Follow the Road to the Final Four all month long with an updating bracket and TV schedule
Follow the Road to the Final Four all month long with an updating bracket and TV schedule
Thursday is one of the best days of the year on the American sports calendar, as March Madness hits full stride with 16 first-round NCAA Tournament games that will be filling screens across the country from noon Eastern until after midnight. Drama, upsets and heroes will rule the day as teams fight to keep their national championship hopes alive.
A couple of national-championship winning coaches will be squaring off Thursday night in one of the opening round’s most-intriguing matchups, as No. 7 seed Kansas and No. 10 seed Arkansas clash on CBS. The winner is likely to face No. 2 seed St. John’s and legendary coach Rick Pitino in the second round on Saturday. The Red Storm open play late Thursday against No. 15 seed Omaha.
Pitino’s re-emergence as a prominent force in college basketball at age 72 is potentially one of this NCAA Tournament’s greatest storylines. But there’s no telling what else will emerge during Thursday’s action. No. 5 seed Michigan is on upset alert against No. 12 seed UC-San Diego. The same goes for No. 6 seed Missouri, which is facing No. 11 seed Drake.
It’s going to be a loaded day and a spectacular beginning to the best weekend of college sports. Here’s the full schedule? As the 2025 NCAA Tournament ramps up:
Be sure to bookmark this page as it will be continuously updated with scores, analysis and much more all the way through the Final Four on April 5 and national championship on April 7. CBS Sports will be along for the ride as you crush your bracket pool, so be sure to check back frequently over the next few weeks.
2025 NCAA Tournament bracket, scores
All times Eastern
South
FIRST FOUR
Tuesday — Dayton
FIRST ROUND
Thursday — Lexington
Thursday — Denver
Friday — Milwaukee
- (11) North Carolina vs. (6) Ole Miss | 4:05 p.m., TNT (watch live)
- (14) Lipscomb vs. (3) Iowa State | 1:30 p.m., TNT (watch live)
Friday — Cleveland
- (10) New Mexico vs. (7) Marquette | 7:25 p.m., TBS (watch live)
- (15) Bryant vs. (2) Michigan State | 10 p.m., TBS (watch live)
East
FIRST FOUR
Wednesday — Dayton
(16) Mount St. Mary’s 83, (16) American 72
FIRST ROUND
Friday — Raleigh
- (16) Mount St. Mary’s vs. (1) Duke | 2:50 p.m., TBS (watch live)
- (9) Baylor vs. (8) Mississippi State | 12:15 p.m., CBS (watch live)
Friday — Seattle
- (13) Akron vs. (4) Arizona | 7:35 p.m., truTV (watch live)
- (12) Liberty vs. (5) Oregon | 10:10 p.m., truTV (watch live)
Thursday — Denver
Friday — Cleveland
- (10) Vanderbilt vs. (7) Saint Mary’s | 3:15 p.m., truTV (watch live)
- (15) Robert Morris vs. (2) Alabama | 2:40 p.m., truTV (watch live)
Midwest
FIRST FOUR
Wednesday — Dayton
FIRST ROUND
Thursday — Lexington
Thursday — Providence
Friday — Milwaukee
- (11) Xavier vs. (6) Illinois | 9:45 p.m., CBS (watch live)
- (14) Troy vs. (3) Kentucky | 7:10 p.m., CBS (watch live)
Thursday — Wichita
- (10) Utah State vs. (7) UCLA | 9:25 p.m., TNT (watch live)
- (15) Wofford vs. (2) Tennessee | 6:50 p.m., TNT (watch live)
West
FIRST ROUND
Friday — Raleigh
- (16) Norfolk State vs. (1) Florida | 6:50 p.m., TNT, (watch live)
- (9) Oklahoma vs. (8) UConn | 9:25 p.m., TNT (watch live)
Friday — Seattle
- (12) Colorado State vs. (5) Memphis | 2 p.m., TBS (watch live)
- (13) Grand Canyon vs. (4) Maryland | 4:35 p.m., TBS (watch live)
Thursday — Wichita
- (11) Drake vs. (6) Missouri | 7:35 p.m., truTV (watch live)
- (14) UNCW vs. (3) Texas Tech | 10:10 p.m., truTV (watch live)
Thursday — Providence
Second round
Saturday, March 22 — 12:10 p.m. start (CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV)
Rupp Arena (Lexington), Amica Mutual Pavilion (Providence), Intrust Bank Arena (Wichita), Ball Arena (Denver)
Sunday, March 19 — 12:10 p.m. start (CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV)
Climate Pledge Arena (Seattle), Rocket Arena (Cleveland), Fiserv Forum (Milwaukee), Lenovo Center (Raleigh)
Sweet 16
Thursday, March 27 — 7:09 p.m. start (CBS, TBS)
Prudential Center (Newark), Chase Center (San Francisco)
Friday, March 28 — 7:09 p.m. start (CBS, TBS)
State Farm Arena (Atlanta), Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)
Elite Eight
Saturday, March 29 — 6:09 p.m. start (TBS)
Prudential Center (Newark), Chase Center (San Francisco)
Sunday, March 30 — 2:20 p.m. start (CBS)
State Farm Arena (Atlanta), Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)
Final Four
Saturday, April 5 — 6:09 p.m. start (CBS)
Alamodome (San Antonio)
National Championship
Monday, April 7 — 8:50 p.m. (CBS)
Alamodome (San Antonio)