2025 March Madness Schedule: Dates, locations, channels, how to watch

The 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament tips off with the First Four games on March 18-19 at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio.

Below are the dates and locations for March Madness, which will end with the championship game at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on April 7.

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 (Alamodome in San Antonio, TX)
NCAA championship game: Monday, April 7 (Alamodome in San Antonio, TX)

Creighton Bluejays vs. St. John’s Red Storm Big East Tournament Highlights | FOX College Hoops

Here is the bracket breakdown of the schedule for each game, including the TV channel (all times Eastern):

First Four

Tuesday, March 18

(16) St. Francis vs. (16) Alabama State – 6:40 p.m. (TruTV)
(11) North Carolina vs. (11) San Diego State – 9:10 p.m. (TruTV)

Wednesday, March 19

(16) Mount St. Mary’s vs. (16) American – 6:40 p.m. (TruTV)
(11) Xavier vs. (11) Texas – 9:10 p.m. (TruTV)

Round of 64

Thursday, March 20

Friday, March 21

March Madness Locations and Sites

First Four

First Round (Round of 64)

Rupp Arena – Lexington
Amica Mutual Pavilion – Providence
Intrust Bank Arena – Wichita
Ball Arena – Denver
Climate Pledge Arena – Seattle
Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse – Cleveland
Fiserv Forum – Milwaukee
PNC Arena – Raleigh

Second Round (Round of 32)

Rupp Arena – Lexington
Amica Mutual Pavilion – Providence
Intrust Bank Arena – Wichita
Ball Arena – Denver
Climate Pledge Arena – Seattle
Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse – Cleveland
Fiserv Forum – Milwaukee
PNC Arena – Raleigh

Sweet 16

Prudential Center – Newark
Chase Center – San Francisco
State Farm Arena – Atlanta
Lucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis

Elite Eight

Prudential Center – Newark
Chase Center – San Francisco
State Farm Arena – Atlanta
Lucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis

Final Four and National Championship

How to watch March Madness 2025

When is Selection Sunday?

March Madness coverage begins with Selection Sunday on March 16 at 6 p.m. ET on CBS.

When does March Madness start?

The NCAA tournament begins with the First Four on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.

What channel is March Madness on?

March Madness will be broadcast across four cable networks: CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. It will also be streamed on Paramount+.

How can I stream March Madness?

March Madness is available for streaming on Paramount+ and can also be accessed on any streaming service with access to CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV, like YouTube TV, Sling TV and Hulu + Live TV.

How can I watch March Madness for free?

Many March Madness games will be broadcast on local CBS affiliates. If you have a digital antenna, you can catch the games without any subscription to cable or streaming services.

For information about the 2025 Women’s NCAA Tournament, check out our Women’s March Madness guide.