The week opens with basketball taking center stage as the NCAA Tournament tips off with the First Four in Dayton on Tuesday night. Tuesday and Wednesday night feature the play-in games on truTV, officially launching the three-week spectacle of March Madness. At the same time, the NIT begins its first round across the country, filling the afternoon and evening windows with additional postseason action. The NBA and NHL continue their regular-season pushes, while the World Baseball Classic reaches its championship game Tuesday night.
Wednesday carries the momentum forward with another First Four doubleheader before the bracket fully comes to life later in the week. Champions League matches dominate the afternoon soccer window, while ESPN’s NBA doubleheader and TNT’s NHL broadcast provide the primetime lineup. With postseason basketball already underway and multiple leagues in action across North America and Europe, the midweek schedule stretches from early afternoon through late night.
Thursday and Friday mark the true beginning of the NCAA Tournament, as the Round of 64 takes over television screens throughout the day. Games air across CBS, TNT, TBS, and truTV from midday through late evening, creating the familiar wall-to-wall viewing experience that defines the first weekend of March Madness. Alongside the tournament, the NBA, NHL, and international soccer competitions continue their schedules, giving the week one of the most packed and varied weekday sports lineups of the year.
Get the latest Sports news, check out the current betting lines for the games, and don’t miss the best sports betting action, all with the best odds at BookMaker!
Weekly Betting Schedule (Monday, March 16 to Friday March 20, 2026 - All ET)
Major Events This Week
NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament First Four — Mar 17–18
NIT Men’s Basketball Tournament — Mar 17–Apr 5
TGL Semifinals — Mar 17
NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament First Round — Mar 19–20
Valspar Championship — Mar 19–22
LIV Golf South Africa — Mar 19–22
NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Second Round — Mar 21–22
UFC Fight Night: Evloev vs Murphy — Mar 21
Carabao Cup Final — Mar 22
Goodyear 400 — Mar 22
MONDAY — March 16
NBA
Orlando at Atlanta — 7:00 PM, Peacock/NBCSN
Los Angeles at Houston — 9:30 PM, Peacock/NBCSN
San Antonio at LA — 10:00 PM, Peacock/NBCSN Extra
NHL
Boston at New Jersey — 7:00 PM, ESPN
Pittsburgh at Colorado — 9:30 PM, ESPN
World Baseball Classic Semifinal
Venezuela vs Italy — 8:00 PM, FS1
Soccer — English Premier League
Brentford vs Wolverhampton Wanderers — 4:00 PM, USA Network
TUESDAY — March 17
NBA
Cleveland at Milwaukee — 8:00 PM, NBC/Peacock
Philadelphia at Denver — 10:00 PM, NBC/Peacock
College Basketball
NCAA Tournament First Four
(16) UMBC vs. (16) Howard, 6:40 p.m. | truTV
(11) Texas vs. (11) NC State, 9:15 p.m. | truTV
NIT — First Round
Liberty at George Mason — 3:00 PM
UNC Wilmington at Yale — 4:00 PM
Wyoming at Wichita State — 4:00 PM
Davidson at Oklahoma State — 5:00 PM
Stephen F. Austin at Tulsa — 6:00 PM
St. Thomas-Minnesota at Seattle U — 7:00 PM
South Alabama at Auburn — 7:00 PM
UNLV at UC Irvine — 8:00 PM
NHL
Minnesota at Chicago — 7:30 PM, TNT/HBO Max
Tampa Bay at Seattle — 10:00 PM, TNT/HBO Max
World Baseball Classic Championship
USA vs. Venezuela or Italy — 8:00 PM, FOX
Soccer — UEFA Champions League
Sporting CP vs Bodo/Glimt — 1:45 PM, Paramount+
Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen — 4:00 PM, Paramount+
Chelsea vs Paris Saint-Germain — 4:00 PM, Paramount+
Manchester City vs Real Madrid — 4:00 PM, Paramount+
TGL Semifinals
Atlanta vs Los Angeles — 6:30 PM, ESPN
Jupiter vs Boston — 9:00 PM, ESPN
WEDNESDAY — March 18
NBA
Golden State at Boston — 7:00 PM, ESPN
Los Angeles at Houston — 9:30 PM, ESPN
College Basketball
NCAA Tournament First Four
(16) Prairie View A&M vs. (16) Lehigh, 6:40 p.m. | truTV
(11) Miami (OH) vs. (11) SMU, 9:15 p.m. | truTV
NIT — First Round
Navy at Wake Forest — 4:00 PM
Kent State at Illinois State — 5:00 PM
George Washington at Utah Valley — 5:00 PM
Bradley vs Dayton — 6:00 PM
Sam Houston at New Mexico — 6:00 PM
Murray State at Nevada — 7:00 PM
Saint Joseph's at Colorado State — 8:00 PM
UIC at California — 8:00 PM
NHL
New Jersey at New York — 7:00 PM, TNT/HBO Max
Dallas at Colorado — 9:30 PM, TNT/HBO Max
Soccer — UEFA Champions League
Barcelona vs Newcastle United — 1:45 PM, Paramount+
Bayern Munich vs Atalanta — 4:00 PM, Paramount+
Liverpool vs Galatasaray — 4:00 PM, Paramount+
Tottenham Hotspur vs Atlético Madrid — 4:00 PM, Paramount+
Soccer — UEFA Europa League
Braga vs Ferencváros — 11:30 AM, Paramount+
THURSDAY — March 19
NBA
Orlando at Charlotte — 7:00 PM, NBA TV
College Basketball
NCAA Tournament First Round (Round of 64)
(9) TCU vs. (8) Ohio State, 12:15 p.m. | CBS
(13) Troy vs. (4) Nebraska, 12:40 p.m. | truTV
(11) South Florida vs. (6) Louisville, 1:30 p.m. | TNT
(12) High Point vs. (5) Wisconsin, 1:50 p.m. | TBS
(16) Siena vs. (1) Duke, 2:50 p.m. | CBS
(12) McNeese vs. (5) Vanderbilt, 3:15 p.m. | truTV
(14) North Dakota State vs. (3) Michigan State, 4:05 p.m. | TNT
(13) Hawai'i vs. (4) Arkansas, 4:25 p.m. | TBS
(11) VCU vs. (6) North Carolina, 6:50 p.m. | TNT
(16) UMBC or Howard vs. (1) Michigan, 7:10 p.m. | CBS
(11) Texas or NC State vs. (6) BYU, 7:25 p.m. | TBS
(10) Texas A&M vs. (7) Saint Mary's, 7:35 p.m. | truTV
(14) Pennsylvania vs. (3) Illinois, 9:25 p.m. | TNT
(9) Saint Louis vs. (8) Georgia, 9:45 p.m. | CBS
(14) Kennesaw State vs. (3) Gonzaga, 10:00 p.m. | TBS
(15) Idaho vs. (2) Houston, 10:10 p.m. | truTV
NHL
Chicago at Minnesota — 7:30 PM, ESPN+/Hulu
Utah at Vegas — 10:00 PM, ESPN+/Hulu
Soccer — UEFA Europa League
FC Midtjylland vs Nottingham Forest — 1:45 PM, Paramount+
Lyon vs Celta Vigo — 1:45 PM, Paramount+
SC Freiburg vs Racing Genk — 1:45 PM, Paramount+
AS Roma vs Bologna — 4:00 PM, Paramount+
Aston Villa vs Lille — 4:00 PM, Paramount+
FC Porto vs VfB Stuttgart — 4:00 PM, Paramount+
Real Betis vs Panathinaikos — 4:00 PM, Paramount+
Soccer — Concacaf Champions Cup
Mount Pleasant FA vs LA Galaxy — 7:00 PM, FS1
Tigres UANL vs FC Cincinnati — 9:00 PM, FS1
Golf
Valspar Championship begins
LIV Golf South Africa begins
FRIDAY — March 20
NBA
Golden State at Detroit — 7:30 PM, NBA TV
College Basketball
NCAA First Round (Round of 64)
(10) Santa Clara vs. (7) Kentucky, 12:15 p.m. | CBS
(12) Akron vs. (5) Texas Tech, 12:40 p.m. | truTV
(16) Long Island University vs. (1) Arizona, 1:35 p.m. | TNT
(14) Wright State vs. (3) Virginia, 1:50 p.m. | TBS
(15) Tennessee State vs. (2) Iowa State, 2:50 p.m. | CBS
(13) Hofstra vs. (4) Alabama, 3:15 p.m. | truTV
(9) Utah State vs. (8) Villanova, 4:10 p.m. | TNT
(16) Miami (OH) or SMU vs. (6) Tennessee, 4:25 p.m. | TBS
(9) Iowa vs. (8) Clemson, 6:50 p.m. | TNT
(12) Northern Iowa vs. (5) St. John's, 7:10 p.m. | CBS
(10) UCF vs. (7) UCLA, 7:25 p.m. | TBS
(15) Queens University vs. (2) Purdue, 7:35 p.m. | truTV
(16) Prairie View A&M or Lehigh vs. (1) Florida, 9:25 p.m. | TNT
(13) California Baptist vs. (4) Kansas, 9:45 p.m. | CBS
(15) Furman vs. (2) UConn, 10:00 p.m. | TBS
(10) Missouri vs. (7) Miami, 10:10 p.m. | truTV
NHL
Carolina at Toronto — 7:00 PM, NHL Network
Make your bets now at BookMaker and get fast Bitcoin payouts, the best odds available anywhere, and don’t forget about live betting at BookMaker Sportsbook!
