Ayrton Oneill
The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, also known as March Madness, is an annual single-elimination tournament that takes place over a few weeks in March and April. The 2025 tournament, which began on March 18, 2025, and concludes on April 7, 2025, with the championship game in San Antonio, Texas, is the 86th edition of the tournament. The women's tournament is also taking place in 2025, with the championship game airing on Sunday, April 6, at 3 p.m. ET.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | 16 March 2025 – 7 April 2025 |
| Name | March Madness |
| Type | NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament |
| Number | 86th |
| Participating Teams | 68 |
| Format | Single-elimination |
| TV Channels | CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV |
| Streaming Platforms | Paramount+, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, YouTube TV |
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What You'll Learn
- The 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament began on March 18
- The tournament is single-elimination to determine the National Collegiate Athletic Association champion
- The tournament will be broadcast across four cable networks: CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV
- The championship game will be held at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on April 7
- The Southeastern Conference broke the record for the most bids earned, with 14 out of 16 teams qualifying
The 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament began on March 18
The tournament began with eight teams competing in the First Four games, including the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams. The winners of these games advanced to the main tournament bracket. The tournament seeds and regions were determined by the NCAA basketball tournament selection process and were announced by the selection committee on March 16, following the release of the brackets.
Selection Sunday, which took place on March 16, is a significant date in the tournament schedule. On this day, the NCAA Selection Committee issues the remaining 37 bids "at-large" and seeds the entire field from 1 to 68. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) made history this year, with 14 out of 16 teams qualifying, the most bids ever earned to the tournament by a single conference.
The 2025 tournament also witnessed debuts from Big South champion High Point, Big West champion UC San Diego, Ohio Valley champion SIU Edwardsville, and Summit League champion Omaha. The championship game will be held on April 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, marking the fifth time the city has hosted the Final Four.
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The tournament is single-elimination to determine the National Collegiate Athletic Association champion
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) was formed following two White House conferences convened by President Theodore Roosevelt in response to repeated injuries and deaths in college football. The NCAA's first national championship was held in 1921, for National Collegiate Track and Field.
Today, the NCAA continues to fund championships, grants, and other initiatives for Division III college athletes. Notably, the NCAA also funds the day-to-day operations of the national office, including administrative and financial services, information technology, and facilities management.
The NCAA tournament, also known as March Madness, is a single-elimination tournament that determines the National Collegiate Athletic Association champion for men's and women's basketball. The tournament features a selection Sunday, Sweet 16 games, and the Final Four, culminating in the national championship game.
The 2025 NCAA tournament began on March 16 and concluded on April 5 and 7 for the women's and men's championships, respectively. The single-elimination format of the tournament adds excitement and intensity to college basketball, as teams compete for the prestigious title and the opportunity to advance their NBA careers.
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The tournament will be broadcast across four cable networks: CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV
The NCAA basketball tournament, also known as March Madness, is an annual college basketball tournament. The 2025 tournament began on March 16 and will conclude with the Final Four and the national championship games on April 5 and April 7.
CBS games will also stream on Paramount+ with Showtime, while B/R Sports on Max will carry TBS, TNT, and truTV matches. Hulu + Live TV is another option for viewers, offering every tournament channel and ESPN+ for extra college basketball coverage. Sling TV is a cheaper alternative, but viewers will need a digital antenna to watch games aired on ABC and CBS.
For those looking for a free option, a one-time purchase of a digital antenna will allow viewers to watch select March Madness games on their local ABC and CBS stations.
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The championship game will be held at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on April 7
The 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament is an ongoing single-elimination tournament that will determine the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's college basketball national champion for the 2024–25 season. The tournament began on March 18, 2025, and the championship game will be held at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on April 7. This will be the 86th edition of the tournament, with the Southeastern Conference (SEC) breaking the record for the most bids earned—14 out of 16 teams qualified.
San Antonio will host the Final Four for the fifth time, having previously hosted in 2018. The tournament began with Selection Sunday on March 16, with the NCAA Selection Committee issuing the remaining 37 bids "at-large". The Selection Committee also seeded the entire field from 1 to 68. The First Four games, which took place on March 18-19 at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio, involved eight teams: the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams. The winners of these games advanced to the main tournament bracket.
The March Madness app offered Fast Break, whip-around coverage of the games, similar to NFL RedZone, on the first weekend of the tournament (first and second rounds). The tournament games are broadcast across four cable networks: CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV. They are also streamed on Paramount+ and can be accessed on streaming services with CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV, such as YouTube TV, Sling TV, and Hulu + Live TV. Many March Madness games are also broadcast on local CBS affiliates and can be watched with a digital antenna without a subscription.
The 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament is the first since the death of Greg Gumbel, who served as the studio host from 1998 through 2023 and missed the 2024 tournament due to family health issues. CBS Sports and TNT Sports have the US television rights to the tournament, with CBS televising the Final Four and the national championship game.
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The Southeastern Conference broke the record for the most bids earned, with 14 out of 16 teams qualifying
The NCAA basketball tournament, also known as March Madness, is an annual college basketball tournament featuring men's and women's teams from across the country. The 2025 tournament began on March 16, with Selection Sunday, and concluded on April 5 and 7 with the Final Four and the national championship games. The women's championship game aired on Sunday, April 5, at 3 p.m. ET, while the men's championship game took place on Monday, April 7, at 8:50 p.m. ET.
During the 2025 March Madness tournament, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) made history by sending a record-breaking number of teams to the tournament. Out of the 16 teams in the SEC, 14 qualified for the NCAA tournament, breaking the previous record of 11 bids held by the Big East in 2011. This achievement highlighted the depth and talent within the SEC, which had already established itself as a dominant force in college basketball during the regular season.
The success of the SEC in the 2025 NCAA tournament was not limited to the number of qualifying teams. The conference also boasted an impressive record against other power conferences before the tournament began, with a collective record of 59-19 against the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East. This included notable wins against top-ranked opponents such as Michigan, Arizona, and Louisville. Overall, SEC teams won an astonishing 89% of their non-conference games, further cementing their reputation as a powerhouse in college basketball.
Six of the 14 SEC teams that qualified for the tournament earned top-four seeds, showcasing the strength and depth of the conference. Auburn and Florida led the way as the top seeds, followed closely by Tennessee and Alabama as the No. 2 seeds. Texas, a newcomer to the SEC, also made it to the tournament despite a modest 6-12 conference record. The strong performance of the SEC teams during the early rounds of the tournament reinforced the notion that the conference was not just about quantity but also about quality.
The SEC's record-breaking performance in the 2025 NCAA tournament was a testament to the hard work and dedication of the coaches, athletes, and athletic directors. It also served as a reminder that the conference was committed to excellence not only in basketball but also in other sports, such as women's basketball, football, baseball, and softball. The SEC's dominance in the 2025 March Madness tournament will surely be remembered as a historic achievement in the annals of college basketball.
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Frequently asked questions
The 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament started on March 18, 2025, with the First Four games taking place on March 18-19.
The tournament will conclude with the championship game on April 7, 2025, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
Selection Sunday for the 2025 tournament took place on March 16, 2025, at 6 pm ET on CBS.
The tournament is broadcast across four cable networks: CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV. It is also streamed on Paramount+ and other streaming services with access to those channels, such as Hulu + Live TV.
