Pre-Tournament Events
March 15: Teams Announced @ 5:00 PM [CST] on CBS
March 17-18: Four Play-In Games
March 19: Entry Deadline @ 11:30 AM [CST]
March 19-20: Round One - 64 Teams
March 21-22: Round Two - 32 Teams
Second Weekend of Games
March 26-27: Round Three - 16 Teams
March 28-29: Round Four - 8 Teams
Championship Weekend
April 4: Round Five - Semi-Finals - 4 Teams
April 6: Round Six - Championship - 2 Teams
NCAA. (2025). NCAA Division I Men’s Tournament Dates (2026).
https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2025-06-12/2026-march-madness-mens-ncaa-tournament-schedule-dates