Coach Bill Armstrong and the 12th-seeded McNeese State Cowboys face coach Mark Byington and the fifth-seeded Vanderbilt Commodores to open the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament Thursday as March Madness returns to Oklahoma City.
McNeese (28-5, 19-3) took the Southland Conference Championship against Stephen F. Austin on March 11. Vanderbilt (26-8, 11-7) fell to Arkansas 86-75 in the SEC Championship game.
Here’s how to watch the Cowboys-Commodores game, including time, TV schedule and streaming information:
NCAA TOURNAMENT PREDICTIONS: Nebraska-Troy, Vanderbilt-McNeese, Texas A&M-Saint Mary’s, Houston-Idaho, East Region, South Region, Midwest Region, West Region, NCAA champion
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Tuesday, March 17
Vanderbilt 79, McNeese 69: Vanderbilt won four straight before losing to Arkansas in the SEC title game. The Commodores have great guard play, and that’s usually a winning formula in March. —Joe Mussatto, The Oklahoman
Thursday at Paycom Center (All games on TruTV):
All times CT
All times CT
Isa Almeida is a trending reporter for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Isa? She can be reached at ialmeida@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @ialmeidasports. Support Isa’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
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