and 16 will be into the second round.
So, submit those brackets before they get busted and settle in for wall-to-wall games for the 2026 Men’s NCAA Tournament.
Among the teams to watch today include two of the four No. 1 seeds in Duke and Michigan. The Wolverines are one of six Big Ten teams that will take the floor for the Big Dance on March 19 with three more on March 20. Illinois, Michigan State, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Ohio State join Michigan on Day 1 of the tournament. The Big Ten will again look to end a long championship drought – Michigan State was the last team to win the title 26 years ago.
Last year’s national runner-up, Houston, concludes the day’s action.
And there will be a lot of stars on the court. Four of the five players on the Associated Press’ first-team All-American team will be playing on the first day. They include Duke’s Cameron Boozer, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Arkansas’ Darius Acuff and Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg.
Here’s what you should know about the March Madness games today, including all the start times, where to watch on TV and streaming options, locations, announcers and the bracket:
March Madness games today: NCAA Tournament TV schedule, start times
Half of the 32 first-round games will be played on Thursday, March 19. The slate of games begin with Ohio State vs. Texas Christian University in the East Region at 11:15 a.m. Houston vs. Idaho in the South Region is the final game starting at approximately 9:10 p.m.
Here’s the full schedule:
- Ohio State (8) vs. TCU (9), 11:15 a.m., CBS
- Nebraska (4) vs. Troy (13), 11:40 a.m., truTV
- Louisville (6) vs. South Florida (11), 12:30 p.m., TNT
- Wisconsin (5) vs. High Point (12), 12:50 p.m., TBS
- Duke (1) vs. Siena (16), 1:50 p.m., CBS
- Vanderbilt (5) vs. McNeese (12), 2:15 p.m., truTV
- Michigan St. (3) vs. N. Dakota St. (14), 3:05 p.m., TNT
- Arkansas (4) vs. Hawaii (13), 3:25 p.m., TBS
- North Carolina (6) vs. VCU (11), 5:50 p.m., TNT
- Michigan (1) vs. Howard (16), 6:10 p.m., CBS
- BYU (6) vs. Texas (11), 6:25 p.m., TBS
- St. Mary’s (7) vs. Texas A&M (10), 6:35 p.m., truTV
- Illinois (3) vs. Penn (14), 8:25 p.m., TNT
- Georgia (8) vs. St. Louis (9), 8:45 p.m., CBS
- Gonzaga (3) vs. Kennesaw St. (14), 9 p.m., TBS
- Houston (2) vs. Idaho (15), 9:10 p.m., truTV
All times are Central
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What channels are the March Madness games today? Where to watch March Madness games on TV, live stream
March Madness first- and second-round games will air on CBS and the Turner Broadcast Network channels of TNT, TBS and truTV. CBS streams on Fubo and includes a free trial, while TNT, TBS and truTV stream on Sling.
Here’s where you can watch all the games today:
CBS
- Ohio State (8) vs. TCU (9), 11:15 a.m.
- Duke (1) vs. Siena (16), 1:50 p.m.
- Michigan (1) vs. Howard (16), 6:10 p.m.
- Georgia (8) vs. St. Louis (9), 8:45 p.m
Stream CBS on Fubo (free trial)
truTV
- Nebraska (4) vs. Troy (13), 11:40 a.m.
- Vanderbilt (5) vs. McNeese (12), 2:15 p.m.
- St. Mary’s (7) vs. Texas A&M (10), 6:35 p.m.
- Houston (2) vs. Idaho (15), 9:10 p.m.
TNT
- Louisville (6) vs. South Florida (11), 12:30 p.m.
- Michigan St. (3) vs. N. Dakota St. (14), 3:05 p.m.
- North Carolina (6) vs. VCU (11), 5:50 p.m.
- Illinois (3) vs. Penn (14), 8:25 p.m.
TBS
- Wisconsin (5) vs. High Point (12), 12:50 p.m.
- Arkansas (4) vs. Hawaii (13), 3:25 p.m.
- BYU (6) vs. Texas (11), 6:25 p.m.
- Gonzaga (3) vs. Kennesaw St. (14), 9 p.m.
Stream TNT, TBS and truTV on Sling
March Madness locations today
These are the four sites of the NCAA Tournament games on March 19:
- Buffalo, New York – KeyBank Center
- Greenville, South Carolina – Bon Secours Wellness Arena
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – Paycom Center
- Portland, Oregon – Moda Center
Who are the March Madness announcers today?
Greenville, South Carolina
Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery, Grant Hill and Tracy Wolfson are the announcers at this site.
Games at this location from start to finish are: Ohio State (8) vs. TCU (9), Duke (1) vs. Siena (16), North Carolina (6) vs. VCU (11), and Illinois (3) vs. Penn (14).
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Brandon Gaudin, Chris Webber and Andy Katz are the announcers at this site.
Games at this location from start to finish are: Nebraska (4) vs. Troy (13), Vanderbilt (5) vs. McNeese (12), St. Mary’s (7) vs. Texas A&M (10), and Houston (2) vs. Idaho (15).
Buffalo, New York
Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson and Allie LaForce are the announcers at this site. However, NBC Sports’ Jason Benetti will fill in for an under-the-weather Anderson on Thursday, March 19.
Anderson was the play-by-play announcer for one of the First Four games on March 17 with Charles Barkley and Dick Vitale in Dayton, Ohio but he was clearly battling an illness as he worked the game.
On Wednesday, March 18, a day before he was set to call four games in Buffalo, Anderson posted on Instagram that he’s a “no-go for Round 1 Thursday” because his “voice is wrecked.”
Anderson, who is also the Milwaukee Brewers’ TV play-by-play man, said he’s “getting better” and hopes to return for the two second-round games on Saturday, March 21.
“We put a lot of prep into these games and it’s crushing to not get to the fun part!,” Anderson wrote on Instagram. “I recommended the great Jason Benetti, a trusted friend and colleague. I’m grateful the execs at TNT Sports and CBS made it happen.”
Games at this location from start to finish are: Louisville (6) vs. South Florida (11), Michigan St. (3) vs. N. Dakota St. (14), Michigan (1) vs. Howard (16), and Georgia (8) vs. St. Louis (9).
Portland, Oregon
Brad Nessler, Wally Szczerbiak and Jared Greenberg are the announcers at this site.
Games at this location from start to finish are: Wisconsin (5) vs. High Point (12), Arkansas (4) vs. Hawaii (13), BYU (6) vs. Texas (11), and Gonzaga (3) vs. Kennesaw St. (14).
March Madness bracket: Printable 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket
Duke (East), Arizona (West), Michigan (Midwest) and Florida (South) are the No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils and Gators were also on the 1 line in 2025.
The SEC has the most teams in the tournament with 10. The Big Ten (9), ACC (8) and Big 12 (8) are next.
Here’s the men’s NCAA Tournament bracket:
2026 NCAA Tournament printable bracket (PDF)
