College basketball 2026-27 season guide
The 2026-27 men's college basketball season runs from Sunday, November 1, 2026, to the national championship game on Monday, April 5, 2027. This is also the first season of a 76-team NCAA tournament, up from 68.
Key dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Nov. 1, 2026 | First game: Notre Dame vs. Villanova in Rome (9:30 a.m. ET) |
| Nov. 2 | Full opening day, including the eight-game "Field of 68" tip-off event |
| Nov. 10 | State Farm Champions Classic, United Center, Chicago: Duke vs. Michigan State, Kansas vs. Kentucky |
| Nov. 17–19 | Players Era 8, Michelob ULTRA Arena, Las Vegas |
| Nov. 23–25 | Maui Invitational, Lahaina Civic Center |
| Nov. 24–28 | Players Era 16, T-Mobile Arena and Michelob ULTRA Arena, Las Vegas |
| Nov. 25–27 | Battle 4 Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas |
| Dec. 1–2 | SEC/ACC Men's Challenge |
| Dec. 8 | Jimmy V Men's Classic, Madison Square Garden |
| Mar. 14, 2027 | Selection Sunday |
| Mar. 16–17 | Opening Round (12 games), Dayton and Wichita |
| Mar. 18–19 | First Round |
| Mar. 20–21 | Second Round |
| Mar. 25–26 | Sweet 16 |
| Mar. 27–28 | Elite Eight |
| Apr. 3 | Final Four, Ford Field, Detroit |
| Apr. 5 | National championship, Ford Field |
Sources: NCAA.com season start, NCAA.com 2027 tournament dates, NCAA.com future sites, ESPN Press Room, Maui Invitational, Battle 4 Atlantis.
Early-season tournaments and events
November is packed with multi-team events, many of them around Thanksgiving:
- Players Era 8 (Nov. 17–19): Florida, Houston, Kansas, Auburn, Notre Dame, West Virginia, Rutgers and UNLV, in Las Vegas.
- Maui Invitational (Nov. 23–25): Clemson, Ole Miss, BYU, Washington, Providence, VCU, Arizona and Colorado State.
- Players Era 16 (Nov. 24–28): two eight-team brackets in Las Vegas. The bracket winners meet for the championship on November 28. The field includes Michigan, Tennessee, Louisville, St. John's, Miami, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Texas Tech, Alabama, Baylor, Maryland, TCU, Oregon, Creighton, San Diego State and Kansas State.
- Battle 4 Atlantis (Nov. 25–27): Marquette, Memphis, Mississippi State, Penn State, Texas A&M, Virginia, Wake Forest and Xavier.
Later-round opponents in these events depend on results, so those games often show the opponent and tip-off time as TBD until the earlier rounds finish.
Conference changes to know
Gonzaga and San Diego State play their first season in the rebuilt Pac-12 in 2026-27. The 2024 realignment is still in place: UCLA, USC, Oregon and Washington in the Big Ten; Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah in the Big 12; Stanford, Cal and SMU in the ACC; Texas and Oklahoma in the SEC.
March Madness 2027
The field grows to 76 teams. Selection Sunday is March 14. Twelve Opening Round games are played March 16–17 in Dayton and Wichita, ahead of the 64-team First Round on March 18–19. Regionals are in San Antonio, Los Angeles, Kansas City and New York. The Final Four is April 3, and the championship is April 5, both at Ford Field in Detroit.
How to print your team's schedule on One Page Season
- Find your team on the college basketball hub, which lists Division I teams by conference, or in the team directory. URLs look like
/team/ncaam-duke-blue-devils-150. - Choose Download full-season PDF (ET) to get the full regular season on one Letter-size page with dates, tip-off times and TV channels.
- To follow several teams, such as your alma mater, a local school and an NBA team, choose Build with this team. You can combine up to 12 teams across basketball and football in one date-ordered schedule, pick a time zone, and download the combined PDF.
- For updates, subscribe to the calendar feed. It can pick up later tip-off and channel changes, while a PDF or downloaded calendar file is a snapshot.
NCAA tournament and conference tournament games aren't on team schedules, because they depend on qualification. Times and channels that haven't been announced are marked TBD.
Tip-off times and TV assignments can change; check the linked sources and providers before you plan or pay. Commentary is our own. Send a correction if you spot an error.