How to watch March Madness First Four: Schedule, TV channel, live stream
A bracket has been made, so let the tournament begin.
And as the case has been since 2011, the men's NCAA Tournament will get started with the ever-so-popular (and perhaps a bit crazy) First Four in Dayton, Ohio at UD Arena on the campus of the University of Dayton.
Watch the First Four of the NCAA Tournament live with Sling TV
The First Four provides its own distinctness to the overarching March Madness: It takes place on a college campus and is composed of the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams fighting for a spot in the Big Dance.
The First Four has created some madness and legendary storylines over the years, most notably with VCU and UCLA both going from the First Four to the Final Four in 2011 and 2021, respectively. Elsewhere, other teams have gone from winning their First Four game to beating a No. 1 seed (such as Fairleigh Dickinson over Purdue in the first round of the 2023 tournament).
Here's what you need to know on how to watch the First Four of the men's NCAA Tournament, including tip off time information and more:
What channel is the First Four on?
- TV channel: truTV
- Streaming option: March Madness Live | Sling TV
TruTV will broadcast both nights of the First Four of the 2025 men's NCAA Tournament. Streaming options for the First Four games include the March Madness Live app (with a TV login) and Sling TV.
Spero Dedes (play-by-play), Jim Spanarkel (analyst) and Jon Rothstein (sideline reporter) will have the call of all four First Four games at UD Arena on truTV.
When is the First Four? Schedule, dates for March Madness
- Dates: Tuesday, March 18 through Wednesday, March 19
Here's a full breakdown of tip off times and dates for the First Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, coverage of which will begin at 6 p.m. ET:
Tuesday, March 18
- Time: Game 1: TBD * | Game 2: TBD *
- TV channel: truTV
- Live stream: March Madness Live App, Sling TV
Wednesday, March 19
- Time: Game 1: TBD * | Game 2: TBD *
- TV channel: truTV
- Live stream: March Madness Live App, Sling TV
* Tip-off times will be added once announced
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