By TheNuts - Mar 03, 2026
The First Four in Dayton marks the start of the 2026 NCAA basketball tournament. The victors of the eight teams—the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at-larges—will move on to the main tournament.
The first round is scheduled for March 19–20, and the second round is scheduled for March 21–22. Teams then move on to the regional semifinals and finals, which take place on March 26–27 for the Sweet 16 and March 28–29 for the Elite 8.
The first and second rounds will be held in Buffalo, Greeneville, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Portland, San Diego, St. Louis, and Tampa. The Midwest, South, West, and East Regionals will be held in Chicago, Houston, San Jose, and Washington, D.C., respectively.
What time is the Final Four?
Two national semifinal matches at Lucas Oil Stadium kick off the Final Four on April 4. April 6 is the date of the national championship game.
Indianapolis will host the Final Four for the first time since 2021, during the height of the COVID-19 epidemic, and for the eighth time overall.
The NCAA tournament bracket will be finalized and revealed during the selection show on March 15 after conference championship games.
According to USA Today's most recent bracketology projections, the final four at-large teams in the tournament are expected to be UCLA, Santa Clara, New Mexico, and Auburn, while the top four seeds are Duke, Arizona, Michigan, and Connecticut.