NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Schedule: Thursday, March 21

The March Madness schedule is set. This Thursday is the first full day of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The first games will start around noon ET and late games will end around midnight. The winners from Thursday's games will advance to second round action. Here is the NCAA Tournament Thursday schedule and estimated tip-off times for March 21.

Bonus bets for college basketball Betting

Now that March Madness betting season is officially here, sportsbooks are offering great daily college basketball promos. Take a look below and click to take advantage.

Thursday Schedule For The NCAA Men's basketball Tournament

The first full day of the 2024 NCAA men’s basketball tournament is taking place on Thursday, March 21. Here are the matchups, including approximate March Madness TV tip times for every game on the first day of opening-round action. All times listed are Eastern Standard Time.

East Region

• 11 Duquesne vs. 6 BYU, 12:40 p.m., TV: truTV
• 14 Morehead State vs. 3 Illinois, 3:10 p.m., TV: truTV
• 15 South Dakota State vs. 2 Iowa State, 7:35 p.m., TV: truTV
• 10 Drake vs. 7 Washington State, 10:05 p.m., TV: truTV

South Region

• 14 Oakland vs. 3 Kentucky, 7:10 p.m., TV: CBS
• 11 NC State vs. 6 Texas Tech, 9:40 p.m., TV: CBS

Midwest Region

• 14 Akron vs. 3 Creighton, 1:30 p.m., TV: TNT
• 11 Oregon vs. 6 South Carolina, 4 p.m., TV: TNT
• 10 Colorado State vs. 7 Texas, 6:50 p.m., TV: TNT
• 12 McNeese vs. 5 Gonzaga, 7:25 p.m., TV: TBS
• 15 Saint Peter's vs. 2 Tennessee, 9:20 p.m., TV: TNT
• 13 Samford vs. 4 Kansas, 9:55 p.m., TV: TBS

West Region

• 9 Michigan State vs. 8 Missippi State, 12:15 p.m., TV: CBS
• 15 Long Beach State vs. 2 Arizona, 2 p.m. TV: TBS
• 16 Wagner vs. 1 North Carolina, 2:45 p.m., TV: CBS
• 10 Nevada vs. 7 Dayton, 4:30 p.m., TV: TBS

First-round games on Thursday, March 21 are being played at the following venues:

• Spectrum Center in Charlotte
• Chi Health Center in Omaha
• PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh
• Delta Center in Salt Lake City

College Basketball Tournament BETTING

When it comes to March Madness odds, there are now four additional states in which CBB wagering is now legal, with North Carolina sports betting having launched just in time for the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky, Vermont, and Maine are the others.

Below you will find the game lines for every upcoming NCAA Tournament game.

NCAA Tournament Announce teams

CBS and Turner Sports are once again collaborating on the NCAA Tournament broadcast coverage. One of the big changes for this year is Jim Nantz called his last Final Four last season, and it means Ian Eagle is joining Bill Raftery, Grant Hill and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson on the top announce team. According to reports, studio host Greg Gumbel will not be part of this year's tournament coverage due to a family health issue. Gumbel has been part of the CBS tournament coverage since 1998.

CBS and Turner Sports have named the 2024 March Madness announce teams with some slight changes from last season. They are:

• Ian Eagle / Bill Raftery / Grant Hill / Tracy Wolfson (sideline reporter)
• Brian Anderson / Jim Jackson / Allie LaForce (sideline reporter)
• Kevin Harlan / Dan Bonner / Stan Van Gundy / Andy Katz (sideline reporter)
• Andrew Catalon / Steve Lappas /Evan Washburn (sideline reporter)
• Lisa Byington / Steve Smith / Robbie Hummel /Lauren Shehadi (sideline reporter)
• Spero Dedes / Jim Spanarkel / Jon Rothstein (sideline reporter)
• Tom McCarthy / Avery Johnson / Deb Antonelli / AJ Ross (sideline reporter)
• Brad Nessler / Brendan Haywood / Dana Jacobson (sideline reporter)

There will be live studio shows from New York and Atlanta. The CBS team will be in NYC and include Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Clark Kellogg. The TNT sports coverage will be led by Adam Lefkoe and include Candace Parker, Jay Wright, and Seth Davis.