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March Madness 2020: All the info you need for the Big Dance

March Madness 2020

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - MARCH 16: The NCAA logo is seen in the second half of the game between the Northwestern Wildcats and the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 16, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

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The 2020 NCAA Tournament -- March Madness baby! -- is right around the corner, and you are going to have questions about it.

This post will walk you through everything that you need to know to get ready for the greatest three weeks in the history of sports.

WHEN IS SELECTION SUNDAY?

Selection Sunday 2020 will take place this Sunday, March 15th. The bracket reveal will before at 6 p.m. ET on CBS.

RELATED: Bubble Watch | Bracketology | Conference Tournaments

WHEN IS MARCH MADNESS 2020?

The 2020 NCAA Tournament starts on Tuesday, March 17th, and runs through Monday, April 6th.

Three glorious weeks comprised of 68 programs, 67 games and only one team heading into the offseason coming off of a win. It’s made up of six rounds as well as a quartet of play-in games, known as the First Four.

Here is the full 2020 NCAA Tournament schedule:


  • FIRST FOUR: March 17-18
  • FIRST ROUND: March 19-20
  • SECOND ROUND: March 21-22
  • SWEET 16: March 26-27
  • ELITE EIGHT: March 28-29
  • FINAL FOUR: April 4
  • CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: April 6

HOW DO I WATCH THE NCAA TOURNAMENT?

There are four networks that will show all 67 of the NCAA tournament games: Tru TV, TNT, TBS and CBS.

FIRST FOUR: Tru TV
ROUND 1: CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV
ROUND 2: CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV
SWEET 16: CBS and TBS
ELITE EIGHT: CBS and TBS
FINAL FOUR: TBS
NATIONAL TITLE: TBS

WHAT CHANNEL IS TRUTV?

Here’s the list:


  • AT&T Uverse: 1164
  • DirecTV: 246
  • Dish Network: 9430
  • Verizon Fios: 683

These providers have different numbers depending on your area code:

WHERE IS MARCH MADNESS 2020?

The 2020 NCAA Tournament will be hosted in 14 different cities over those three weeks.

This is where each round will take place:

FIRST FOUR

UD Arena (Dayton, OH)

FIRST WEEKEND (Round 1 and 2)

Times Union Center (Albany, NY)
Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena (Spokane, WA)
Enterprise Center (St. Louis)
Amalie Arena (Tampa, FL)
Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro, NC)
CenturyLink Center (Omaha)
Golden 1 Center (Sacramento, CA)
Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse (Cleveland)

SECOND WEEKEND (Sweet 16 and Elite Eight)

Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)
Staples Center (Los Angeles)
Toyota Center (Houston)
Madison Square Garden (New York)

FINAL FOUR

Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)

WILL FANS BE ALLOWED TO ATTEND TOURNAMENT GAMES DURING THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK?

According to a statement released by the NCAA on March 6th, a COVID-19 Advisory Panel sanctioned by the NCAA “is not recommending cancellation or public spacing of athletic and related events scheduled to occur in public spaces across the United States.”

The panel, which is made up of doctors and and scholars from some of the leading universities around the country, believes that COVID-19 -- the official name for the coronavirus -- is something that needs to be studied more before the NCAA takes the step to ban fans from the events.

It may happen in the future, but as things stand, fans are currently allowed to attend the games.

WHEN IS THE FIRST FOUR?

The 2020 First Four will be played in Dayton, Ohio, on March 17-18. There will be a double-header each night on TruTV, with the first game tipping off at 6:40 p.m. ET and the second tipping off 30 minutes after the first game ends, roughly 9:10 p.m. ET.

WHEN IS THE FINAL FOUR?

The 2020 Final Four will be the end of the college basketball season. It will be broadcast on TBS live from the Mercedes-Benz Dome in Atlanta on Saturday, April 4th, and Monday, April 6th. The Saturday games will tip off at 6:09 p.m. ET and roughly 8:49 p.m. ET, while the national title game always tips off at 9:20 p.m. on that Monday night.

ODDS TO WIN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT?

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, these are the 12 favorites to win the national title:

Kansas (6:1)
Gonzaga (8:1)
Baylor (11:1)
Dayton (23:2)
Michigan State (15:1)
San Diego State (15:1)
Maryland (16:1)
Duke (20:1)
Florida State (20:1)
Kentucky (20:1)
Louisville (20:1)
Villanova (22:1)