It’s officially basketball fans’ favorite time of year: The NCAA Tournament, better known as March Madness.
The high-stakes event kicks off with Selection Sunday, and the first game follows a couple days after. Whether you’re a longtime college basketball fan or just want to learn more about what March Madness entails, here’s what to know as the tournament begins.
March Madness is an annual, single-elimination men’s and women’s basketball tournament in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) Division I schools. A total of 68 teams qualify for the tournament, but the bracket format requires starting with 64 teams. The First Four is a preliminary round in which eight of the lowest-seeded teams compete to participate in March Madness.
The remaining rounds include:
The March Madness tournament begins with Selection Sunday, which is on March 15. Each year before March Madness games begin, a 10-member Selection Committee votes on which schools will be invited to participate. After the 68 teams are selected, the committee seeds them from No. 1 to No. 16 within each region. A No. 1 seed represents the strongest team in that region, while No. 16 seed represents the lowest seed.
Men’s basketball schedule
Women’s basketball schedule
The NCAA will publish the March Madness brackets at the end of Selection Sunday on March 15. The men’s bracket will be released at 5 p.m. CDT, and the women’s bracket will be released at 7 p.m. CDT.
CBS will air the Selection Sunday Show at 5 p.m. CDT to reveal the men’s bracket, and the NCAA Women’s Selection Special will air at 7 p.m. CDT on ESPN.