The second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament gets underway on Saturday afternoon, and there are some fun matchups on the board. Which teams will stamp their ticket to the Sweet 16 next week?

No. 1 seed Michigan kicks off the second-round action with a game against No. 9 seed St. Louis (12:10 p.m. ET, CBS March Madness Live). The Wolverines weathered a potential upset from Howard in the first round, but they’ll get another tricky test on Saturday. The Billikens just put on an offensive clinic in their first-round win over No. 8 seed Georgia, a 102-77 blowout.

Speaking of No. 1 seeds that got a scare in the first round, Duke narrowly avoided disaster against No. 16 seed Siena with a 71-65 win. Star Cameron Boozer helped his team rally with 22 points and 13 rebounds. The Blue Devils will now play No. 9 seed TCU (5:15 p.m. ET, CBS March Madness Live), and the Horned Frogs have to have some confidence after pulling out a dramatic win against No. 8 seed Ohio State on Thursday.

After notching its first March Madness win in program history, No. 4 seed Nebraska will try to make more history with its first Sweet 16 berth. In order to do that, the Cornhuskers will have to beat No. 5 seed Vanderbilt (8:45 p.m., TNT March Madness Live), which hasn’t reached the Sweet 16 since 2007.

2026 NCAA Tournament bracket, scores

All times Eastern

East

FIRST ROUND

Thursday — Greenville

Thursday — Buffalo

Friday — San Diego

Friday — Philadelphia

SECOND ROUND 

Saturday — Greenville 

• (1) Duke vs. (9) TCU | 5:15 p.m. | CBS

Saturday — Buffalo 

• (3) Michigan State 77, (6) Louisville 69

Sunday — San Diego 

• (5) St. John’s vs. (4) Kansas | 5:15 p.m. | CBS

Sunday — Philadelphia 

• (7) UCLA vs. (2) UConn | 8:45 p.m. | TNT

West

FIRST FOUR

Tuesday — Dayton

FIRST ROUND

Thursday — Portland

Friday — San Diego

Friday — St. Louis

SECOND ROUND 

Saturday — Portland 

• (3) Gonzaga  (11) Texas | 7:10 p.m. | TBS
• (4) Arkansas vs. (12) High Point | 9:45 p.m. | TBS

Sunday — San Diego 

• (1) Arizona vs. (9) Utah State | 7:50 p.m. | TruTV

Sunday — St. Louis

• (2) Purdue vs. (7) Miami (FL) | 12:15 p.m. | CBS

Midwest

FIRST FOUR

Tuesday — Dayton

Wednesday — Dayton

FIRST ROUND

Thursday — Buffalo

Friday — St. Louis

Friday — Tampa

Friday — Philadelphia

SECOND ROUND

Saturday — Buffalo 

Sunday — St. Louis 

• (2) Iowa State vs. (7) Kentucky | 2:45 p.m. | CBS

Sunday — Tampa 

• (4) Alabama vs. (5) Texas Tech | 9:45 p.m. | TNT

Sunday — Philadelphia 

• (3) Virginia vs. (6) Tennessee | 6:10 p.m. | TNT

South

FIRST FOUR

Wednesday — Dayton

FIRST ROUND

Thursday — Oklahoma City

Thursday — Greenville

Thursday — Oklahoma City

Friday — Tampa

SECOND ROUND 

Saturday — Greenville 

• (3) Illinois vs. (11) VCU | 7:50 p.m. | CBS

Saturday — Oklahoma City 

• (2) Houston vs. (10) Texas A&M | 6:10 p.m. | TNT
• (4) Nebraska vs. (5) Vanderbilt | 8:45 p.m. | TNT

Sunday — Tampa 

• (1) Florida vs.  (8) Iowa | 7:10 p.m. | TBS

2026 NCAA Tournament schedule

Sweet 16

Thursday, March 26 — 7:10 p.m. start (CBS, TBS)
Toyota Center (Houston), SAP Center (San Jose)

Friday, March 27 — 7:10 p.m. start (CBS, TBS)
United Center (Chicago), Capital One Arena (Washington, D.C.)

Elite Eight

Saturday, March 28 — 6:09 p.m. start (TBS)
Toyota Center (Houston), SAP Center (San Jose)

Sunday, March 29 — 2:15 p.m. start (CBS)
United Center (Chicago), Capital One Arena (Washington, D.C.)

Final Four

Saturday, April 4 — 6:09 p.m. start (TBS)
Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)

National Championship

Monday, April 6 — 8:50 p.m. (TBS)
Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)