Men’s College Basketball Tournament: 2024 dates, schedule, how to watch, regions, format & more

bet365 News Team Updated: Feb 29 2024 19:55

The 2024 men's college basketball tournament first round tips off on Thursday, March 21, commencing three-plus weeks of action up to the national title game on Monday, April 8.

The tournament marks one of the most exciting times of year on the United States sporting calendar.

Let’s take a look at the 2024 men's tournament, including dates, schedule, regions, format and more.

Men's College Basketball Tournament 2024 dates

Bracket reveal	Sunday, March 17
Play-In round	March 19-20
First round	March 21-22
Second round	March 23-24
Last 16	March 28-29
Last 8	March 30-31
Last 4	Saturday, April 6
Championship	Monday, April 8

How to watch Men's College Basketball Tournament, TV channel and streaming

The men’s college basketball tournament is available to watch and stream live on various channels and streaming platforms.

TV Channels: CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV

Streaming Services: Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, Paramount+ (CBS games), Sling TV (TBS, TNT and truTV games), fuboTV (CBS games), March Madness Live app

Men's College Basketball Tournament 2024 regions

The tournament spans all over the country before the last four - and eventually the last two - teams merge in Phoenix, Arizona for the semifinal and championship game.

There are four different regions in the bracket (East, West, Midwest, South), so the cities and venues depend on where they are in the bracket.

Round	Dates	City	Venue
Play-In	March 19-20	Dayton, OH	UD Arena
First/Second	March 22-24	Brooklyn, NY	Barclays Center
First/Second	March 21-23	Charlotte, NC	Spectrum Center
First/Second	March 22-24	Indianapolis, IN	Gainbridge Fieldhouse
First/Second	March 21-23	Omaha, NE	CHI Health Center
First/Second	March 21-23	Pittsburgh, PA	PPG Paints Arena
First/Second	March 21-23	Salt Lake City, UT	Delta Center
First/Second	March 22-24	Spokane, WA	Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena
First/Second	March 22-24	Memphis, TN	FedEx Forum
East Regional	March 28-30	Boston, MA	TD Garden
South Regional	March 29-31	Dallas, TX	American Airlines Center
Midwest Regional	March 29-31	Detroit, MI	Little Caesars Arena
West Regional	March 28-30	Los Angeles, CA	Crypto.com Arena
Last 4	April 6	Phoenix, AZ	State Farm Stadium
Championship	April 8	Phoenix, AZ	State Farm Stadium

Men's College Basketball Tournament format

The tournament is a single-elimination format with 68 teams involved.

Eight teams play in a preliminary round to determine the final four spots in the main bracket.

The remaining 64 teams are divided into four regions (East, West, South, and Midwest).Teams are seeded within each region (1-16), with higher seeds playing lower seeds.

Each round consists of single-elimination games, with the winner advancing and the loser eliminated until two teems meet in the title game to determine the national champion.

Men's College Basketball Tournament team selection & bracket reveal

68 teams are invited to the men's college basketball tournament.

32 teams receive automatic bids by winning their conference tournaments, and 36 receive "at-large bids" from a selection committee based on their season performance.

The committee announces the 68 teams and their seeding (ranking from 1 to 68) on the Sunday before the tournament begins.

The selection committee is made up of 12 athletic directors and conference commissions throughout Division I.

Men's College Basketball Tournament tournament history

The first men's tournament happened in 1939, and it featured a matchup between Oregon and Ohio State.

Since then, the tournament has become one of the most-watched events in America each year.

Fans enjoy making brackets and attempt to predict the perfect bracket, but with 68 teams and several different rounds, it is nearly impossible to accomplish that feat.

The tournament has only grown in popularity in the last few decades and it continues to be one of the best tournaments in the calendar year.