March Madness | When Does The NCAA Basketball Tournament Begin And End This Year?

The excitement is building for the 2025 NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Selection Sunday is now days away, but before March 16 arrives, conference tournament champions need to be crowned. For bettors and fans wondering when March Madness begins and when the NCAA Tournament will start, we will answer that question below. Keep reading to learn more about the numerous ways to bet on this year’s Big Dance.

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When does March Madness start?

College basketball enthusiasts will continue counting down until the Big Dance gets underway. Many CBB fanatics have penciled in Thursday, March 20, and Friday, March 21, as the start of the unofficial holiday known as March Madness. This year’s tournament starts on Tuesday, March 18, with two First Four games at UD Arena.

March Madness will start on Tuesday, March 18

The 2025 NCAA men’s college basketball tournament technically begins on Tuesday, March 18. However, there is no need to call in sick from work until the first Thursday and Friday of March Madness. Those days are March 20 and March 21, as the jam-packed schedule features a full afternoon and night of CBB action.

All of the second-round winners advance to the Sweet 16, taking place Thursday, March 27, and Friday, March 28. There will be four games both nights, with the early games starting around 6:30 p.m. ET and 7:15 p.m. ET. Late games will tip off about 30 minutes after the opening contest concludes.

The winners make up the Elite Eight and will play for Final Four spots. As far as when each regional final will take place, based on the 2024 schedule, expect the Saturday games (March 29) to tip at approximately 6:09 p.m. and 8:49 p.m. ET. Sunday (March 30) tends to have a much earlier schedule, with games at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET and 5:05 p.m. ET.

For more information regarding the regional round, including game matchups, tip times, and more, check out our NCAA Tournament regional pages:

• East Region (Newark)
• West Region (San Francisco)
• Midwest Region (Indianapolis)
• South Region (Atlanta)

Important 2025 NCAA Tournament dates

Here are the key dates for when March Madness starts this year.

• Sunday, March 16: Selection Sunday
• Tuesday, March 18: First Four
• Wednesday, March 19: First Four
• Thursday, March 20: First full day of games
• Friday, March 21: Second full day of games
• Thursday, March 27: Sweet 16 (East and West regions)
• Friday, March 28: Sweet 16 (South and Midwest regions)
• Saturday, March 29: Elite 8 (East and West region final)
• Sunday, March 30: Elite 8 (South and Midwest region final)

On the first day of the 2025 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, games will start at 12:15 p.m. ET. Sixteen games will be played during the first full day of the tournament, with tip times scattered between 12:15 p.m. and 10:05 p.m.

Another 16 games will follow on the second full day of the tournament on Friday, March 21. The early games will have a 12:15 p.m. ET start time, while the late games will tip off around 9:57 p.m. ET. The complete first-round schedule will be announced during Selection Sunday.

When does March Madness end in San Antonio?

This year’s Final Four will take place on April 5 and 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Final Four Saturday will take place on April 5, with the two winners advancing to the national title game on Monday, April 7. 

How to bet on the NCAA tournament now

Even though the NCAA Tournament has not started yet, the top March Madness betting sites have odds on which team will win the 2025 Big Dance. Find NCAA Tournament winner odds below. As of the first week of March, the Auburn Tigers (+350), Duke Blue Devils (+375), Houston Cougars (+850), and Florida Gators (+950) were among the favorites to cut down the nets.