March Madness games today: Time, TV schedule, predictions for 2025 First Four bracket
Here's the March Madness schedule for college basketball games today in Dayton, Ohio, as part of the men's NCAA Tournament First Four bracket.
Let March Madness begin.
The 2025 NCAA Tournament is here and the first men's basketball games of this year's event are slated for Tuesday with the start of the First Four at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio. Alabama State and St. Francis get the action started in a matchup for the No. 16 seed in the South region and the chance to face No. 1 seed Auburn. They'll be followed by North Carolina and San Diego State in a battle for the South region No. 11 seed.
The Tar Heels have been perhaps the most-talked about team since Selection Sunday after their inclusion over other bubble teams was met with criticism about the NCAA Tournament selection committee's rationale. But they are favored over San Diego State of the Mountain West Conference, as is Alabama State over St. Francis.
Here's what to know ahead of Tuesday's First Four games to start the 2025 NCAA Tournament, including the schedule, how to watch and expert predictions:
March Madness 2025 games today: NCAA Tournament First Four schedule
All times Eastern
Tuesday, March 18
- No. 16 Alabama State vs. No. 16 Saint Francis, 6:40 p.m.
- No. 11 North Carolina vs. No. 11 San Diego State, 9:10 p.m.
Wednesday, March 19
- No. 16 American vs. No. 16 Mount St. Mary's, 6:40 p.m.
- No. 11 Texas vs. No. 11 Xavier, 9:10 p.m.
March Madness 2025: North Carolina vs. San Diego State predictions
Fayetteville Observer: UNC 75, San Diego State 69
"Following their late-game struggles in a loss to Duke, UNC will grow from that experience to start the Big Dance with a big win. The Aztecs are elite defensively, but they won't quite score enough to keep up with UNC."
ESPN: UNC has 67% chance to beat San Diego State
ESPN's matchup predictor gave the Tar Heels a 67% chance to win their First Four game against San Diego State, as of Monday afternoon.
VSiN: UNC 73, San Diego State 70
"This matchup in Dayton will be a pace war. If the Tar Heels can avoid turnovers and hit enough shots, they should advance. However, San Diego State’s defense is tough to crack, and if the Aztecs can slow the game down and capitalize on UNC’s defensive weaknesses, they could pull off the win."
NBC Sports: Bet on North Carolina
"UNC closed the season strong with just two losses to Duke (including the ACC semifinals) in their last 10 games. They won those eight games by an average of 17 points. The Heels’ offense is clicking averaging 83 points per game in those final ten games."
NCAA Tournament 2025: Alabama State vs. St. Francis predictions
Sports Illustrated: Take Alabama State
"While Alabama State’s shooting leaves some to be desired, Saint Francis will struggle to handle the ball against the pressure the Hornets deploy, ranking inside the top 100 in turnover percentage. In what will likely be an inefficient shooting matchup ... count on who dictates possession, and that's Alabama State."
Arizona Republic: Alabama State 71, St. Francis 69
"Alabama State was just 19-15 in the regular season, but it got hot at the right time, winning six straight games and the SWAC Tournament. SFU also is on a six-game win streak and is 16-17 overall. This could be a very intriguing first game of the tournament."
ESPN: Alabama State has 58.4% chance to beat St. Francis
ESPN's matchup predictor gave Alabama State a 58.4% chance to win their First Four game againstSt. Francis, as of Monday afternoon.
March Madness 2025: How to watch NCAA Tournament First Four
Every First Four game at University of Dayton's UD Arena during the 2025 NCAA Tournament will be broadcast nationally on truTV via doubleheaders on Tuesday and Wednesday. The first game involving No. 16 seeds is scheduled to tip off at 6:40 p.m. ET each night, with a game involving No. 11 seeds to follow at approximately 9:10 p.m. ET. All games are also available to stream via Sling TV.
- Date: March 18-19
- Time: 6:40 and 9:10 p.m. ET
- Location: UD Arena (Dayton, Ohio)
- TV: truTV
- Streaming: Sling TV
Watch First Four games with Sling TV
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Paste BN Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.