Top swimmers and divers across the NCAA look to bring their school a title at the 2026 swimming and diving championships. ESPN’s coverage includes men’s and women’s feeds available on ESPN+. Virginia women will look to capture their fifth straight title, while Texas will try to repeat as champions on the men’s side.

Check out key facts about the NCAA swimming and diving championships below:

How can fans watch?

Both championships can be watched on ESPN+. Streams are available on the NCAA swimming and diving streaming hub.

What are the dates?

The men’s championship runs March 25-28 and the women’s championship is March 18-21.

What is the schedule?

*All times Eastern

Men’s

March 25: 10 a.m., ESPN+

• 1650-yard freestyle

• 200-yard medley relay

• 800-yard freestyle relay

March 26: 10 a.m., ESPN+

March 27: 10 a.m., ESPN+

• 100-yard backstroke

• 200-yard breaststroke

• 500-yard freestyle

• 50-yard freestyle

• 400-yard medley relay

• 3-meter diving

March 28: 10 a.m., ESPN+

Women’s

March 20: ESPN+

• 100-yard backstroke

• 200-yard breaststroke

• 500-yard freestyle

• 50-yard freestyle

• 400-yard medley relay

• 3-meter diving

March 21: 10 a.m., ESPN+

Check out the ESPN college sports hub page for news, features and more.

The first round of the 2026 men’s NCAA tournament continues on Friday — and we’re tracking how every game was decided.

As every winner’s second-round matchup is set, ESPN’s reporters will also break down each team’s keys for advancing to the Sweet 16.

Go to: Live tracker

How Alabama won: Without their second-leading scorer and their best 3-point shooter, Aden Holloway — who was arrested Monday on felony drug charges — the Crimson Tide were forced to rely on sophomore guard Labaron Philon Jr. He responded, putting up 29 points with eight rebounds and seven assists in the 20-point victory. The Pride did not go quietly, though, with freshman guard Preston Edmead putting up 24 points and going 5-of-10 from behind the arc, with four rebounds and four assists. — Jenna Laine

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How Iowa State won: Take your pick from any number of ways that Iowa State rolled Tennessee State. The Cyclones dominated in virtually every category, though the discrepancy on the glass was particularly notable. At one point late in the second half, Iowa State had more offensive rebounds than Tennessee State had defensive rebounds. Another telling stat: Iowa State scored the game’s first 45 bench points. Looking ahead to Sunday’s game against Kentucky, that depth could be the difference given how reliant the Wildcats were on Otega Oweh in their dramatic first-round win. That depth might also be needed if Joshua Jefferson remains out with a left leg injury — he left early in the first half and eventually sat out the rest of the game with a boot. — Ben Baby

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How Virginia won: Virginia escaped a scare and advanced to the second round with a come-from-behind win. Senior guard Jacari White took over down the stretch, scoring 15 of his season-high 26 points in the second half, using his gravitational pull to create easy baskets for his teammates. Those 26 points are the most by a Virginia player in an NCAA tournament game since De’Andre Hunter had 27 in the 2019 championship game against Texas Tech, per ESPN Research. White’s six made 3-pointers also tied London Perrantes (2016 Elite Eight) for most by a Virginia player in an NCAA tournament game. — Tim McManus

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How Arizona won: Arizona’s first-round matchup against 16-seeded Long Island proved to be a tepid warmup for the Wildcats, who dominated every facet of the game on their way to a commanding victory. It’s striking how big they are in person, and they used every bit of their size to their advantage, outrebounding the Sharks 52-31 and scoring 50 points in the paint while adding 10 blocks to boot. Ivan Kharchenkov waltzed his way to a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double while on the perimeter. And freshman Brayden Burries brought the firepower, leading all scorers with 18 points on 4-of-5 shooting from 3. It was the ideal start for a team with hopes (and expectations) for a deep tournament run. — Paolo Uggetti

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How Texas Tech won: Akron closed the gap to four points midway through the second half, but Texas Tech — playing without All-American and Big 12 Player of the Year JT Toppin — shot better than 75% in the second half to run away with it. (Forward LeJuan Watts, who led with six rebounds, also fouled out with under 10 minutes to go.) Freshman guard Jaylen Petty put up a career-best 24 points (5-of-7 from 3), and the Raiders held the Zips’ top-10 scoring offense that had averaged 88.4 points per game during the regular season to just 71 points. — Jenna Laine

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How Kentucky won: Add what Otega Oweh did to the list of great performances in Kentucky’s tournament history. Oweh scored a career-high 35 points to send the 7-seed Wildcats to the next round. Oweh’s midcourt prayer that banked through the net at the buzzer sent the game into overtime and helped the Wildcats avoid the upset. Oweh fueled Kentucky’s offense and held off a balanced Santa Clara attack that was led by Elijah Mahi and Allen Graves. Graves thought he had the game winner with two seconds left. But Oweh made sure he and the Wildcats had the last word. — Ben Baby

GREENVILLE, S.C. — After nearly three weeks on the sideline with a foot injury, Duke big man Patrick Ngongba II could be back in the lineup for the Blue Devils’ second-round game against TCU on Saturday.

Duke coach Jon Scheyer said he’s “hopeful” Ngongba will play, although he said the sophomore still had some hurdles to clear during Friday’s practice and overnight recovery.

“He needs to practice,” Scheyer said. “He needs to just be on the floor and move the way that he needs to be successful. He’s been ramping up and doing a really good job. We just want to make sure he’s feeling right to play at a high level — not just to be out there, but to be him.”

Assuming Ngongba is fit to return, Scheyer said he is eager to get his center on the court as much as possible.

With Ngongba and guard Caleb Foster out with injuries the past few weeks, Duke has managed with a seven-man rotation, playing several key players — including Cameron Boozer — out of position to fill gaps. Ngongba, who is averaging 10.7 points, six rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game, would free Boozer to be less of a rim protector as Duke looks to advance to the Sweet 16.

Ngongba hasn’t played since March 2 against NC State.

“We want Pat to be out there as much as he can,” Scheyer said. “He’s a game changer for our team. He’s one of the most impactful players in the country. … I’m sure there will be some plays that he hasn’t played in a little while. I hate to call it rust, but I’m sure some things that he has to work through. But at the end of the day, he just changes the dynamic of our team where other guys aren’t playing out of position as much. We’re able to get a better rotation. And you have a guy who’s a big-time rim threat. His passing, his pick-and-roll defense, his rim protection, he does a lot for our team that changes the dynamic of who we are.”

“Again, we’ve done a great job of managing without him, stepping up. We have had seven really good players that have managed, but we need to become complete. That’s the thing that we want to do.

Getting back to something approaching full health is one key for the Blue Devils’ title run, but simply playing with the right energy and emotion is another, players said Friday after watching film of a narrow opening-round escape against 16-seed Siena.

Several Duke players lamented a lack of energy and a poor approach early in the game against the Saints — a game the Blue Devils trailed by 11 at the half.

That won’t happen again, Scheyer said.

“You have to go into this thing as the aggressors,” Scheyer said. “That’s why we’ve been really good and we’ve had the year that we’ve had. For us it’s all about getting back to ourselves, nothing other than doing what we’ve done, defending, rebounding, the whole thing. Our talk and energy, I can tell you it will be back tomorrow. I know these guys, and it will be back the way it needs to be.”