NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball tournaments, famed as ‘March Madness’ will start in the third week of March. A three-week tournament will see the top 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the National level champion. Many NBA stars made their name and entered the league through the prestigious college-level competition. NBA 2023-24: Victor Wembanyama Becomes Youngest Player in NBA to Record a 5x5 Stat, Achieves Feat in Los Angeles Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs Match.
A total of 32 automatic bids are awarded to each program that won a conference tournament. The remaining 36 bids are issued "at-large", with selections extended by the twelve-member NCAA Selection Committee. Eight teams (the four-seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams) play in the qualification round, known as 'first four' to advance to the main bracket. The Selection Committee gives seeding to the entire field from 1 to 68.
NCAA March Madness 2024 Schedule: Dates and Locations of Each Stage
The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball begins on March 19 and lasts through April 8, while the women's tournament starts March 20 and lasts through April 7. There will be seven rounds of elimination games including the qualification rounds. Check out the complete schedule below,
The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Schedule
Event | Date | Venue |
Selection Sunday | March 17 | |
First Four | March 19 and March 20 | UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio |
First Round Games | March 21 | Charlotte, Omaha, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City |
First Round Games | March 22 | Brooklyn, Indianapolis, Spokane, Memphis |
Second Round Games | March 23 | Charlotte, Omaha, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City |
Second Round Games | March 24 | Brooklyn, Indianapolis, Spokane, Memphis |
Sweet 16 Round | March 28 | Boston and Los Angeles |
Sweet 16 Round | March 29 | Dallas and Detroit |
Elite Eight Round | March 30 | Boston and Los Angeles |
Elite Eight Round | March 31 | Dallas and Detroit |
Final Four Round | April 6 | State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. |
NCAA Championship Game | April 8 | State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. |
The NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Schedule
While venues from the Sweet 16 round for the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball are out yet and rest venues will be informed once the teams are finalized, NBA All-Star 2024 Weekend: Damian Lillard Wins Back-to-Back 3-Point Shooting Contests (Watch Video Highlights)
Event | Date | Venue |
Selection Sunday | March 17 | |
First Four | March 20 and March 21 | |
First Round Games | March 22 | |
First Round Games | March 23 | |
Second Round Games | March 24 | |
Second Round Games | March 25 | |
Sweet 16 Round | March 29 | Albany, New York |
Sweet 16 Round | March 30 | Portland, Oregon |
Elite Eight Round | March 31 | Albany, New York |
Elite Eight Round | April 11 | Portland, Oregon |
Final Four Round | April 5 | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland |
NCAA Championship Game | April 7 | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland |
Fans experienced a great tournament back in 2023 where the University of Connecticut men's basketball team earned its fifth national championship after defeating San Diego State 76-59. In the Women’s division, the LSU women's basketball team won its first NCAA championship beating the University of Iowa 102-85.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 26, 2024 09:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).