When does March Madness start?

By Sports Illustrated and SI Wire/Sports Illustrated
Published

March Madness is upon us.

The NCAA tournament will start on Tuesday, March 14 in Dayton, Ohio, and will run through Monday, April 3, when a new champion will be crowned at University of Phoenix Stadium.

Last season, Villanova overcame North Carolina to earn the school's second national title and their first in over three decades. The Wildcats capitalized on the momentum from their championship win, and went on to produce a stellar 28–3 season (15–3 Big East). They finished the year ranked No. 2 in the AP Top 25 Poll behind No. 1 Kansas, who finished with the same overall record as Villanova but were 16–2 in conference.

This year, Villanova is the favorite to win the Big East, but Las Vegas sportsbooks have No. 6 North Carolina, No. 3 UCLA, No. 4 Gonzaga, No. 8 Kentucky and No. 1 Kansas among the favorites to win the entire tournament. No overwhelming favorite has emerged, however, with the various sportsbooks differing on which teams they favor to win it all. There's a reason they call it March Madness.

Details on dates to know for the NCAA D-I Men's Basketball Tournament are below.

Schedule

Selection Sunday: March 12

First Four: March 14–15

Round of 64/32: March 16–19

Midwest Regional: March 23, 25

West Regional: March 23, 25

South Regional: March 24, 26

East Regional: March 24, 26

Final Four: April 1

National Championship: April 3