The 2026 NCAA Tournament has lived up to the hype, with plenty of upsets, incredible comebacks, and amazing performances. Tonight, March Madness resumes as the Sweet 16 gets underway in Houston and San Jose.
All eyes will be on Thursday’s four-game slate since it will determine who advances to the Elite Eight.
Complete TV Schedule for Sweet 16
There are four Sweet 16 games tonight, starting at 7:10 p.m. ET
- 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
All CBS broadcasts are available to stream on Paramount+, while TBS, TNT, and truTV games stream on Max.
The most fascinating game tonight may be Houston-Illinois. Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson runs a defensive scheme that demands pro-level rotation and physicality. Cougars freshman guard Kingston Flemings is a top NBA Draft prospect, so his game has been under the microscope all year.
During a Wednesday press conference at the Toyota Center, Sampson offered high praise for his young floor general.
“Kid is gonna be a top 10 draft pick and he’s so naive,” Sampson told reporters. “He has no ego… none of our kids have egos. I knocked the ego out of them early.”
Out West in San Jose, No. 1 Arizona faces No. 4 Arkansas in a matchup loaded with future pros. Arkansas brings an electric transition attack that will test Arizona’s defensive discipline. Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd noted Wednesday that the Razorbacks are “putting up video game numbers on offense” led by Darius Acuff Jr.
Lloyd is also navigating external pressure, publicly shutting down rumors linking him to the vacant North Carolina job by stating he is “100% focused on Arizona basketball.”
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No. 2 Purdue and No. 11 Texas features Boilermakers guard Braden Smith, who recently broke Bobby Hurley’s NCAA career record for assists, but he struggled with eight turnovers against Miami in the second round. It will be interesting to see how Smith handles the Longhorns’ perimeter pressure.
Purdue head coach Matt Painter acknowledged the struggles but defended his guard Sunday, noting, “Braden is the guy that makes us go and he sets things off.”
Nebraska and Iowa is a battle of feel-good stories. Nebraska won its first-ever March Madness game during this year’s tournament and hopes to continue this historic run. Meanwhile, Iowa is coming off an stunning upset of the defending-champion Florida Gators.
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.
After several days without any March Madness games, fans can’t wait for Thursday’s action to get underway.
