With the regular NCAA basketball season all wrapped up, it's time for one of the most entertaining months in sports — March Madness! Each year, the NCAA basketball tournament brings together both passionate fans and casual viewers as they witness thrilling college basketball. Sixty-eight teams enter and only one winner emerges. Anything can happen in March Madness 2024 — here are all the details on what to expect this year and how to score March Madness tickets!
March Madness Overview
March Madness refers to the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament that is held each spring. While 362 men's teams play in the regular season, only 68 participate in the tournament to determine the national champion.
With Selection Sunday now complete, we now know which teams fill the 68 tournament spots. Thirty-two teams got an automatic bid by winning their conference tournament — the remaining 36 spots were chosen via a selection committee. Once the 68 teams were decided, the committee seeded the teams, which means ranking them from 1 to 68, one being the highest.
After the initial First Four games, the remaining 64 teams are separated into four regions — East, Midwest, South and West. Within each region, teams are seeded from one to 16 and matched up accordingly (ie: 1 seed vs 16 seed, 2 vs 15, etc.). As a single-elimination tournament, winners continue to the next round until the championship game, where one team will win it all. For March Madness 2024, number 1 seeds include UConn, North Carolina, Purdue and Houston.
While on paper the higher seed should likely beat the lower seed, there are always inevitable "Cinderella" upsets that defy statistics and break brackets. They don't call it March Madness for nothing! Don't froget you can join in on the fun by filling out your own bracket and see how your predictions line up.
March Madness 2024 Dates
So when exactly is March Madness 2024? With Selection Sunday behind us, we now know which teams are competing and how the brackets are shaping up. The tournament schedule is as follows:
- First Four — March 19 and 20
- First Round — March 21 and 22
- Second Round — March 23 and 24
- Sweet Sixteen — March 28 and 29
- Elite Eight — March 30 and 31
- Final Four — April 6
- Championship Game — April 8
March Madness 2024 Locations
So where is March Madness 2024 held? The games for the March Madness tournament are held at various arenas across the country. Here are the March Madness 2024 locations:
- First Four — UD Arena in Dayton, OH
- First & Second Round — Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY; Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC; Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN; CHI Health Center in Omaha, NE; PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA; Delta Center (formerly Vivint Arena) in Salt Lake City, UT; Spokane Arena in Spokane, WA; FedExForum in Memphis, TN
- Sweet Sixteen & Elite Eight — TD Garden in Boston, MA; American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX; Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI; Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA
- Final Four & Championship Game — State Farm Stadium in Phoenix, AZ
March Madness Tickets
While there will be lots of TV coverage for March Madness, nothing quite beats the energy of watching a college basketball game in person. Be a part of the action by purchasing tournament tickets this year!
When Do March Madness Tickets Go on Sale?
Tickets for the NCAA men's basketball tournament are now available for purchase. Did you know Undercover Tourist is offering great deals on both regular season and March Madness tickets, including every round of the tournament? With over 20 years of experience, our tickets come with a 100% buyer guarantee so you can play it safe with your purchase.
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - First Four - Session 1 Tuesday, Mar. 18, 2025, Time TBD - University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, OH
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - First Four - Session 2 Wednesday, Mar. 19, 2025, Time TBD - University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, OH
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - All Sessions Thursday, Mar. 20, 2025, Time TBD - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - All Sessions Thursday, Mar. 20, 2025, 3:30am - Ball Arena, Denver, CO
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - All Sessions Thursday, Mar. 20, 2025, 9:00am - Amica Mutual Pavilion, Providence, RI
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - All Sessions Thursday, Mar. 20, 2025, 9:00am - INTRUST Bank Arena, Wichita, KS
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Session 1 Thursday, Mar. 20, 2025, 12:00pm - Ball Arena, Denver, CO
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Session 1 Thursday, Mar. 20, 2025, 12:00pm - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Session 1 Thursday, Mar. 20, 2025, 12:00pm - Amica Mutual Pavilion, Providence, RI
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Session 1 Thursday, Mar. 20, 2025, 1:00pm - INTRUST Bank Arena, Wichita, KS
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Session 2 Thursday, Mar. 20, 2025, 6:00pm - Amica Mutual Pavilion, Providence, RI
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Session 2 Thursday, Mar. 20, 2025, 6:00pm - Ball Arena, Denver, CO
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Session 2 Thursday, Mar. 20, 2025, 6:00pm - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Session 2 Thursday, Mar. 20, 2025, 7:00pm - INTRUST Bank Arena, Wichita, KS
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - All Sessions Friday, Mar. 21, 2025, 3:30am - Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - All Sessions Friday, Mar. 21, 2025, 3:30am - PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - All Sessions Friday, Mar. 21, 2025, 3:30am - Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - All Sessions Friday, Mar. 21, 2025, 3:30am - Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Session 1 Friday, Mar. 21, 2025, 1:00pm - PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Session 1 Friday, Mar. 21, 2025, 1:00pm - Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Session 1 Friday, Mar. 21, 2025, 1:00pm - Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Session 1 Friday, Mar. 21, 2025, 1:00pm - Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH
- NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament - Seattle Session 2 Friday, Mar. 21, 2025, 6:00pm - Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Session 2 Friday, Mar. 21, 2025, 7:00pm - Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Session 2 Friday, Mar. 21, 2025, 7:00pm - Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Session 2 Friday, Mar. 21, 2025, 7:00pm - PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Session 2 Friday, Mar. 21, 2025, 7:00pm - Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Session 3 Saturday, Mar. 22, 2025, 12:00pm - Ball Arena, Denver, CO
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Session 3 Saturday, Mar. 22, 2025, 12:00pm - Amica Mutual Pavilion, Providence, RI
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Session 3 Saturday, Mar. 22, 2025, 12:00pm - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Session 3 Saturday, Mar. 22, 2025, 7:00pm - INTRUST Bank Arena, Wichita, KS
- NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament: Rounds 1 & 2 - Session 3 (Time: TBD) Sunday, Mar. 23, 2025, 12:00pm - Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Session 3 Sunday, Mar. 23, 2025, 7:00pm - Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Session 3 Sunday, Mar. 23, 2025, 7:00pm - Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Session 3 Sunday, Mar. 23, 2025, 7:00pm - PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Session 3 Sunday, Mar. 23, 2025, 7:00pm - Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - West Regional - All Sessions Thursday, Mar. 27, 2025, 3:30am - Chase Center, San Francisco, CA
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - East Regional - All Sessions Thursday, Mar. 27, 2025, 9:00am - Prudential Center, Newark, NJ
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - West Regional - Session 1 Thursday, Mar. 27, 2025, 1:00pm - Chase Center, San Francisco, CA
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - East Regional - Session 1 Thursday, Mar. 27, 2025, 1:00pm - Prudential Center, Newark, NJ
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - South Regional - All Sessions Friday, Mar. 28, 2025, 3:30am - State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Midwest Regional - All Sessions Friday, Mar. 28, 2025, 3:30am - Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - South Regional - Session 1 Friday, Mar. 28, 2025, 1:00pm - State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Midwest Regional - Session 1 Friday, Mar. 28, 2025, 1:00pm - Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - East Regional - Session 2 Saturday, Mar. 29, 2025, 1:00pm - Prudential Center, Newark, NJ
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - West Regional - Session 2 Saturday, Mar. 29, 2025, 1:00pm - Chase Center, San Francisco, CA
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - Midwest Regional - Session 2 Sunday, Mar. 30, 2025, 1:00pm - Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
- NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament - South Regional - Session 2 Sunday, Mar. 30, 2025, 1:00pm - State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
- NCAA Mens Final Four - All Sessions Saturday, Apr. 5, 2025, 3:30am - Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
- NCAA Mens Final Four - Semifinals Saturday, Apr. 5, 2025, 7:00pm - Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
- NCAA Mens Final Four - Championship Monday, Apr. 7, 2025, 7:00pm - Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
Are you excited for March Madness? Will you be making a bracket this year? Let us know in the comments below!
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