When is March Madness 2024? Dates, TV schedule, locations, odds & more for the NCAA Tournament

Conference tournaments mark the unofficial start of March Madness, but it won’t be long until the bracket is released and you can begin to fill in your picks.

For anyone who filled out a bracket last year, the result was chaos. No. 1 Purdue and No. 2 Arizona went down in the first round, followed by No. 1 Kansas and blue bloods Duke and Kentucky in the second round. No. 4 UConn was the highest seed to reach the Final Four, though that’s where the upsets came to a halt as the Huskies rolled to a national title.

Will 2024 bring the same madness? March always brings an element of unpredictability, but it might not be fair to say the field is as wide open as it was in 2023. UConn again looks like a powerhouse, while Houston and Purdue have consistently looked a step above the rest along with the Huskies.

This is March, though. The regular season records can be thrown out and conference championships tossed aside if the right Cinderella team comes along.

Here’s all you need to know about the 2024 NCAA Tournament, including key dates, the complete schedule and championship odds.

MORE: Watch select NCAA Tournament games with Sling TV

March Madness bracket 2024

The March Madness bracket will be set on March 17 during the Selection Sunday showing on CBS.

Automatic bids will go to 32 conference champions, and 36 others will receive an at-large bid to fill out the remainder of the field.

NCAA Tournament schedule 2024

Start date: Tuesday, March 19 (First Four)
End date: Monday, April 8 (national championship)
The 2024 NCAA Tournament consists of the First Four, first round, second round, Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four and national championship game.

The tournament begins on Tuesday, March 19, with the first round starting on Thursday, March 21. The madness will conclude with the national championship on Monday, April 8.

Here is the full schedule for March Madness 2024:

Round
Date
First Four
March 19-20
Round 1
March 21-22
Round 2
March 23-24
Sweet 16
March 28-29
Elite Eight
March 30-31
Final Four
April 6
National championship
April 8
When is the First Four?

Date: March 19-20
Time: 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET
TV channel: TruTV
Live stream: NCAA March Madness Live, Sling TV
The First Four will take place on Tuesday, March 19 and Wednesday, March 20. 

Eight teams will take the floor in the First Four: the four lowest-seeded at-large teams selected and the four lowest-seeded automatic bids. That means four teams will see their hopes dashed before the start of the first round.

Teams who land in the First Four have reason for hope. Two (VCU in 2011 and UCLA in 2021) have reached the Final Four after playing in the First Four. A First Four team has also advanced past the first round in each of the last three tournaments, including both No. 11 Pittsburgh and No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson last year.

When is the Final Four?

The 2024 NCAA Tournament ends in Phoenix, where the Final Four on Saturday, April 6 sets up the national championship game between the nation’s two finalists on Monday, April 8. 

Date: Saturday, April 6, and Monday, April 8
Time: 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. ET (Final Four), 9 p.m. ET (national championship)
TV channel: CBS
Live stream: NCAA March Madness Live, Sling TV
March Madness schedule 2024

The complete 2024 March Madness schedule will be updated when the 68-team field is announced on Selection Sunday.

First Four

Tuesday, March 19

Game
Time (ET)
TV
TBD vs. TBD
6:40 p.m.
TruTV, Sling TV
TBD vs. TBD
9:10 p.m.
TruTV, Sling TV
Wednesday, March 20

Game
Time (ET)
TV
TBD vs. TBD
6:40 p.m.
TruTV, Sling TV
TBD vs. TBD
9:10 p.m.
TruTV, Sling TV
Round 1

Thursday, March 21

Game
Time (ET)
TV
TBD vs. TBD
12:15 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
12:40 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
1:40 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
2 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
2:45 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
3:10 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
4:10 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
4:30 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
6:50 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
7:10 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
7:25 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
7:35 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
9:20 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
9:40 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
9:55 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
10:05 p.m.
 
Friday, March 22

Game
Time (ET)
TV
TBD vs. TBD
12:15 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
12:40 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
1:40 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
2 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
2:45 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
3:10 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
4:10 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
4:30 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
6:50 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
7:10 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
7:25 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
7:35 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
9:20 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
9:40 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
9:55 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
10:05 p.m.
 
Round 2

Saturday, March 23

Game
Time (ET)
TV
TBD vs. TBD
Noon
 
TBD vs. TBD
2:30 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
5 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
6 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
7 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
7:30 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
8:30 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
9:30 p.m.
 
Sunday, March 24

Game
Time (ET)
TV
TBD vs. TBD
Noon
 
TBD vs. TBD
2:30 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
5 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
6 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
7 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
7:30 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
8:30 p.m.
 
TBD vs. TBD
9:30 p.m.
 
Sweet 16

Thursday, March 28

Game
Time (ET)
TV
TBD vs. TBD
7 p.m.
CBS
TBD vs. TBD
7:30 p.m.
CBS
TBD vs. TBD
8:45 p.m.
TBS
TBD vs. TBD
9:30 p.m.
TBS
Friday, March 29

Game
Time (ET)
TV
TBD vs. TBD
7 p.m.
CBS
TBD vs. TBD
7:30 p.m.
CBS
TBD vs. TBD
8:45 p.m.
TBS
TBD vs. TBD
9:30 p.m.
TBS
Elite Eight

Saturday, March 30

Game
Time (ET)
TV
TBD vs. TBD
6 p.m.
TBS
TBD vs. TBD
8:30 p.m.
TBS
Sunday, March 31

Game
Time (ET)
TV
TBD vs. TBD
2 p.m.
CBS
TBD vs. TBD
4:55 p.m.
CBS
Final Four

Saturday, April 6

Game
Time (ET)
TV
TBD vs. TBD
6 p.m.
TBS
TBD vs. TBD
8:30 p.m.
TBS
National championship

Monday, April 8

Game
Time (ET)
TV
TBD vs. TBD
9 p.m.
TBS
How to watch March Madness games in 2024

CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV will split the duty of broadcasting the 2024 NCAA Tournament, as part of a broadcasting deal that will run through 2032.

Round
TV channel
First Four
TruTV
Round 1
CBS, TBS, TNT, TruTV
Round 2
CBS, TBS, TNT, TruTV
Sweet 16
CBS, TBS
Elite Eight
CBS, TBS
Final Four
TBS
National championship
TBS
Here are the regional weekend broadcast teams.

Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson, Allie LaForce (sideline)
Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas, Evan Washburn (sideline)
Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery, Grant Hill, Tracy Wolfson (sideline)
Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner, Stan Van Gundy, Andy Katz (sideline)
The rest of the announcer teams, in alphabetical order:

Lisa Byington, Steve Smith, Robbie Hummel, Lauren Shehadi (sideline)
Spero Dedes, Jim Spanarkel, Jon Rothstein (sideline)
Tom McCarthy, Deb Antonelli, Avery Johnson, AJ Ross (sideline)
Brad Nessler, Brendan Haywood, Dana Jacobson (sideline)
The 2024 NCAA Tournament can be streamed via NCAA March Madness Live. Other streaming services include Sling TV.

Odds to win March Madness 2024

Below are the teams most likely to win the 2024 NCAA Tournament via BetMGM (as of Wednesday, March 6):

UConn (+500)
Houston (+650)
Purdue (+700)
Arizona (+1000)
Tennessee (+1200)
North Carolina (+1800)
Auburn (+2000)
Kansas (+2000)
Iowa State (+2000)
Kentucky (+2200)
Alabama (+2500)
Duke (+2500)
Marquette (+2500)
Creighton (+3000)
Baylor (+3500)
Illinois (+3500)
Michigan State (+5000)
BYU (+5000)

Future Final Four locations, host sites

Below are the host sites for future Final Fours from 2025-2030:

Year
City
Final Four host site
2025
San Antonio
Alamodome
2026
Indianapolis
Lucas Oil Stadium
2027
Detroit
Ford Field
2028
Las Vegas
Allegiant Stadium
2029
Indianapolis
Lucas Oil Stadium
2030
North Texas
AT&T Stadium
NCAA Tournament 2024 tickets

Tickets for the 67 games of the 2024 NCAA Tournament are available on StubHub.

NCAA Tournament winners

UConn won the 2023 NCAA Tournament, securing its fifth national title and first under coach Dan Hurley with a win over San Diego State in the championship game. The victory put UConn among five other programs with at least five men’s titles.

UCLA leads the charge with 11 national championships under its belt, followed by the blue bloods: Kentucky (8), North Carolina (6) and Duke (5), with the Blue Devils joined by Indiana (5) and UConn (5). 

School
National titles
Most recent
UCLA
11
1995
Kentucky
8
2012
North Carolina
6
2017
Connecticut
5
2023
Duke
5
2015
Indiana
5
1987
Kansas
4
2022
Villanova
3
2018
Cincinnati
2
1962
Florida
2
2007
Louisville
2
1986
Michigan State
2
2000
N.C. State
2
1983
Oklahoma State
2
1946
San Francisco
2
1956
Arizona
1
1997
Arkansas
1
1994
Baylor
1
2021
California
1
1959
City College of New York
1
1950
Georgetown
1
1984
Holy Cross
1
1947
La Salle
1
1954
Loyola Chicago
1
1963
Marquette
1
1977
Maryland
1
2002
Michigan
1
1989
Ohio State
1
1960
Oregon
1
1939
UNLV
1
1990
Stanford
1
1942
Syracuse
1
2003
UTEP
1
1966
Utah
1
1944
Virginia
1
2019
Wisconsin
1
1941
Wyoming
1
1943