As the calendar flips to March, all college basketball fans can think of is the madness beginning. Sooner rather than later, the best tournament in all of sports, March Madness, is going to get underway, and a national champion is going to be revealed.
With that in mind, let's dive into everything you need to know, from when it starts to where games are played to the ins and outs of how the tournament works.
When does March Madness begin?
Selection Sunday marks the unofficial beginning of March Madness, when we find out where teams are seeded. This takes place on Sunday, March 15. As is the case every year, March Madness officially begins with the First Four, which takes place in Dayton, Ohio. The First Four takes place on Tuesday, March 17, and the results of that mini tournament will solidify the full-on 64-team bracket.
The first-round games of the actual tournament that everyone pays attention to will get going two days later on Thursday, March 19.
March Madness schedule and key dates
Round | Dates |
|---|---|
Conference Championships | Saturday, March 7 - Sunday, March 15 |
Selection Sunday | Sunday, March 15 |
First Four | Tuesday, March 17 - Wednesday, March 18 |
Round of 64 | Thursday, March 19 - Friday, March 20 |
Round of 32 | Saturday, March 21 - Sunday, March 22 |
Sweet 16 | Thursday, March 26 - Friday, March 27 |
Elite Eight | Saturday, March 28 - Sunday, March 29 |
Final Four | Saturday, April 4 |
National Championship Game | Monday, April 6 |
Before Selection Sunday can commence, conference tournaments are played. The champions from these tournaments can mean a lot, from improved seeding to earning bids to participate in the Round of 64. The conference championship games take place starting on March 2 and ending on the day of Selection Sunday.
What's particularly interesting about the dates of the tournament is that it's called March Madness, yet the Round of 64 doesn't even begin until the middle of the month, and the National Title game is in April. Regardless of the finer details, this three-week sprint is as good as it gets entertainment-wise.
March Madness locations
Round | Venue | Location | Date(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
First Four | UD Arena | Dayton, Ohio | March 17-18 |
Round of 64, Round of 32 | KeyBank Center | Buffalo, New York | March 19 & March 21 |
Round of 64, Round of 32 | Bon Secours Wellness Arena | Greenville, South Carolina | March 19 & March 21 |
Round of 64, Round of 32 | Paycom Center | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | March 19 & March 21 |
Round of 64, Round of 32 | Moda Center | Portland, Oregon | March 19 & March 21 |
Round of 64, Round of 32 | Benchmark International Arena | Tampa, Florida | March 20 & March 22 |
Round of 64, Round of 32 | Xfinity Mobile Arena | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | March 20 & March 22 |
Round of 64, Round of 32 | Viejas Arena | San Diego, California | March 20 & March 22 |
Round of 64, Round of 32 | Enterprise Center | St. Louis, Missouri | March 20 & March 22 |
Sweet 16, Elite Eight | Toyota Center | Houston, Texas | March 26 & March 28 |
Sweet 16, Elite Eight | SAP Center | San Jose, California | March 26 & March 28 |
Sweet 16, Elite Eight | United Center | Chicago, Illinois | March 26 & March 28 |
Sweet 16, Elite Eight | Capital One Arena | Washington D.C. | March 26 & March 28 |
Final Four, National Championship | Lucas Oil Stadium | Indianapolis, Indiana | April 4 & April 6 |
There are a ton of notable Arenas playing host to March Madness, including Paycom Center (home of the OKC Thunder), United Center (home of the Chicago Bulls) and even Lucas Oil Stadium, a venue known more for hosting the Indianapolis Colts. While location doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things, having historic venues play host only makes the game experience more fun to watch and attend.
How does March Madness work?
As you might expect, a lot goes into putting together a 64-team bracket. From bids to seeding, here's everything you need to know about how the bracket is constructed.
How bids work: Automatic vs. at-large
Automatic bids are rather easy to understand. There are 31 Division I conferences, and the winner of each Conference Tournament automatically gets a spot in the 68-team field. Regular season record does not matter at that point.
At-large bids are a bit tougher to get, as it's the only way a non-conference champion can punch its ticket into the tournament. The Selection Committee meets and decides which teams of the non-champions have the best overall resumes. The best of the bunch in their eyes will make the tournament.
How the Selection Committee works
The Selection Committee is a 12-member group consisting of school and conference administrators. They're responsible not only for choosing the at-large teams, but they have to figure out seeding as well. The members of the committee serve five-year terms.
How NCAA tournament seeds work
While the 31 Conference Championship teams automatically make the field, that's all they're guaranteed. It certainly helps to win a Conference Title, but some winners can, and historically do, get placed as No. 16 seeds.
The Selection Committee determines the seeding, and essentially ranks the teams from best to worst. The four best teams are given No. 1 seeds. The next four-best are given No. 2 seeds. At that point, Conference Championships don't mean much, and the overall resume takes precedent.