How to watch Utah State’s 2026 NCAA Tournament opener vs. Villanova
Mar 17, 2026, 10:35 AM | Updated: 11:00 am
SALT LAKE CITY – Once seen as little more than a fun postseason story before an inevitable first-round loss, the Utah State Aggies enter the 2026 NCAA Tournament with expectations of an extended March Madness run.
The ninth-seeded Aggies (28-7) face the No. 8 Villanova Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament First Round on Friday, March 20. Tip-off is at 2:10 p.m. MT.
Tip-off time is set 🤘
🆚 Villanova
➡️ 2:10 PM MT
📺 TNT pic.twitter.com/m3XYYOQc4q— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) March 16, 2026
The winner advances to face the winner of the No. 1 seed Arizona and the No. 16 seed Long Island on Sunday, March 22, in San Diego.
Utah State Aggies first round NCAA Tournament game: How to watch
Tip-off for Friday’s First Round game will be at 2:10 p.m. (MT) on TNT & KSL Sports Zone. The game will be played at the Viejas Arena, home of the San Diego State Aztecs.
Kevin Harlan will handle play-by-play, with former Purdue Boilermaker Robbie Hummel and former NBA head coach Stan Van Gundy providing analysis. Lauren Shehadi will be on the sideline.
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What channel is TNT on?
TNT is one of four networks that will televise the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
- DirecTV: 245
- Dish: 138
- Xfinity: 39 (in Salt Lake City)
How to Stream Utah State vs. Villanova
- March Madness Live
You can watch every NCAA Tournament game on the March Madness Live App by logging in using your TV provider credentials.
- Paramount
- MAX
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You can sign up for Paramount+ or MAX’s streaming service and watch USU vs. Villanova on those platforms.
Other streaming platforms that offer TNT include:
- YouTube TV
- Hulu + Live TV
- DirecTV Stream
- Sling (Orange and Blue plans)
How to listen to USU Basketball in the NCAA Tournament
The radio call of USU vs. Villanova can be heard on 1280 AM KSL Sports Zone or streamed on KSL Sports Zone.
Voice of the Aggies Scott Garrard will be on the call.
No. 8 Villanova vs. No. 9 Utah State
First Round – 2026 NCAA Tournament
Location: San Diego, California
Arena: Viejas Arena
Tip-Off: 2:10 p.m. MT
TV: TNT
NCAA West Region First Round Schedule
San Diego, California – Viejas Arena
(All Times MST)
Friday, March 20
11:35 a.m. – No. 1 Arizona (32-2) vs. No. 16 LIU (24-10) — TNT
2:10 p.m. – No. 8 Villanova (24-8) vs. No. 9 Utah State (28-6) — TNT
5:10 p.m. – No. 5 St. John’s (28-6) vs. No. 12 UNI (23-12) — CBS
7:45 p.m. – No. 4 Kansas (23-10) vs. No. 13 Cal Baptist (25-8) — CBS
RELATED STORIES
Follow Utah State basketball with KSL Sports
Find Utah State’s entire 2025-26 men’s basketball schedule here.
Listen to USU basketball games on KSL Sports Zone with Scott Garrard and former Aggie great Spencer Nelson on the call.
Find KSL Sports coverage of Utah State University Athletics here.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
