When does March Madness begin? Men’s NCAA basketball tournament schedule, dates to know

The most highly anticipated part of the college basketball season is upon us with the NCAA men’s basketball tournament roughly two weeks away from tipping off.

This week marks the final week of the regular season before conference tournaments start to determine which programs will automatically be entered into the 68-team field by winning their conference championship, and if those on the bubble can show enough to the committee to qualify for the Big Dance.

Will Rutgers basketball make the Big Ten Tournament?

Rutgers likely needs one more win in their final two games against either No. 20 Purdue on the road Tuesday night or in their home finale against Minnesota on Sunday afternoon to solidify their spot in the new 15-team Big Ten Tournament next week at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Here’s what you need to know about Selection Sunday and the key dates and venues for this year’s men’s basketball NCAA tournament.

When is Selection Sunday?

The annual Selection Sunday show will air March 16 at 6 p.m. on CBS, with each team knowing by the end of the night the who, when and where they’ll be playing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Watch the NCAA Basketball Tournament live on Fubo

NCAA men’s basketball tournament schedule, venues

Following Selection Sunday, it’s a one-day break on St. Patrick’s Day (Monday, March 17) before the tournament is officially underway with the annual First Four games taking place in Dayton, Ohio on Tuesday, March 18.

This year, the NCAA Tournament will notably make a trip to New Jersey for the East Regional semifinals (Sweet 16) and finals (Elite Eight) on Thursday, March 27 and Saturday, March 29 at Prudential Center in Newark.

Here are all the key dates and venues for this year’s NCAA tournament:

NCAA First Four games: March 18-19

• University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio

March 20: First Round

• Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky
• Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island
• Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas
• Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado

March 21: First Round

• Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington
• Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio
• Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina

March 22: Second Round

• Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky
• Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island
• Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas
• Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado

March 23: Second Round

• Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington
• Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio
• Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina

March 27: Sweet 16 (Regional Semifinals)

• East: Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey
• West: Chase Center in San Francisco, California

March 28: Sweet 16 (Regional Semifinals)

• South: State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia
• Midwest: Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana

March 29: Elite Eight (Regional Finals)

• East: Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey
• West: Chase Center in San Francisco, California

March 30: Elite Eight (Regional Finals)

• South: State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia
• Midwest: Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana

April 5: Final Four (Semifinals)

• Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas

April 7: National Championship

• Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas

When and where is 2025 Final Four?

The Final Four takes place at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, beginning Saturday, April 5.

This is the fifth time the Final Four will be played in the Alamodome, with the most recent one coming in 2018 when Villanova won its second title in three seasons with a 79-62 victory over Michigan in the national championship game.

One of the major storylines that year was Loyola-Chicago, which made a Cinderella run all the way to the Final Four, winning its first three tournament games by two or fewer points as a No. 11 seed before falling to the Wolverines, 69-57, in the Final Four.

NCAA National Championship game info

The winner-take-all game will be decided in the Alamodome on Monday, April 7.

UConn, which is the reigning, back-to-back national champions led by New Jersey’s own in head coach Dan Hurley, are aiming to become the first team to win three consecutive titles since the historic UCLA Bruins dynasty in the late 1960s to mid 1970s when coach John Wooden led the program to 10 titles, including seven straight from 1967-73.

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