When does March Madness start? Selection Sunday bracket reveal date, time, what to know
It's been over a week since the Super Bowl, ending the football season in the sports calendar.
Now, attention turns well and truly to March Madness.
College basketball is nearing an end to the regular season, with only a few short weeks before conference championships start, where teams can lock in a NCAA Tournament bid by winning their league's tournament.
It also serves as a last chance to bolster the resume before Selection Sunday, when the 68-team field is revealed.
Both men's and women's basketball tournaments will be filled with storylines, as UConn men's basketball looks for its third consecutive national championship (if the Huskies make it), with the South Carolina women aiming for their third national title in four seasons.
Here's everything to know about March Madness, including when it starts and other key dates:
When does March Madness start?
- Men's NCAA Tournament: Tuesday, March 18
- Women's NCAA Tournament: Wednesday, March 19
March Madness starts, well, in March, after conference tournaments end and the bracket is revealed on Selection Sunday.
Although, one could argue conference tournaments are as much a part of March Madness as the NCAA Tournament proper, with one-bid leagues, mid-major teams and power teams alike all looking to lock themselves into the 68-team bracket with a win in their conference tournaments.
The first games of the men's NCAA Tournament begin on Tuesday, March 18 with the First Four, as eight teams look to win their way into the tournament. The women's NCAA Tournament begins a day after, on Wednesday, March 19.
When is Selection Sunday?
- Date: Sunday, March 16
Both the men's and women's brackets will be revealed on Sunday, March 16, although both brackets don't start at the same time.
Fans will start vehemently filling out their brackets after Selection Sunday, which falls on Sunday, March 16, two days before the First Four kicks off the 2025 men's NCAA Tournament.
All 68 teams, including those that are in the First Four, will find out their spot in the four regions of the bracket, and what paths they must take to reach the Final Four, where the college basketball road ends.
Selection Sunday time
Here's what time the men's and women's NCAA tournament bracket will start being revealed:
- Men's tournament: 6 p.m. ET (CBS)
- Women's tournament: 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Full men's March Madness schedule
- Selection Sunday: 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: Saturday, April 5
- Championship: Monday, April 7
Full women's March Madness schedule
- Selection Sunday: 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: Friday, April 4
- Championship: Sunday, April 6