It’s that time of year again! Now that football season is long over and as we’re heading into baseball season, there’s room for basketball and, of course, March Madness. The annual month-long NCAA tournament rings in viewers, and this year, the 68-team single-elimination tournament is kicking off. Below, find out when March Madness 2025 starts and more about the annual event.
How Does March Madness Work?
If you’re new to the madness, millions of Americans participate in the annual basketball event by filling out brackets. Most participants prefer to fill out a printable one, which can be found on the NCAA‘s website.
The odds of filling out a perfect bracket are nearly impossible. The NCAA has noted that it’s never been done, and a person has about a 1 in 120 billion chance. To get a perfect bracket, you’d need to predict 67 games of the six-round slate in addition to the First Four play-in games.
The Selection Committee ranks all teams by 1 through 68.
THE BRACKET 🙌#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/fo6lA8hJ7g
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 16, 2025
When Does March Madness 2025 Start?
March Madness 2025 officially began on March 16 with Selection Sunday. The 68-team bracket was unveiled for the NCAA tournament for men’s basketball. The first four subsequently takes place on March 18 and March 19, while the first round is set for March 20 through the 21.
March Madness 2025 Schedule
- Selection 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 29-30
- Final Four, April 5 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas
- NCAA championship game, April 7 in San Antonio, Texas
Who Was the 2024 March Madness Champion?
UConn won the 2024 tournament, and Purdue came in as the runner-up.
