When does March Madness start? Selection Sunday bracket reveal date for NCAA Tournament
For the last four months, men's and women's college basketball teams around the country have been working toward one shared goal and objective: Make it to March Madness and, ideally, go on a deep postseason run.
And in just a few weeks, they’ll find out whether all that work pays off.
But before Selection Sunday can arrive and fans begin filling out their brackets, the final weeks of both sports' regular season must finish out, followed by conference tournaments.
Some things to look out for on the men's side until then: Can UConn go on a late run and improve its chances of a three-peat? What type of Kansas team will arrive by March (and will their 24-year streak of being a 4 seed or high stay alive)? How many teams from the vaunted SEC will make the tournament, and how many can go on deep runs?
On the women's side, will South Carolina, led by Dawn Staley, become the first repeat champions since UConn won three straight from 2013-2016? Will Hannah Hidalgo lead Notre Dame to its first national championship title since 2018? Or will UConn continue its late-season peak and finally get over the hump in March with Paige Bueckers?
With that, here's what you need to know about the key dates to watch out for regarding the 2025 March Madness tournaments, including where the men's and women's basketball tournaments will be held and more:
When does March Madness start?
- Men's March Madness start date: Tuesday, March 18 (First Four)
- Women's March Madness start date: Wednesday, March 19 (First Four)
While both the men's and women's tournaments officially begin with unveiling of the field of 68, that technically isn't when both tournaments begin.
The men's tournament will officially get started on Tuesday, March 18 with the first set of First Four games in Dayton, Ohio. The women's tournament will officially get started on Wednesday, March 19 with the first set of First Four games.
The first round will begin for the men on Thursday, March 20 and Friday, March 21 for the women.
When is Selection Sunday 2025?
- Selection Sunday date: Sunday, March 16
Selection Sunday will take place on the same day of Sunday, March 16 for both the men's and women's tournaments.
Selection Sunday time
As previously noted by Paste BN, here are the times that the full men's and women's NCAA tournament bracket will be announced:
- Men's March Madness tournament: 6 p.m. ET (CBS)
- Women's March Madness tournament: 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Full men's March Madness schedule 2025
- Start date: Tuesday, March 18 (First Four)
- End date: Monday, April 7 (national championship)
The 2025 NCAA Tournament begins on Tuesday, March 18 in Dayton, Ohio at UD Arena with the First Four. The first set of first-round games begin two days later on Thursday, March 20.
The national championship game will take place on Monday, April 7 inside the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Here is the full schedule breakdown for the 2024 NCAA Tournament:
- First Four: Tuesday, March 18 through Wednesday, March 19
- First round: Thursday, March 20 through Friday, March 21
- Second round: Saturday, March 22 through Sunday, March 23
- Sweet 16: Thursday, March 27 through Friday, March 28
- Elite Eight: Saturday, March 29 through Sunday, March 30
- Final Four: Saturday, April 5
- National Championship: Monday, April 7
Men's March Madness site locations
Here is a full breakdown of which sites and locations will host the men's NCAA Tournament this year:
- First Four:
- UD Arena (Dayton, Ohio)
- Rounds 1-2:
- Rupp Arena (Lexington, Ky.)
- Amica Mutual Pavilion (Providence, R.I.)
- Climate Pledge Arena (Seattle)
- Intrust Bank Arena (Wichita, Kan.)
- Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse (Cleveland)
- Ball Arena (Denver)
- Fiserv Forum (Milwaukee)
- PNC Arena (Raleigh, N.C.)
- Sweet 16, Elite 8:
- East Regional: Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.)
- South Regional: State Farm Arena (Atlanta)
- Midwest Regional: Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)
- West Regional: Chase Center (San Francisco)
- Final Four, national championship:
- Alamodome (San Antonio)
Full women's March madness schedule
- Start date: Wednesday, March 19 (First Four)
- End date: Sunday, April 6
The 2025 NCAA Women's Tournament begins on Wednesday, March 19 with the first set of First Four games. The first set of first-round games begin two days later on Friday, March 21.
The Final Four this year will be in Tampa, Florida at Amalie Arena, the home of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The national championship game will take place on Sunday, April 6.
Here is the full schedule breakdown for the 2024 NCAA Tournament:
- First Four: Wednesday, March 19 through Thursday, March 20
- Round of 64: Friday, March 21 through Saturday, March 22
- Round of 32: Sunday, March 23 through Monday, March 24
- Sweet 16: Friday, March 28 through Saturday, March 29
- Elite Eight: Sunday, March 30 through Monday, March 31
- Final Four: Friday, April 4
- National Championship: Sunday, April 6
Women's March Madness site locations
Here's a full breakdown of which sites and locations will host the women's NCAA Tournament this year:
- First Four:
- Later determined first/second round on-campus sites
- First-Second Round:
- Later determined first/second round on-campus sites
- Sweet 16, Elite 8:
- Birmingham Regional: Legacy Arena (Birmingham, Ala.)
- Spokane Regional: Spokane Arena (Spokane, Wash.)
- Final Four, national championship:
- Amalie Arena (Tampa, Fla.)