College basketball might just be turning into college football bowl season. Not only is there the NCAA Tournament and the NIT, now there’s a new tournament taking place for the ultimate March Madness experience in the College Basketball Crown.
While it’s only in its first year, it's the perfect way for college basketball fans to spend all day and now all week watching postseason basketball. The NCAA Tournament plays Thursday-Sunday the first two weekends and then the Final Four is on a Saturday then the national championship the following Monday.
The new College Basketball Crown, which featured a 16-team tournament, will fill in the gaps between the NCAA Tournament rounds. Here’s everything you need to know about the new postseason tournament.
The field is set. Two weeks from today it all goes down in Vegas. 16 teams. 1 crown. Tickets available via @vividseats now - https://t.co/VjK7Uctf7B pic.twitter.com/5sxdVoFdk7
— College Basketball Crown (@CBBCrown) March 17, 2025
College Basketball Crown schedule and key dates
The College Basketball Crown tips off on Monday, March 31 with the championship game being played on Sunday, April 6. All the games will be played in Las Vegas with the championship game at T-Mobile Arena.
Round | Dates | Venue |
|---|---|---|
First Round | March 31-April 1 | MGM Grand Arena |
Second Round | April 2-3 | MGM Grand Arena |
Semifinals | April 5 | T-Mobile Arena |
Championship | April 6 | T-Mobile Arena |
Teams participating in the inaugural College Basketball Crown
Here are the teams selected to compete in the inaugural College Basketball Crown:
Big 12
- Arizona State Sun Devils
- Cincinnati Bearcats
- Colorado Buffaloes
- Utah Utes
- UCF Black Knights
Big Ten
- Nebraska Cornhuskers
- USC Trojans
Big East
- Butler Bulldogs
- DePaul Blue Demons
- Georgetown Hoyas
- Villanova Wildcats
At-large bids
- Boise State Broncos
- George Washington Revolutionaries
- Oregon State Beavers
- Tulane Green Wave
- Washington State Cougars
College Basketball Crown structure and selection process
The College Basketball Crown features a 16-team, single elimination playoff format. Teams will play in bracket-style play from the first round with the winners advancing and the losers knocked out.
Like the NCAA Tournament, there’s a selection committee that chooses the teams to participate in the College Basketball Crown. Teams will hail from the Big Ten, Big East and the Big 12, with each conference getting two automatic bids. The rest of the field is selected by at-large bids.
College Basketball Crown teams to watch
Boise State might be the best team in the field. They were a bubble team and were probably snubbed from the NCAA Tournament altogether. They are my early favorite to win the inaugural College Basketball Crown.
I think the other top team to watch is Cincinnati. They struggled mightily in the Big 12 this year. They were considered a bubble team by Joe Lunardi toward the end of the season but ultimately failed to string together enough wins in the Big 12 tournament for any further consideration.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see them duke it out for the first College Basketball Crown championship.
How to watch the College Basketball Crown live
The College Basketball Crown will be televised exclusively on FOX, FS1 and the FOX sports app this spring.
The first two rounds of the College Basketball Crown will be aired on FS1 and the FOX Sports app. The two semifinal games will air on FOX on April 5 with the first game tipping off at 1:30 p.m. ET, the second game is at 4 p.m. ET. The championship game will be on April 6 on FOX at 5:30 p.m., ET.