And so it begins! Another March Madness, sure to be full of incredible college basketball, is upon us. It will inspire lots of frayed nerves, some insane face painting, and of course, completion of those brackets in hopes of winning bragging rights… or that office pool. This year’s NCAA tournament bracket will be revealed on Sunday, March 17 and then, beginning March 19, the 68 teams in the competition get whittled down to 64 after four in-games settle which teams will remain in the four regional tournaments of 16 teams. March Madness kicks off in earnest on Thursday, March 21, the first full day of the tournament.
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As of now, frontrunners include Duke, Virginia and Gonzaga but hey, it’s early and anything can happen. They don’t call it madness for nothing! Head over to CBS Sports to get a more detailed breakdown of all the teams’ status and a printable tournament bracket. In the meantime, here’s when to watch and how:
When the games air:
* March 19-20: First Four play-in games
* March 21-24: Rounds 1 and 2
* March 28-29: Sweet 16
* March 30-31: Elite Eight
* April 6: Final Four
* April 8: National Championship Game
Where to Watch:
March Madness games will be shown across four channels: CBS (including CBS All Access), TBS, TNT and truTV.
Already cut the cord? No problem. You can still get in on the action through your streaming service, just as long as your service carries your local CBS station. Check out CNET’s breakdown of streaming services to see which ones will allow you to catch every minute of the action, or if you’ll need to supplement your current configuration.
Also, the NCAA’s March Madness Live site and its corresponding March Madness Live app (Apple or Android) will carry the games too, although to get access to every game you’ll have to sign in with credentials from a pay provider, like Direct TV.
(Disclaimer: TV Guide is owned by CBS, parent company of CNET and CBS Sports.)