Selection Sunday is the widely anticipated day when the NCAA announces the full bracket for the annual men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, kicking off March Madness. But when is the selection show?
2025 Selection Sunday Information: Time, Date, and TV Channel
Selection Sunday is scheduled for Sunday, March 16. Here’s a thorough overview of the schedule, viewing options, and what to expect.
When is Selection Sunday?
Date: Sunday, March 16, 2025
Men’s Selection Show: 6 p.m. ET on CBS
Women’s Selection Show: 7 p.m. ET on ESPN
Selection Sunday marks the official start of the NCAA tournament, with the NCAA Selection Committee finalizing the 68-team field for both the men’s and women’s championships.
Teams that have earned automatic bids by winning their conference tournaments will be placed, followed by the remaining at-large teams picked based on their season performance.
How Does Selection Sunday Work?
The NCAA Selection Committee ranks teams based on their strength of schedule, quality wins, and overall record. Here’s an explanation of how this process works.
- Automatic Bids: 32 teams receive automatic bids by winning their respective conference tournaments.
- At-Large Bids: 36 teams are selected based on their body of work throughout the season.
- Seeding & Regions: Teams are ranked from 1 to 68 and placed into four regions: East, West, South, and Midwest. These regions try to sort teams by geographic region, but this can sometimes change based on removing potential conference matchups that may already have occurred.
- Bracket Announcement: The bracket, including the First Four matchups and full first-round pairings, is revealed during the selection shows.
Key Dates
Men’s Tournament
- First Four: March 18-19
- First Round: March 20-21
- Second Round: March 22-23
- Sweet 16: March 27-28
- Elite Eight: March 29-30
- Final Four: April 5
- NCAA Championship Game: April 7
Women’s Tournament
- First Four: March 19-20
- First Round: March 21-22
- Second Round: March 23-24
- Sweet 16: March 28-29
- Elite Eight: March 30-31
- Final Four: April 4
- NCAA Championship Game: April 6
Where to Watch
The Selection Sunday show airs live on CBS for the men’s tournament and on ESPN for the women’s tournament. For those who prefer streaming, the shows can be watched on the CBS Sports App, Paramount+, and the ESPN App.
Selection Sunday is the ultimate March Madness opener. It reveals the NCAA Tournament bracket and generates enthusiasm for the coming weeks of basketball action. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or simply enjoy filling out a bracket, don’t miss out on this big day.
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