Can North Carolina Tar Heels do enough to make March Madness?
USA TODAY Sports’ Jordan Mendoza breaks down some notable teams on the March Madness bubble including North Carolina, Arkansas and San Diego State.
Sports Pulse
We’re closing in on one of the greatest playoffs in American sports: the men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments, better known as March Madness.
March Madness gathers 68 men’s and women’s teams for single-elimination stakes, with only six games separating each team from eternal glory. The breakout stars, the Cinderella stories, the potential to witness the first-ever perfect bracket, all of it combines to make a mouth-watering format that keeps fans on the edge of their seats.
So, when does the tournament start? Here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 March Madness tournament.
What is Selection Sunday?
Selection Sunday is when college basketball fans learn which men’s and women’s NCAA Division I teams earn the right to compete for a national title in the highly-coveted March Madness tournament.
When is Selection Sunday?
Selection Sunday for both the men’s and women’s bracket is slated for March 16, according to the NCAA. The announcement comes two days before the start of the men’s tournament and three days before the women’s.
Men’s full 2025 March Madness schedule
- Selection Sunday: Sunday, March 16.
- First Four: March 18-19.
- First round: March 20-21.
- Second round: March 22-23.
- Sweet 16: March 27-28.
- Elite Eight: March 29-20.
- Final Four: April 5.
- NCAA championship game: April 7.
Where will the men’s tournament games be played?
- First Four games will be held at the University of Dayton’s arena in Dayton, Ohio.
- First- and second-round games will be held in Lexington, Kentucky; Providence, Rhode Island; Wichita, Kansas; Denver; Seattle; Cleveland; Milwaukee and Raleigh, North Carolina.
- Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games will be played in Atlanta, Indianapolis, San Francisco and Newark, New Jersey.
- Both the Final Four and championship games will be held at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
Women’s full 2025 March Madness schedule
- Selection Sunday: Sunday, March 16.
- 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: April 4.
- NCAA championship game: April 6.
Where will the women’s tournament games be played?
- First Four, first-round and second-round games will be played at on-campus sites to be determined.
- The Sweet 16 and Elite Eight contests will be held in two locations: Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, and Spokane Arena in Spokane, Washington.
- The Final Four and championship games for the women’s tournaments will be held at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
