NCAA Tournament Schedule Set And Buffalo Is Ready For Some Basketball

Over the last few days, we have seen plenty of signs that spring has finally sprung in Western New York. From the St. Patty's Day Parade and the Buffalo Home Show to the melting snow and Bisons Baseball getting ready to start up for the year, the people of Buffalo are ready for the warm weather to start blowing into town.

This week, we're one step closer to one thing that people all over the 716 have been looking forward to for nearly a year, and now we know exactly who's coming to town this weekend as the NCAA is ready to kick off its 2026 Men's Basketball Tournament.

Once again, Buffalo is serving as a host city for March Madness's Midwest Region Round of 64 and Round of 32 at the KeyBank Center.

College Basketball Matchups Revealed For Buffalo to Host Midwest Regional Games of Men's NCAA Tournament

For the 8th time this century, Buffalo is serving as a host city for the NCAA Men's Division 1 Tournament, and after hosting the tournament in 2000, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2014, 2017, 2022, and now 2026, Buffalo is showing off how much of a basketball city we really are.

On Sunday, March 15, 2026, the NCAA released its tournament seeding and matchups for March Madness, and it looks like there is going to be some great basketball in Buffalo on March 19th through the 22nd.

Eight teams are heading to Buffalo this week to play in the tournament, with the winner of the #16 ranked UMBC & Howard (playing a First Four Play-In Game), plus #14 ranked North Dakota State, #11 ranked South Florida, #9 ranked Saint Louis, #8 ranked Georgia, #6 ranked Louisville, #3 ranked Michigan State, and #1 ranked Michigan all making the trip to the 716.

All 9 teams will hold open practices on Wednesday, March 18th, with games beginning on Thursday, March 19th.

If you're looking to attend any of the games, tickets are available via Ticketmaster or at the KeyBank Box Office, but be ready to drop a few extra dollars, as excitement has increased a lot over the last few weeks, and tickets are now becoming tougher to come by.