Now that the last pint of green beer has been poured, it’s time to move on to the next reason to celebrate March: college basketball.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) annual single-elimination tournament, more commonly known as March Madness, kicked things off over the weekend with Selection Sunday. Here’s what you need to know heading into the First Four games and how to tune in.
A very brief history of March Madness
On the men’s side, the tournament dates back to 1939. Eight teams competed for the Division 1 Championship title, with Oregon taking home the inaugural trophy. The women got in on the action in 1982. Since then, the Tennessee Lady Volunteers have competed in every edition of the tournament.
What happened during Selection Sunday?
These days, the playing field has expanded to 68 teams on both sides of the tournament.
Thirty-one of the teams are picked because they automatically qualify after winning their own Division 1 conference. The other 37 are picked by the NCAA Selection Committee, who takes factors such as the team’s overall season record into consideration.
After the teams are chosen, that same committee grants each one a seed or ranking. This helps ensure the playing schedule is fair and balanced.
It’s hard not to be an armchair critic when the teams and seeds are announced. Almost every year has some controversy, and 2025 is no exception.
Men’s fans were shocked to see the University of North Carolina included in the tournament after its 22-13 record in the 2024-25 season. Bubba Cunningham, the UNC athletic director who also sits on the Selection Committee, assured CBS that he recused himself from the process.
“All the policies and procedures were followed, and Keith [Gill, the commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference] can address exactly how North Carolina was discussed because I was not in the room for any of that,” he explained, as cited by CNN.
Meanwhile, women’s fans were surprised to see the UCLA Bruins take the No. 1 seed from South Carolina. This is the first time since 2021 that the Gamecocks were not given the honors. Head Coach Dawn Stanley would like to have more insight into the decision making process.
“Obviously, it’s disappointing. It really is. I’d like to get some feedback on how they came to that conclusion because we put together, we manufactured a schedule that if done right it should produce an overall number one seed,” she said, according to CBS Sports.
How can I watch or stream the First Four March Madness games?
Now that the beginning of the brackets are ready to go, let’s watch some hoops. The action packed tournament starts out with the lowest seeded teams facing off in what’s known as the First Four.
For the first men’s game, St. Francis will take on Alabama State on Tuesday at 6:40 pm ET. Here’s the full First Four men’s schedule:
Tuesday, March 18:
- Alabama State vs. Saint Francis: 6:40 p.m. (truTV)
- San Diego State vs. North Carolina: 9:10 p.m. (truTV)
Wednesday, March 19:
- American University vs. Mount St. Mary’s: 6:40 p.m. (truTV)
- Texas vs. Xavier: 9:10 p.m. (truTV)
For the first women’s game, Iowa State and Princeton will battle it out on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET. Here’s the full First Four women’s schedule:
- Iowa State vs. Princeton: 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
- UC San Diego vs. Southern U: 9 p.m. (ESPNU)
Thursday, March 20:
- High Point vs. William & Mary: 9 p.m. (ESPNU)
- Columbia vs. Washington: 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Every moment of the NCAA men’s and women’s tournament will be broadcast live. Because there are numerous games, it takes multiple channels to broadcast them all.
This year the First Four men’s games will be on the TruTV channel. This lesser-known cable channel is included in most traditional cable subscriptions. The women’s First Four games will be on ESPNU and ESPN2.
Cord-cutters should be able to find these channels on the following streaming services, but double check your local offerings before signing up:
- Hulu + Live TV
- YouTube TV
- Sling TV
What about the rest of the tournament?
The rest of the men’s games will be spread out on CBS, TBS, and TNT, and their streaming platforms, such as Paramount+.
The women’s tournament will call ESPN’s networks and ABC home.
For a printable men’s bracket and full schedule click here. For a printable women’s bracket and full schedule click here.
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