Men’s March Madness live updates: Selection Sunday bracket predictions, schedule

After a long and arduous wait, the March Madness is finally upon us. And by the end of the day Sunday, there will be a 68-team bracket.

Selection Sunday marks the unofficial start of the men’s NCAA Tournament, when bids are given out, seeds are set and matchups are etched into a bracket that will be filled out by millions of people nationally during a beautifully chaotic three-week stretch that will culminate with men’s and women’s national champions being crowned.

The bracket reveal ends weeks and even months of speculation over how the tournament field will look. Who will be the No. 1 seeds, the ones who invariably enter the event as the favorites to win it all? Which teams will end up on the right side of the bubble? And which ones will have to endure the agony of just missing out on being selected?

USA TODAY Sports will provide the latest men’s bracket reveal updates, conference tournament highlights, news, analysis and more throughout the day. Follow along here:

REQUIRED READING: March Madness Bracketology predicts NCAA Tournament No. 1 seeds, bubble races

IT’S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s Bracket Challenge contest for a chance at $1 million prize.

When is men’s Selection Sunday 2025?

The 68-team bracket for the 2025 NCAA men’s basketball tournament will be unveiled on Sunday, March 16.

What channel is Selection Sunday on?

TV: CBS
Streaming: Paramount+ | Fubo (free trial)

The 2025 NCAA Tournament selection show will air on CBS, its traditional broadcast home. Streaming options include Paramount+, CBS’s streaming site, and Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.

Watch bracket reveal live with Fubo (free trial)

What time does Selection Sunday start?

The 2025 NCAA Tournament selection show is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET on CBS, though it could be delayed if the Big Ten Tournament championship game runs long.

March Madness 2025 schedule

The 2025 NCAA men’s basketball tournament will transpire over the next three weeks, which will end with the Final Four and the national championship game in San Antonio.

Here’s a rundown of the schedule for the 2025 NCAA Tournament:

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
National championship game: April 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio

Bracket Challenge 2025: How to enter USA TODAY Sports Bracket Challenge with a chance to win $1 million

The USA TODAY Sports Bracket Challenge is back, with a $1 million grand prize for a perfect bracket. The Challenge is free to enter for those age 21 and over. Terms apply, void where prohibited by law. See official rules and get in the game.

How to watch March Madness 2025

The 2025 NCAA men’s basketball tournament will air on CBS and the Turner family of networks, including TBS, TNT and truTV. Streaming options include NCAA March Madness Live, Paramount+, Sling TV – which carries the Turner family of networks – and Fubo, which carries CBS and offers a free trial.

Here’s a breakdown of what games are on what channels, per Turner Sports and the NCAA:

CBS will broadcast 24 games throughout the tournament including the national championship, Final Four semifinals, Elite Eight, Sweet 16 and first and second rounds.
TBS will televise 18 games, including the Elite Eight, Sweet 16 and first and second round games.
TruTV will air or simulcast a total of 21 games, including the First Four games, Elite Eight, Sweet 16 and first and second round games.
TNT will televise 12 games, including First and Second round matchups.

2025 men’s NCAA Tournament automatic bids: Who has secured spots in March Madness?

Each of the 31 conference tournament champions earns an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, with the other 37 spots awarded to at-large participants by the tournament’s selection committee.

For the overwhelming majority of mid- and low-major leagues, the automatic berth from winning the conference tournament is the league’s only bid. Here’s a look at the champions of each of the 31 conference tournaments, all of which are on their way to the NCAA Tournament:

America East: Bryant
ACC: Duke
ASUN: Lipscomb
Big 12: Houston
Big East: St. John’s
Big Sky: Montana
Big South: High Point
Big West: UC San Diego
CAA: UNC Wilmington
Conference USA: Liberty
Horizon League: Robert Morris
MAAC: Mount St. Mary’s
MAC: Akron
MEAC: Norfolk State
Missouri Valley: Drake
Mountain West: Colorado State
Northeast: St. Francis (Pa.)
Ohio Valley: SIU Edwardsville
Patriot League: American
SoCon: Wofford
Southland: McNeese
SWAC: Alabama State
Summit League: Omaha
Sun Belt: Troy
WAC: Grand Canyon
West Coast: Gonzaga

What day does March Madness start?

The NCAA Tournament First Four on the men’s side begins on Tuesday, March 18 and continues on Wednesday, March 19.

The four men’s games, which are held in Dayton, Ohio, feature the final four at-large selections to the field, as well as the four lowest-rated No. 16 seeds. The winner of each matchup advances to the first round. First-round games will take place on March 20 and March 21.

When is the first March Madness game?

The first men’s game of the 2025 NCAA Tournament will be on March 18 with the start of the First Four.

March Madness 2025 game locations

First- and second-round games will be held at eight different cities spanning across each of the four time zones in the continental United States. Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games will each be held at different regional sites before the final four teams converge on San Antonio in early April.

Here’s a look at where 2025 NCAA men’s basketball tournament games will take place:

First Four: Dayton, Ohio | UD Arena | March 18-19
First/second round: Lexington, Kentucky | Rupp Arena | March 20-22
First/second round: Providence, R.I. | Amica Mutual Pavilion | March 20-22
First/second round: Wichita, Kansas | Intrust Bank Arena | March 20-22
First/second round: Denver | Ball Arena | March 20-22
First/second round: Seattle | Climate Pledge Arena | March 21-23
First/second round: Milwaukee | Fiserv Forum | March 21-23
First/second round: Raleigh, N.C. | Lenovo Center | March 21-23
Sweet 16/Elite Eight: Newark, N.J. | Prudential Center | March 27-29
Sweet 16/Elite Eight: San Francisco | Chase Center | March 27-29
Sweet 16/Elite Eight: Atlanta | State Farm Arena | March 28-30
Sweet 16/Elite Eight: Indianapolis | Lucas Oil Stadium | March 28-30
Final Four: San Antonio | Alamodome | April 5
National championship: San Antonio | Alamodome | April 7

Bracket challenge 2025: How to enter and win USA TODAY Sports’ March Madness Survivor Pool

Check out the USA TODAY Survivor Pool game hub, where we’re committed to bringing a little extra excitement to your March Madness experience. Showcase your knowledge of the best teams across college basketball by picking winners. Survive the longest to win cash and other prizes. Best of all, it’s completely free to play. Register today for your chance to participate in the best survivor pool experience around!

How does Selection Sunday work?

The 68-team NCAA Tournament field is put together by the tournament selection committee on both the men’s and women’s side. The committee determines not only who gets in the field – with 31 automatic berths for conference tournament champions and 37 at-large bids – but what each squad is seeded and where their games are set to take place.

The final brackets are revealed on nationally televised shows, with the men’s selection show airing on CBS and the women’s selection show taking place on ESPN.

Here’s a closer look at how Selection Sunday works.

How many teams make March Madness?

There are 68 teams that make both the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournament. The final four at-large teams, as well as the four lowest-rated No. 16 seeds, will take part in the First Four.

Who plays in March Madness?

The 68-team tournament on both the men’s and women’s side is made up of 31 conference champions, who earn an automatic bid to March Madness by winning their league tournament, as well as 37 at-large teams that are picked by the NCAA Tournament selection committee.

How are March Madness bids determined?

Thirty-one of the 68 spots in the NCAA Tournament field are automatic bids earned by teams that win their conference tournament.

Things get a little thornier when it comes to the final 37 at-large spots, which are determined by the NCAA Tournament selection committee. A team’s worthiness to be one of those 37 selections is determined by a variety of metrics, including a team’s record, its marquee wins and the strength of its schedule.

There’s no set of statistics more important than the NCAA’s NET rankings, which college sports’ governing body devised and deployed ahead of the 2018-19 season, replacing the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). Most notably, a team’s games are divided into four quadrants, which are determined by the quality of an opponent and where the game was played (whether at home, on the road or at a neutral site). Here’s a closer look at how the quadrants work, with the listed numbers reflecting an opponent’s ranking:

Quadrant 1: Home 1-30, Neutral 1-50, Away 1-75
Quadrant 2: Home 31-75, Neutral 51-100, Away 76-135
Quadrant 3: Home 76-160, Neutral 101-200, Away 135-240
Quadrant 4: Home 161-353, Neutral 201-353, Away 241-353

How are March Madness seeds determined?

The NCAA Tournament selection committee seeds teams one through 68, with squads getting placed into groups of four to determine their seed. Teams ranked from one through four, for example, are No. 1 seeds, teams five through eight are No. 2 seeds and so on.

A team’s ranking is based on a variety of different factors — its overall record, its number of Quad One wins, its strength of schedule and how many, if any, Quad Three or Quad Four losses it has. Since the NET rankings were first employed during the 2018-19 season, the committee has prioritized Quad One wins over perhaps any other measurement when assessing seeds.

How is it determined where teams play in March Madness?

Once the 68 teams are selected and seeded for the NCAA Tournament, the selection committee has to sort out which of the predetermined locations in the country each squad will play.

The event’s highest seeds, particularly the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds, will typically get games close to the school’s campus for the first and second rounds. The No. 1 seeds then get placed in a region for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight that makes the most geographic sense, though that doesn’t always apply to the third- and fourth-ranked No. 1 seeds. Last year, for example, North Carolina was the last of the No. 1 seeds and was placed in the West Region, which held Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games in Los Angeles.

If Duke, as expected, ends up with a No. 1 seed, the Blue Devils would likely get first- and second-round games in nearby Raleigh, North Carolina, a short drive from the school’s Durham campus.

There are competitive considerations that come into play, as well. When the selection committee ranks the tournament’s 68 teams, it attempts to bracket the team in a snake order, meaning that the No. 5 overall team — which is the best of the No. 2 seeds — ends up in the same region as the No. 4 overall team (the lowest-rated No. 1 seed). There are restrictions, though, such as:

First four teams from the same conference must be in different regions if they are a Nos. 1-4 seed.
Teams from the same conference cannot meet before a regional final if they played each other three times during the regular season and conference tournament.
Teams from the same conference cannot meet before a regional semifinal if they played each other two times during the regular season and conference tournament.
Teams from the same conference cannot meet before the second round if they played each other once during the regular season and conference tournament.

Most overpaid men’s college basketball coaches

Whether you believe Kentucky coach John Calipari is overpaid could depend on the year, the month, even the week. Calipari earned his mega-millions salary when the Wildcats were among the most dominant teams in Division I, capturing one national championship in 2012 and playing for others in 2011, 2014 and 2015. But Kentucky hasn’t been back to the Final Four since even as Calipari’s annual salary continues to rise ― now at $8.5 million in total compensation for 2023-24, second-most in the country.

While Kentucky has had moments this season, including a late run that has lifted the Wildcats toward the top of the SEC, the results and payoff given the school’s mammoth investment into Calipari and the program makes him yet again one of the most overpaid coaches in the country. Read Paul Myerberg’s full story here.

SEC Championship game underway

The SEC tournament championship game is underway, starting a string of major conference championship games on Selection Sunday. Florida has jumped to a 10-6 lead at the first media timeout. The Gators are on a 7-0 run, looking to wrap up a No. 1 seed with another win.

Five most underpaid men’s college basketball coaches: Lamont Paris, Matt Painter make list

Hired as the head coach of the Chattanooga Mocs in 2017, Lamont Paris won only a combined 22 games in his first two seasons before things took off. In his final season, 2021-22, the Mocs went 27-8, won the Southern Conference regular-season and tournament championships, and nearly topped Illinois as a No. 13 seed in the men’s NCAA tournament, losing 54-53.

It took only two seasons for Paris, 49, to do the same at South Carolina. After going 11-21 in his debut year, Paris has the Gamecocks at 25-6 and a No. 5 seed in USA TODAY Sports’ latest bracketology update.

How much would you be willing to spend on a coach capable of such a rapid turnaround? While 19 Division I coaches are earning at least $4 million in salary, Paris will make $2.3 million in total compensation in 2023-24.

USA TODAY Sports compiled pay information from each school in the Power Five conferences and from each school outside those conferences whose team has appeared in at least three of the past five NCAA tournaments. Here are the coaches providing the best return on investment, beginning with Paris at South Carolina.

SEC championship game: Florida leads at halftime

Denzel Aberdeen hit a 3-pointer from 28 feet out at the buzzer to end the first half, giving Florida a 39-30 halftime lead. The Gators have led for much of the first half, including a lead of as much as 12 points.

Will Richard has a game-high 11 points to lead Florida. Jordan Gainey leads the Vols with 10 points. Tennessee shot 38.5% from the field in the first half, while Florida shot 45.2%. The Gators outscored the Vols 16-4 in the paint.

SEC championship: Tennessee hanging around

Despite Florida leading for much of the game and by as many as 13 points, Jordan Gainey has 20 points and helped cut the deficit to just five points. However, Chaz Lanier picks up his fourth foul and Will Richard knocks down free throws to push the Florida lead to 62-55 with 8:47 remaining.

Showbiz Shadows