When are March Madness brackets released? Here’s what to know about Selection Sunday
March Madness is almost upon us.
The 68-team fields for both the men’s and women’s NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments will be unveiled on Sunday, March 16.
Around half of the tournament berths are automatically locked in when teams win their conference tournaments. Those tournaments will continue over the next few days, with teams on the bubble trying to pick up enough wins to shine up their resumes, while smaller schools desperate for their only shot to dance.
That will all be wrapped up by Sunday afternoon — leaving just the brackets to be revealed in selection shows that evening.
Here’s what you need to know:
When will the brackets be released?
The men’s bracket will be released during a selection show that begins at 6 p.m. Eastern time on CBS. The women’s bracket will have its own selection show at 8 p.m. Eastern time on ESPN.
Who are expected to be the top seeds?
In the men’s bracket, schools in the South have dominated this season. The top seeds are expected to include Auburn, who’ve reached the Final Four only once in school history. Two other SEC schools, Florida and Alabama, are also in the mix for No. 1 seeds. The conference hasn’t won a basketball title since Kentucky in 2012 — and only two other SEC schools have ever won a title.
The perennial contender Duke is also likely to be back in a top slot. But a major concern for them arose Thursday when star freshman Cooper Flagg sprained his ankle and had to be rolled to the locker room in a wheelchair.
In the women’s bracket, the top overall seed could go to UCLA. That’s a name with a lot of history in the men’s game, where the Bruins have won 11 national titles and reached the Final Four 19 times. But UCLA women’s basketball has had nowhere near that level of success: They’ve never reached the Final Four. Will this be the first time?
South Carolina and head coach Dawn Staley seem to be a lock for another No. 1 seed. Look for stars JuJu Watkins and Paige Bueckers to lead USC and UConn, respectively, to other high seeds.
Who could be this year’s Cinderella teams?
Top seeds have always had more success in the women’s tournament, where the disparity between the haves and have nots is much wider than in the men’s game. Put another way, no team worse than a No. 3 seed has ever cut down the nets.
One contender to make that history could be Iowa. Yes, the Hawkeyes have been runner-ups the last two years in a row. But that was with megastar Caitlin Clark, who graduated last year and left for the WNBA. This year, Iowa doesn’t have the resume for a higher seed, but still the Hawkeyes have been frisky, knocking off then-No. 4 USC in February on the day Clark’s jersey was retired.
On the men’s side, one trendy pick is another Iowa school: the Drake Bulldogs, led by first-year head coach Ben McCollum. McCollum won four Division II national titles at his previous school, Northwest Missouri State. Keep your eye, too, on UC San Diego, making its first ever tournament appearance after moving up to Division I.
And a note about this year’s men’s tournament: Many of the so-called “blue bloods” of college basketball — the most historic and decorated programs in the sport — are weaker than usual. The Kansas Jayhawks and UConn Huskies, the two schools that have won a title most recently, seem to be on track for No. 6, 7 or 8 seeds. The North Carolina Tar Heels are on the bubble, meaning they might not qualify at all unless they can scrounge another win or two in the ongoing ACC Tournament. And two other recent champs, Villanova and Virginia, are likely to be left out altogether.
When do the tournaments begin?
The men’s tournament tips off with the opening “first four” games on Tuesday and Wednesday, then the madness gets underway next Thursday and Friday with the round of 64.
Men’s First Four
Tuesday, March 18 and Wednesday, March 19
Men’s Round of 64
Thursday, March 20 and Friday, March 21
Men’s Round of 32
Saturday, March 22 and Sunday, March 23
Men’s Sweet 16
Thursday, March 27 and Friday, March 28
Men’s Elite Eight
Saturday, March 29 and Sunday, March 30
Men’s Final Four
Saturday, April 5
Men’s National Championship Game
Monday, April 7
The women begin their tournament a day later, with the first four games on Wednesday and Thursday followed by the full round of 64 next Friday and Saturday.
Women’s First Four
Wednesday, March 19 and Thursday, March 20
Women’s Round of 64
Friday, March 21 and Saturday, March 22
Women’s Round of 32
Sunday, March 23 and Monday, March 24
Women’s Sweet 16
Friday, March 28 and Saturday, March 29
Women’s Elite Eight
Sunday, March 30 and Monday, March 31
Women’s Final Four
Friday, April 4
Women’s National Championship Game
Sunday, April 6
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