Updated March 18, 2026, 7:43 p.m. ET
Follow Wednesday evening’s First Four motion with USA TODAY Sports’ live updates.
Day 1 of March Madness featured two close games within the First Four at Dayton. Howard held on to beat UMBC within the 16-seed matchup, whereas Texas edged NC State within the 11-seed nightcap.
What will Day 2 have in retailer?
Watch all First Four games with Sling
NCAA Tournament schedule: March Madness games today
All instances Eastern
- No. 16 Prairie View A&M vs. No. 16 Lehigh, 6:40 p.m. (truTV)
- No. 11 Miami Ohio vs. No. 11 SMU, 9:15 p.m. (truTV)
Tuesday’s March Madness First Four scores
- No. 16 Howard 86, No. 16 UMBC 83
- No. 11 Texas 68, No. 11 NC State 66
When is March Madness First Four?
The First Four begins on Tuesday, March 17 with the UMBC-Howard and Texas-NC State games.
It concludes on Wednesday, March 17 with two different matchups: No. 16 seed Prairie View A&M in opposition to No. 16 seed Lehigh and No. 11 seed Miami (Ohio) in opposition to No. 11 seed SMU.
Where is the First Four?
- Location: UD Arena (Dayton, Ohio)
Aside from 2021, when the NCAA event was held totally within the state of Indiana through the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the First Four has been held at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio, the house area for the Dayton Flyers.
Watch all First Four games with SlingFirst Four groups
The eight groups collaborating within the First Four this 12 months are:
- No. 11 Miami (Ohio)
- No. 11 SMU
- No. 11 Texas
- No. 11 NC State
- No. 16 Prairie View A&M
- No. 16 Lehigh
- No. 16 Howard
- No. 16 UMBC
NCAA Tournament TV schedule: What channel is First Four on?
All 4 games of the First Four will air nationally on truTV. Streaming choices for the sport embody Sling TV, which carries the Turner Sports household of networks.
Watch the First Four live with Sling TV
What is the First Four?
Since being launched in 2011, when the event expanded from 65 groups to 68, the First Four options the 4 lowest-ranked No. 16 seeds and the ultimate 4 at-large inclusions (often No. 11 seeds) taking part in one another throughout 4 games to see who will get to advance to the 64-team portion of the NCAA event.
