When does March Madness Start? Full schedule for First Four, Round 1 games in 2024 NCAA Tournament
Who is ready for some March Madness?
The full 68-team bracket is set and if Selection Sunday's reveal of it showed anything, this year's NCAA Tournament has the potential to be one of the best in recent years.
MORE: Watch select NCAA Tournament games with Sling TV
Reigning national champions UConn edged out Purdue and Houston for the No. 1 overall seed in the field. Mid-major conferences — like the Atlantic-10, American Athletic Conference and Mountain West — played to be significant bid stealers for teams on the bubble as teams like Oklahoma, Seton Hall, Indiana State and Pittsburgh missed the cut for the big dance.
Along with UConn, Houston and Purdue other national championship contender programs include North Carolina, Iowa State, Marquette, Tennessee, Arizona, Kentucky and Alabama amongst others. Teams like Stetson, UAB, Oregon, James Madison and Duquesne look to be the next Fairleigh Dickinson or Florida Atlantic and go on a Cinderella run.
Tom Izzo and Michigan State are back in the big dance for the 26th consecutive season, an NCAA record for most consecutive tournament appearances for both a coach and program.
The best postseason tournament in sports is roughly 35 hours away from tipping off with the First Four in Dayton, Ohio on Tuesday, March 19. You can watch all 68 games of the NCAA Tournament across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. You can also watch select NCAA Tournament games on Sling TV.
REQUIRED READING: When is March Madness 2024? Dates, TV schedule, locations, odds, more for NCAA Tournament
So who is ready to find out who will create their One Shining Moment?
Here's what you need to know about March Madness from its start date, important dates and schedules for the 2024 NCAA Tournament and more:
When does March Madness start?
Start date: Tuesday, March 19 (First Four)
The 2024 NCAA Tournament begins on Tuesday, March 19 with the First Four in Dayton, Ohio. The first set of the first weekend (i.e. first and second rounds) games will begin Thursday, March 21 and continue through Sunday, March 24.
The Sweet 16 and Elite 8 will take place from Thursday, March 28 through Sunday, March 31. The Final Four begins Saturday, April 6 in Glendale, Arizona with the national championship game taking place two days later on Monday, April 8.
Here's a full breakdown of dates for Selection Sunday and each round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament:
Selection Sunday: Sunday, March 17
First Four: Tuesday, March 19 through Wednesday, March 20
Round of 64: Thursday, March 21 through Friday, March 22
Round of 32: Saturday, March 23 through Sunday, March 24
Sweet 16: Thursday, March 28 through Friday, March 29
Elite Eight: Saturday, March 30 through Sunday, March 31
Final Four: Saturday, April 6
National Championship: Monday, April 8
REQUIRED READING: March Madness Final Four predictions for 2024: These teams could win NCAA Tournament
NCAA Tournament schedule 2024
All times Central
First Four
Tuesday, March 19
Game 1: (16) Wagner vs. (16) Howard | 5:40 p.m | truTV (Sling TV)
Game 2: (10) Colorado State vs. (10) Virginia | 8:10 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)
Wednesday, March 20
Game 3: (16) Grambling State vs. (16) Montana State | 5:40 p.m | truTV (Sling TV)
Game 4: (10) Colorado vs. (10) Boise State | 8:10 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)
Round of 64
Thursday, March 21
Game 5: (8) Mississippi State vs. (9) Michigan State | 11:15 a.m. | CBS
Game 6: (6) BYU vs. (11) Duquesne | 11:40 a.m. | truTV (Sling TV)
Game 7: (3) Creighton vs. (14) Akron | 12:30 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)
Game 8: (2) Arizona vs. (15) Long Beach State | 1 p.m. | TBS (Sling TV)
Game 9: (1) North Carolina vs. (16) Wagner/Howard | 1:45 p.m. | CBS
Game 10: (3) Illinois vs. (14) Morehead State | 2:10 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)
Game 11: (6) South Carolina vs. (11) Oregon | 3 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)
Game 12: (7) Dayton vs. (10) Nevada | 3:30 p.m. | TBS (Sling TV)
Game 13: (7) Texas vs. (10) Colorado State/Virginia | 5:50 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)
Game 14: (3) Kentucky vs. (14) Oakland | 5:10 p.m. | CBS
Game 15: (5) Gonzaga vs. (12) McNeese | 6:25 p.m. | TBS (Sling TV)
Game 16: (2) Iowa State vs. (15) South Dakota State | 6:35 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)
Game 17: (2) Tennessee vs. (15) Saint Peters | 8:20 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)
Game 18: (6) Texas Tech vs. (11) NC State | 8:40 p.m. | CBS
Game 19: (4) Kansas vs. (13) Samford | 8:55 p.m. | TBS (Sling TV)
Game 20: (7) Washington State vs. (10) Drake | 9:05 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)
REQUIRED READING: Why Tennessee can – and can’t – reach Final Four in our 2024 March Madness predictions
Friday, March 21
Game 21: (8) Florida Atlantic vs. (9) Northwestern | 11:15 a.m. | CBS
Game 22: (3) Baylor vs. (14) Colgate | 11:40 a.m. | truTV (Sling TV)
Game 23: (5) San Diego State vs. (12) UAB | 12:45 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)
Game 24: (2) Marquette vs. (15) Western Kentucky | 1 p.m. | TBS (Sling TV)
Game 25: (1) UConn vs. (16) Stetson | 1:45 p.m. | CBS
Game 26: (6) Clemson vs. (11) New Mexico | 2:10 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)
Game 27: (4) Auburn vs. (13) Yale | 3:15 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)
Game 28: (7) Florida vs. (10) Colorado/Boise State | 3:30 p.m. | TBS (Sling TV)
Game 29: (8) Nebraska vs. (9) Texas A&M | 5:50 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)
Game 30: (4) Duke vs. (13) Vermont | 6:10 p.m. | CBS
Game 31: (1) Purdue vs. (16) Grambling State/Montana State | 6:25 p.m. | TBS (Sling TV)
Game 32: (4) Alabama vs. (13) Charleston | 6:35 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)
Game 33: (1) Houston vs. (16) Longwood | 8:20 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)
Game 34: (5) Wisconsin vs. (12) James Madison | 8:40 p.m. | CBS
Game 35: (8) Utah State vs. (9) TCU | 8:55 p.m. | TBS (Sling TV)
Game 36: (5) Saint Mary's vs. (12) Grand Canyon | 9:05 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: 2024 March Madness start date, schedule, TV channel, more
