NCAA March Madness 2023 dates: When does the tournament start, schedule, qualified teams so far, where to watch, and more
The NCAA March Madness 2023 is fast approaching, with several conference championships starting next week. The tournament will start on Mar. 14 at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio.
The Final Four is scheduled for April 1 and 3 at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. The top-ranked Houston Cougars (26-2, 14-1 American Athletic Conference) are the favorites to win the tournament. They are followed by the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide (24-4, 14-1 Southeastern Conference), No. 5 Purdue Boilermakers (24-4, 13-4 Big Ten), No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks (23-5, 11-4 Big 12) and No. 7 Arizona Wildcats (24-4, 13-4 Pac-12).
Kansas triumphed last season by overcoming the underdog UNC Tar Heels in the NCAA championship final 72-69. It was an amazing run for the Jayhawks, who are now looking to become the first champions to repeat since the Florida Gators in 2006 and 2007.
2023 NCAA March Madness schedule and venues
The 2023 NCAA Tournament will start on Mar. 14 with the First Four tournament at Dayton, Ohio. It will have the the four-lowest seeded automatic qualifiers against the four lowest-seeded at-large teams. The winners of the four games advance to the first round of the tournament.
Rounds 1 and 2 are scheduled from March 16 to 19 in eight locations around the nation. The host cities are Orlando, Florida; Birmingham, Alabama; Des Moines, Iowa; Sacramento, California; Albany, New York; Greensboro, South Carolina; Columbus, Ohio; and Denver, Colorado.
The regional semifinals and finals (the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight) are scheduled from March 23 to 26.
East regional games will be played at Madison Square Garden in New York City, while the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas will host the West regional games. The KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky, will host the South regional games, while the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, is the location for the Midwest regionals.
The Final Four will be held at NRG Stadium, home of the Houston Texans, from April 1 to 3. The hosts for the event are the University of Houston, Rice University, Houston Christian University and Texas Southern University.
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2023 March Madness qualified teams
There are no qualified teams for the 2023 March Madness currently. There will be a total of 68 teams for the NCAA Tournament, with 32 teams automatically qualifying by winning their conference championship.
The NCAA Selection Committee will select the remaining 36 teams on Selection Sunday on March 12. Eight of those teams will be selected for the First Four tournament, while the others will be seeded accordingly by the committee.
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Where to watch 2023 March Madness?
The 2023 March Madness will be televised exclusively in the United States by CBS Sports and Warner Bros. Discovery Sports. Selection Sunday will be televised on CBS, while the First Four will be on TruTV.
Fans can watch the first and second rounds on CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV, while the regional semifinals and finals will be broadcast on CBS and TBS. Final Four coverage will be exclusively shown on CBS.
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