March Madness is a term used to describe the excitement for the upcoming NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball championship tournaments. These tournaments are single-elimination events that take place in March and early April. The tournament features 68 teams for men and women each that compete in several rounds to reach the final.
March Madness is one of the most popular sporting events in the United States known for its bracket contests where fans predict which team is going to win. The term captures the essence and unpredictability of the tournament that occurs every year and is an important part of the American sports culture. In this article, we will tell you all about the schedules and dates of both men’s and women’s tournaments.
March Madness 101: Schedule And Dates For Men’s Tournament
March Madness 2025 starts with the selection day, which is scheduled for 16 March and ends with the NCAA Championship game, which is set to take place on 7 April. Here is the full schedule of the tournament:
| Date | Day | Round |
| March 18 | Tuesday | First Four |
| March 19 | Wednesday | First Four |
| March 20 | Thursday | First round |
| March 21 | Friday | First round |
| March 22 | Saturday | Second round |
| March 23 | Sunday | Second round |
| March 27 | Thursday | Sweet 16 |
| March 28 | Friday | Sweet 16 |
| March 29 | Saturday | Elite Eight |
| March 30 | Sunday | Elite Eight |
| April 5 | Saturday | Final Four |
| April 7 | Monday | National Championship |
Now, let’s take a look at the game-by-game round fixture for the March Madness men’s tournaments.
| Date | Round | City | Venue |
| March 18 – 19 | First Four | Dayton, Ohio | UD Arena |
| March 20 – 22 | First/Second | Lexington, KY | Rupp Arena |
| March 20 – 22 | First/Second | Providence, RI | Amica Mutual Pavilion |
| March 20 – 22 | First/Second | Wichita, KS | Intrust Bank Arena |
| March 20 – 22 | First/Second | Denver, CO | Ball Arena |
| March 21 – 23 | First/Second | Seattle, WA | Climate Pledge Arena |
| March 21 – 23 | First/Second | Cleveland, OH | Rocket Arena |
| March 21 – 23 | First/Second | Milwaukee, WI | Fiserv Forum |
| March 21 – 23 | First/Second | Raleigh, NC | Lenovo Center |
| March 27 – 29 | East Regional | Newark, NJ | Prudential Center |
| March 27 – 29 | West Regional | San Francisco, CA | Chase Center |
| March 28 – 30 | South Regional | Atlanta, GA | State Farm Arena |
| March 28 – 30 | Midwest Regional | Indianapolis, IN | Lucas Oil Stadium |
March Madness 101: Schedule And Dates For Women’s Tournament
The NCAA Women’s tournament of the March Madness begins on 19 March with the first round. The final round will take place on 4 April 2025 in Florida. Below is the schedule for the women’s tournament.
| Date | Day | Round |
| March 19-20 | Wednesday-Thursday | First Four |
| March 21-22 | Friday-Saturday | Round of 64 |
| March 23-24 | Sunday-Monday | Round of 32 |
| March 28-29 | Friday-Saturday | Sweet 16 |
| March 30-31 | Sunday-Monday | Elite Eight |
| April 4 | Friday | Final Four |
| April 6 | Sunday | National Championship Game |
March Madness 101: Where To Watch
The men’s tournament will be live broadcast on ESPN and CBS. You can also stream it online on the ESPN app and Fubo.
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