The 2026 March Madness Sweet 16 bracket locks in the college hoops world this week as the nation’s best prepare for another electrifying weekend of NCAA Tournament action.
After Selection Sunday and two thrilling rounds of upsets, the field of 16 teams is set to battle from March 26–27 across four regional sites, with Elite Eight berths and a trip to the Final Four in Indianapolis on the line.
Among the storylines shaping up in the Sweet 16, perennial powerhouses and surprising underdogs are jockeying for positioning — from No. 1 seeds still dancing to gritty mid‑seed squads that punched their ticket.
2026 March Madness Sweet 16: Schedule
The 2026 March Madness Sweet 16 is scheduled to tip off on March 26 as the tournament heads into its second weekend of elite‑level college basketball. All eight games in this round will take place across Thursday and Friday, March 27, with the winners advancing to the Elite Eight later that weekend.
Bishop Boswell and Ja’kobi Gillespie of the Tennessee Volunteers in March Madness 2026 (Source: Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Television coverage will be shared across CBS, TBS and truTV, giving fans multiple ways to catch every moment. Start times for key matchups are slated for early and late evening slots on Thursday and Friday, with tip‑offs typically beginning in the 7:10–7:30 PM ET window on each night.
The action from the Sweet 16 will narrow the field from 16 teams to 8, setting up the Elite Eight games later in the weekend before the tournament shifts toward April’s Final Four in Indianapolis.
2026 March Madness Sweet 16: Which teams are playing?
The Sweet 16 field is now officially set following the completion of the Round of 32, with a mix of high seeds and surprising underdogs punching their tickets.
Notable teams advancing include traditional powers like Duke, Arizona, Purdue, Houston and Nebraska, along with intriguing mid‑seed squads like Texas and Iowa that have capitalized on tournament momentum.
This Sweet 16 lineup represents some of the most competitive basketball of the 2026 tournament — from seasoned Final Four contenders to programs making deep runs that could redefine their seasons.
Here’s the full list of the 16 men’s teams that advanced to the Sweet 16 round of the 2026 NCAA March Madness Tournament
- Arizona Wildcats (No. 1 seed)
- Arkansas Razorbacks (No. 4 seed)
- Illinois Fighting Illini (No. 3 seed)
- Houston Cougars (No. 2 seed)
- Nebraska Cornhuskers (No. 4 seed)
- Iowa Hawkeyes (No. 9 seed)
- Purdue Boilermakers (No. 2 seed)
- Texas Longhorns (No. 11 seed)
- Duke Blue Devils (No. 1 seed)
- St. John’s Red Storm (No. 5 seed)
- Michigan Wolverines (No. 1 seed)
- Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 4 seed)
- UConn Huskies (No. 2 seed)
- Michigan State Spartans (No. 3 seed)
- Iowa State Cyclones (No. 2 seed)
- Tennessee Volunteers (No. 6 seed)
2026 March Madness Sweet 16: Dates and key matchups
Thursday, March 26
- Purdue vs. Texas, 7:10 PM ET
- Nebraska vs. Iowa, 7:30 PM ET
- Arizona vs. Arkansas, 9:45 PM ET
- Houston vs. Illinois, 10:05 PM ET
Friday, March 27
- Duke vs. St. John’s | 7:10 PM ET
- Michigan vs. Alabama | 7:35 PM ET
- UConn vs. Michigan State | 9:45 PM ET
- Iowa State vs. Tennessee | 10:10 PM ET
