They say that you have a better chance of throwing a beanbag from space and hitting your own house than you do at picking a perfect bracket. But that doesn't stop millions of people, year after year, from chasing ultimate glory. March Madness is one of the biggest and most exciting events in all of sports. The tournament sees the top NCAA Division I men's basketball teams face-off against each other through a single-elimination, seven-round tournament. From upsets, Cinderella stories, and buzzer-beaters, every year provides a new emotional rollercoaster for fans across the country.
Here is Everything You Need to know for this year's March Madness tournament.
What is March Madness and how do teams get in?
The March Madness tournament has been held every year since 1939. It is an annual NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament, consisting of 68 teams that compete in a single-elimination format for the national championship. The selection committee is responsible for selecting, seeding and bracketing the field for the March Madness tournament, taking a number of different factors into account.
According to the NCAA, there are two ways that a team can earn a bid into the tournament:
1. By winning their conference tournament a team receives an automatic bid to the tournament.
These are known as automatic qualifiers and consist of 32 teams.
2. After all regular season and conference tournament games have concluded, the selection committee chooses the additional 36 teams to round out the field.
Selection Sunday
Selection Sunday is the day when the selection committee reveals the entire NCAA March Madness tournament bracket, including all teams and seeds.
This year, Selection Sunday is on March 11.
Dates and times for this year's tournament
This year's March Madness tournament begins with the First Four games on March 13 and March 14. The winners of these two games will determine the final bracket before the First Round begins.
First Round: begins Thursday, March 15 at 12:00 pm EST
Second Round: begins Saturday, March 17 at 12:00 pm EST
Sweet 16: begins Thursday, March 22 at 7:00 pm EST
Elite Eight: begins Saturday, March 24 at 6:00 pm EST
Final Four: begins Saturday, March 31 at 6:00 pm EST
National Championship: Monday, April 2 at 9:00 pm EST
Every March Madness game will broadcast across TBS, TNT, TruTV, or CBS.
You can also stream every game on March Madness Live.
How can I participate in March Madness?
Simple: fill out a bracket! Once the final field is determined on Selection Sunday, you can fill out your bracket by selecting the teams you think will win each game before the tournament begins on March 15. The Bracket Challenge Game, which is the official bracket game of the NCAA, is one way to compete against others online, with prizes and giveaways throughout the tournament. You can compete against the rest of the world or create your own group and compete against friends and family.
Keep in mind that the brackets will lock before the first game of the first round begins, so be sure to have your picks finalized before then.
You don’t need to have any prior knowledge of NCAA Division I men’s basketball to fill out a bracket, and that’s what makes the tournament so enjoyable. You can pick a team to win their game because you like their team mascot, you like the color of their uniform, or you like the way that one team name sounds over the other. Heck, you can throw a dart across the room and choose the team it lands closest to if you really wanted. There is no magic formula to fill out your bracket. If you do want to make more informed decisions, there are resources out there to assist you.
This year's tournament is bound to provide the same level of intrigue, pride, frustration and sheer devastation. Make sure to tune in to Selection Sunday on March 11 to find out which teams made this year's tournament, and don't forget to fill out your bracket before the first round begins on March 15.
It's almost time for the madness to begin!
