The first two rounds of the 2026 NCAA Tournament lived up to the hype, with plenty of upsets, incredible comebacks, and amazing performances.
According to Nielsen data, March Madness averaged 9.8 million viewers over its first three days, a record since CBS and TNT began airing the games in 2011. In addition, the primetime window drew 12.5 million viewers, marking the most-watched first-round window on record.
Fans can’t wait for the Sweet 16 action to tip off, but unfortunately, they’ll have to wait a bit longer as there are no March Madness games on Wednesday night. There are, however, a pair of NIT games to watch.
2026 March Madness Schedule: Are There Any Games Today?
After the second-round games on Sunday set the field for the Sweet 16, there are no NCAA Tournament games on Wednesday.
The NCAA Tournament will resume tomorrow with four games on Thursday and four games on Friday:
THURSDAY
- No. 11 Texas vs. No. 2 Purdue | 7:10 p.m. ET | CBS
- No. 9 Iowa vs. No. 4 Nebraska | 7:30 p.m. ET | TBS/truTV
- No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 1 Arizona | 9:45 p.m. ET | CBS
- No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 2 Houston | 10:05 p.m. ET | TBS/truTV
FRIDAY
- No. 5 St. John’s vs. No. 1 Duke | 7:10 p.m. ET | CBS
- No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 Michigan | 7:35 p.m. ET | TBS/truTV
- No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 2 UConn | 9:45 p.m. ET | CBS
- No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 2 Iowa State | 10:10 p.m. ET | TBS/truTV
With that said, there are two NIT Quarterfinal matchups on Wednesday: No. 4 Illinois State faces No. Dayton at 7 p.m. ET and No. 2 Nevada facing No. 1 Auburn at 9 p.m. ET. Both games will air on ESPN2 for fans who want their fix of college basketball action. The NIT championship game will be played on Sunday, April 5, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The women’s Sweet 16, headlined by the No. 1 UConn Huskies, Texas Longhorns, UCLA Bruins, and South Carolina Gamecocks, will tip off on Friday.
MARCH MADNESS: Fill In Your Bracket Now!
The men’s Sweet 16 is populated by six Big Ten teams after the conference went 6-1 in the second round, followed by four SEC teams, three Big 12 teams, two Big East teams, and one ACC team.
The Elite Eight will be held on March 28 to March 29 to determine the Final Four teams that will play at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 4. Then, the national championship game will be played on April 6 at the same venue.
This year’s March Madness featured plenty of stars, and big-time talents like Duke big man Cameron Boozer and Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. are two of the studs still alive in the tournament. All eyes will be on the NCAA Tournament in the coming weeks, especially now that a new national champion will be crowned after the Florida Gators were upset by the Iowa Hawkeyes in the second round.
