March Madnesshas finally begun. The field of 68 was determined by the selection committee on Sunday, and while some of its choicesinvited controversy, the show must go on.March Madnesshas finally begun. The field of 68 was determined by the selection committee on Sunday, and while some of its choicesinvited controversy, the show must go on.
The bracket was then whittled down to 64 teams after the First Four on Tuesday and Wednesday with Alabama State, North Carolina, Mount St. Mary's and Xavier advancing to the first round.
The opening day of the first round was packed with upsets, including No. 12 McNeese beating No. 5 Clemson. No. 11 Drake also took down sixth-seeded Missouri,
What TV networks will broadcast March Madness games?
Four different networks are carrying March Madness games in 2025. During the first round of the tournament, TruTV, CBS, TNT and TBS will carry various games. TruTV is channel 246 on DirecTV. It's listed as channel 242 on Dish. It varies on other providers.
Game times and TV networks have not been announced for the second round, Sweet 16 or Elite Eight at this time. Both Final Four games and the national championship will air on CBS.
March Madness begins March 18 with the First Four and ends April 7 with the national championship. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
March Madness 2025 full schedule, TV networks
Once the final 64 teams are set, the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament can begin. Below is a full schedule of each tournament game, including start times and TV networks for each matchup. All times are Eastern.
Tuesday, March 18 (First Four)
No. 16 Alabama State 70, No. 16 St. Francis 68
No. 11 North Carolina 95, No. 11 San Diego State 68
12:15 p.m.: No. 9 Baylor vs. No. 8 Mississippi State (CBS)
12:40 p.m.: No. 15 Robert Morris vs. No. 2 Alabama (TruTV)
1:30 p.m.: No. 14 Lipscomb vs. No. 3 Iowa State (TNT)
2 p.m.: No. 12 Colorado State vs. No. 5 Memphis (TBS)
2:50 p.m.: No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s or American vs. No. 1 Duke (CBS)
3:15 p.m.: No. 10 Vanderbilt vs. No. 7 St. Mary’s (TruTV)
4:05 p.m.: No. 11 North Carolina or San Diego State vs. No. 6 Ole Miss (TNT)
4:35 p.m.: No. 13 Grand Canyon vs. No. 4 Maryland (TBS)
6:50 p.m.: No. 16 Norfolk State vs. No. 1 Florida (TNT)
7:10 p.m.: No. 14 Troy vs. No. 3 Kentucky (CBS)
7:25 p.m.: No. 10 New Mexico vs. No. 7 Marquette (TBS)
7:35 p.m.: No. 13 Akron vs. No. 4 Arizona (TruTV)
9:25 p.m.: No. 9 Oklahoma vs. No. 8 UConn (TNT)
9:45 p.m.: No. 11 Texas or Xavier vs. No. 6 Illinois (TNT)
10 p.m.: No. 15 Bryant vs. No. 2 Michigan State (TBS)
10:10 p.m.: No. 12 Liberty vs. No. 5 Oregon (TruTV)
2025 March Madness
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Saturday, March 22 (Second Round)
Game times and TV networks have not been announced at this time
Sunday, March 23 (Second Round)
Game times and TV networks have not been announced at this time
Thursday, March 27 (Sweet 16)
Game times and TV networks have not been announced at this time
Friday, March 28 (Sweet 16)
Game times and TV networks have not been announced at this time
Saturday, March 29 (Elite Eight)
Game times and TV networks have not been announced at this time
Sunday, March 30 (Elite Eight)
Game times and TV networks have not been announced at this time
It’s officially March Madness time. After the First Four games on Tuesday and Wednesday, the first full day of the NCAA tournament kicks off on Thursday with 16 men’s games spread out over 12 hours. Creighton and Louisville get things started in the first game of the day, while Texas Tech and UNC Wilmington will wrap up the opening day of action late tonight.
Here’s how Thursday’s schedule will unfold (all times Eastern, scroll for live updates).
Thursday's schedule of games
12:15 p.m.: No. 9 Creighton vs. No. 8 Louisville (CBS)
12:40 p.m.: No. 13 High Point vs. No. 4 Purdue (TruTV)
1:30 p.m.: No. 14 Montana vs. No. 3 Wisconsin (TNT)
The Badgers took an early lead on Montana in Denver, but the Grizzlies aren't backing down. We're nearing the midway point in the first half now and it's a one-possession game.
"We're playin' ball in Denver" 🏀
Montana (14) vs Wisconsin (3) is tipped as the Badgers get right to work!
No. 13 seed High Point was able to hang with No. 4 Purdue for a bit, but the Boilermakers have been relentless on the glass, with 28 rebounds to the Panthers' 12 (including 12-2 Purdue offensively). Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn lead Purdue with 10 points each, while D'Maurian Williams leads High Point with 7 points off the bench.
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 20, 2025
Jeff Eisenberg
UC San Diego borrows from Ohio State, crosses out 'M's before facing Michigan
UC San Diego fans are borrowing a tradition from Ohio State.
They're covering up or crossing out 'Ms' on signs across campus ahead of the Tritons' first-round NCAA tournament matchup against Michigan on Thursday night.
UC San Diego fans are crossing out 'Ms' on campus in advance of the Tritons' first-round NCAA tournament matchup against Michigan on Thursday night.
The above photo is one of a handful from a Reddit/UCSD thread posted earlier this week. Twelfth-seeded UC San Diego is making its NCAA tournament debut in its first year of postseason eligibility after transitioning from Division II.
Credit UC San Diego students for the show of school spirit, but the Tritons should know this tradition has not worked out well for Ohio State football fans in recent years. The Wolverines have defeated the Buckeyes four straight times, including a stunning 13-10 upset last November.
Wisconsin-Montana now underway
Meanwhile, No. 3 Wisconsin and No. 14 Montana has tipped. The Badgers are 16.5-point favorites in the East region first-round matchup after losing in the Big Ten title game on Sunday.
