How to live stream Penn vs Illinois: March Madness, TV channel

Penn faces Illinois in a Round of 64 matchup during the 2026 NCAA Tournament on Thursday as March Madness officially gets underway.

MORE: Predicting upsets in March Madness 2026

How to Watch Penn vs Illinois

Date: Thursday, March 19, 2026
Time: 9:25 PM ET
TV Channel: TNT

The NCAA Tournament tips off with 68 teams chasing college basketball’s biggest prize, setting the stage for three weeks of upsets, buzzer-beaters, and dramatic finishes. As all the top teams in the nation have their eyes set on a national championship, the tournament once again promises the chaos and excitement that make March Madness one of the most thrilling events in sports.

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The No. 14‑seed Penn Quakers (18–11), Ivy League tournament champions who earned their NCAA Tournament berth by winning the Ivy League title in March, face a significant challenge in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament’s East Region. Penn finished the 2025‑26 season with an 18–11 record and captured the conference’s automatic bid under first‑year head coach Fran McCaffery.

They meet the No. 3‑seed Illinois Fighting Illini (24–8, 15–5 Big Ten), who finished fourth in the Big Ten Conference and secured a high seed in the tournament after a strong overall season. The Illini, led by head coach Brad Underwood, bring NCAA Tournament experience and Big Ten success into this first‑round matchup against the underdog Quakers.

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Fans can watch every moment of the NCAA Tournament through DIRECTV.

Games throughout the tournament are broadcast on CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV, with DIRECTV packages providing access to all four networks, so viewers can stream every round live.

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