As March Madness 2025 is just around the corner following the release of the NCAA men’s tournament bracket, familiarise yourself with the dates, times and TV channels here.
The end of the college basketball regular season is here and both the men’s and women’s teams will feature in respective 68-team tournaments to crown the NCAA champions.
The tournament is single-elimination across seven rounds and it’s famous for its up-and-down nature with frequent upsets and incredible underdog stories.
The ‘first four’ play-in games narrows the field down to 64 where four regional tournaments of 16 teams each will battle it out before the regional winners advance to the ‘final four.’
As per the best online sportsbooks, Duke is the outright favorite on the men’s side and the women’s favorite is South Carolina.
How To Watch March Madness 2025: TV Channels
CBS is the main TV operator to keep an eye on during March Madness as they will televise 24 games during the tournament, most notably the Final Four, Elite Eight and Sweet 16.
TBS will show 18 games including some of the Elite Eight and Sweet 16, alongside truTV who have 12 games alongside TNT with 12.
The most affordable option of watching March Madness is to buy monthly subscriptions for Max and Paramount Plus which totals at around $23 to cover every game.
When Does March Madness Start?
The first four of the men’s tournament begins on Tuesday, March 18 at the University of Dayton in Ohio.
The women’s tournament kicks off on Wednesday, March 19 with on-campus sites still to be determined.
Men’s March Madness Schedule 2025
- 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: April 5 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas
- NCAA championship game: April 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas
Women’s March Madness Schedule 2025
- First Four: March 19-20
- First round: March 21-22
- Second round: March 23-24
- Sweet 16: March 28-29
- Elite Eight: March 30-31
- Final Four: Friday, April 4, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida
- NCAA championship game: Sunday, April 6, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida
