2025 NCAA Men’s March Madness Schedule

Welcome to the 2025 NCAA Men’s March Madness Schedule. This timetable lists down the matchups of hungry collegiate teams competing for the championship.

With the conclusion of Super Bowl 2025 in the books, the next big sporting event is the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament, also known as March Madness. This single-elimination tournament consists of 68 teams that compete in seven rounds for the national championship. 

Four teams will then battle in the Final Four, and the two teams that win in this penultimate round will face off against each other in the NCAA championship game. Listed below is the NCAA Men’s March Madness schedule: 

Table of Contents

• Selection Sunday
• First Four
• First Round
• Second Round
• Sweet 16
• Elite Eight
• Final Four
• NCAA Championship Game

What are the Different Rounds of the NCAA Men’s March Madness?

Here is a quick rundown of the different rounds that will happen during the course of the NCAA championship. This is for those who want a quick briefer on what the different rounds are during March Madness, and help them structure their sportsbook betting decisions:

Selection Sunday (March 16, 2025)

Selection Sunday sets up the year’s March Madness. During this time, college basketball fans learn which men’s and women’s NCAA Division I teams earn the right to compete for a national title in the highly-coveted March Madness tournament.

According to the NCAA schedule, Selection Sunday for both the men’s and women’s bracket will take place on March 16, 2025. The announcement comes two days before the start of the men’s tournament and three days before the women’s tournaments, respectively.

NCAA basketball betting tips suggest bettors to check out which teams land on the higher seeds, as well as check out which ones automatically qualified. From there, researching on the teams’ roster will further help them decide which one will go all the way and win the championship. 

First Four (March 18 – 19, 2025; UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio)

The First Four officially kicks off March Madness. As its name implies, four games are played earlier in the week before the Round of 64 in the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.

Part of the selection process for the NCAA tournament is having the NCAA Division 1 Committee rank every team from No. 1 through No. 68. The current format sees the First Four consisting of eight teams — the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams. 

The rest of the teams that are ranked are placed in subsets, where each subset plays against itself (for example, at-large teams face off against at-large teams, and automatic qualifiers face automatic qualifiers).

First Round (March 20-21, 2025; multiple locations)

As its name suggests, the First Round commences after the First Four. The rest of the bracket matches will take place, with teams competing in a single-round elimination. The First Round will have 32 games, and the teams that emerge victorious will move onto the Second Round of their respective brackets. 

The locations for the first round will be held in Lexington, KY, Providence, RI, Seattle, WA, Wichita, KS, Cleveland, OH, Denver, CO, Milwaukee, WI, and Raleigh, NC.

Second Round (March 22-23, 2025; multiple locations)

After the First Round of elimination has completed, the teams that have advanced will compete in the Second Round. From 32 teams, the field will be thinned even more – 16 teams shall come out of the second round and will be part of the Sweet 16.

The locations for the second round for the 2025 NCAA March Madness will be held in Lexington, KY, Providence, RI, Seattle, WA, Wichita, KS, Cleveland, OH, Denver, CO, Milwaukee, WI, and Raleigh, NC.

Sweet 16

March Madness’ Sweet 16 is also known as the semifinals of the tournament. Teams that make it to the Sweet 16 previously won in the second round, or the round of 32, and the winners of Sweet 16 matchups move on to the Elite Eight.

Most sports bettors start to heat up, as the 16 teams are in the running to compete for the NCAA championship. In most cases, bettors will check which teams secured their seeding – usually the teams with higher seedings are the favorites, while the ones with lower seedings are less favored, but have a puncher’s chance of going on a run.

Elite Eight

The Elite Eight is the final round of the four Regional rounds of March Madness. During the Sweet 16, 8 teams that emerge victorious will compete to be part of the Final Four.

“Elite Eight” was coined by the Illinois High School Boys Basketball Championship, which was  the single-elimination tournament run by the Illinois High School Association. During the playoffs in 1956, once the 16 competing teams were trimmed down to eight, the phrase “Elite Eight” was born.

Here are the locations for the different Regional matches, according to the 2025 March Madness schedule:

East Regional – March 27 – 29 2025, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ

West Regional – March 27 – 29 2025, Chase Center, San Francisco, CA

South Regional – March 28 – 30 2025, State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Midwest Regional – March 28 – 30 2025, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN

Final Four (April 5, 2025; Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas)

The fifth round of the NCAA March Madness tournament is more popularly known as the Final Four. This is the second to the last stop for the remaining teams. Two will advance from each regional final to face off for a chance to play in the championship game.

NCAA Championship Game (April 7, 2025; Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas)

The NCAA Championship game is the culmination of the March Madness schedule. From 68 teams, only two teams who have run through the gauntlet will face off against one another.

Some of the notable NCAA teams that have won the championship are UCLA. The Bruins hold the record for most wins at 11,  also winning seven consecutive titles between 1967 and 1973 . The next college teams that won the title are Kentucky (8), North Carolina (6) and UConn (6).

If you’re gearing up for 2025 March Madness, get the latest NCAA Basketball bets and odds here on Betting News. Check out this page regularly to help you decide which team you should be placing your bets on.