Your NCAA Tournament Viewing Guide/Open Thread: March 20, 2026
It’s time for Day #1 of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament and Day #2 of the men’s tournament!
ATHENS, GA - NOVEMBER 15: Texas Longhorns mascot "Hook 'Em" cheers during the college football game between the Texas Longhorns and the Georgia Bulldogs on November 15, 2025, at Sanford Stadium in Athens, GA. (Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images THIRTY-TWO NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT GAMES TODAY! It’s the second day of the first round in the men’s tournament as we finish up cutting the field down to 32 teams.
The women’s tournament wrapped up the First Four last night, so it’s their first day in the Round of 64. What does that mean for you, the viewer? The first game of the day comes piping into your eyeholes at 10:30am Central time with #3 Duke vs #14 Charleston on the women’s side of the tournament.
Play continues into the night, probably until the last men’s game of the day between #7 Miami and #10 Missouri ends well past 11pm Central. By my math, that’s probably 13 hours of basketball for you. It’s a big day for Big East watching, but it’s not very well spread out.
You don’t get a Big East team on the court until 3:10pm when Villanova faces off against Utah State in an 8/9 game. After that, it’s St. John’s/Northern Iowa at 6:10, Texas Tech vs Villanova in the women’s tournament at 7:30, and UConn/Furman at 9pm.