March is full of surprises! One day it's 70 degrees and sunny, the next there's snow on the ground. One minute you're thinking about spring brunch ideas, the next you're frantically Googling "how to fill out a March Madness bracket" so you don't embarrass yourself in the office pool. (And somehow, baseball season sneaks in there, too.) There's a lot going on!
But there's a reason March Madness is such a big deal across the country. It doesn't matter if you're a die-hard college basketball fan or you're just watching for the buzzer-beaters—the NCAA tournament has a way of pulling everyone in. Before you know it, you'll be cheering on a school you've never even heard of! (And at the very least, it makes for a great distraction from spring cleaning.)
The Drummond family knows a thing or two about March Madness, even if it's mostly from the comfort of the couch. (Ree once participated in a family basketball tournament and promptly decided she's a *much* better spectator.) Whether you're just in it for the game day food like Ree or you're cheering for your alma mater, there's plenty of fun ahead.
But first, you'll need to know when Selection Sunday happens, where the games will be played, and how to watch all the action. Lace up your dancing shoes, because we have every important detail ahead!
When is March Madness Selection Sunday 2025?
Before the madness officially begins, there's Selection Sunday. This is the day when the full bracket is revealed and basketball fans everywhere start making their picks. This year, it falls on Sunday, March 16, 2025. The men's tournament bracket will be announced at 6 p.m. EST on CBS, and the women's bracket will be revealed at 8 p.m. EST on ESPN. And then the countdown to tipoff, which comes two days later, really begins!
Here's the full men's NCAA tournament schedule for 2025:
- Selection Sunday: March 16
- First Four: March 18 - 19
- First Round: March 20 - 21
- Second Round: March 22 - 23
- Sweet 16: March 27 - 28
- Elite Eight: March 29 - 30
- Final Four: April 5
- NCAA Championship Game: April 7
And the women's NCAA tournament schedule:
- Selection Sunday: March 16
- First Four: March 19 - 20
- First Round: March 21 - 22
- Second Round: March 23 - 24
- Sweet 16: March 28 - 29
- Elite Eight: March 30 - 31
- Final Four: April 4
- NCAA Championship Game: April 6
Where is the NCAA basketball tournament 2025?
March Madness takes place in arenas all across the country, so there's a good chance a game is happening near you. Just in case you want to get off the couch and get in on the action, here's where each round will be hosted for the men's tournament:
First Four:
- UD Arena - Dayton, Ohio
First/Second Rounds:
- Chase Center - San Francisco, California
- Fiserv Forum - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Wells Fargo Center - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Dunkin' Donuts Center - Providence, Rhode Island
- PNC Arena - Raleigh, North Carolina
- CHI Health Center - Omaha, Nebraska
- Rupp Arena - Lexington, Kentucky
- Intrust Bank Arena - Wichita, Kansas
Sweet 16 and Elite Eight:
- East Regional: Madison Square Garden - New York, New York
- West Regional: Crypto.com Arena - Los Angeles, California
- South Regional: Toyota Center - Houston, Texas
- Midwest Regional: United Center - Chicago, Illinois
Final Four and National Championship:
- Alamodome - San Antonio, Texas
The women's tournament follows a slightly different structure: all of the early-round games take place on campuses before moving to regional sites. The Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games will be held in Birmingham, Alabama, and Spokane, Washington, with the Final Four happening in Tampa, Florida.
What is the First Four in the NCAA Tournament?
Before March Madness *really* gets started, there's a little warm-up round called the First Four. These play-in games decide the final four teams that make it into the official 64-team bracket. (If you love a Cinderella story, this is where it starts!)
Here's how it works:
- Two games feature the four lowest-seeded teams that earned at-large bids (meaning teams that didn't win their conference tournament but were still invited to the tournament based on their overall performance).
- Two games feature the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers, or teams that secured their spot by winning their conference tournament.
The winners officially earn their way to play in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
How to watch and stream March Madness
Now that you know when and where it's all going down, let's talk about how to actually watch the madness unfold.
For the men's tournament, you can watch March Madness on CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV, whether you use traditional cable or streaming services like YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and Sling TV. Paramount+ will also offer select games. And if you have an old-school digital antenna, your local CBS affiliate will show the games, too.
For the women's tournament, every game will air across the ESPN family of networks: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and ABC.
And that's everything you need to know! Now all that's left is filling out your bracket, planning your lineup of game day snacks, and—if you're like us—picking a favorite based on the most fun mascot. Let the games begin! 🏀
