When does March Madness Start? Tipoff dates for men's & women's tournaments, NIT

March Madness information: Tip-off dates, tournament information for men and women’s games

It’s tough to believe that March Madness is so near already, with only six games left on the schedule for Texas A&M basketball. This has been a season for the Aggies that has seen no small amount of tumult, and while the upheaval has Aggie Hoops fans worried about qualifying for the Big Dance, they are by no means out of the running.

Selection Sunday itself is scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 17. Only two days later, the First Four will begin on March 19, running through the following day. Those four games will decide the final, 64-team field that will be competing in the six-round tournament.

After the 20th, the tournament begins in full on March 21. That kicks off possibly the best four days in all of sports fandom, with games tipping off all throughout the afternoon and into the evening in each day of the Round of 64 and the Round of 32. The first round goes from March 21-22, and the second round goes from March 23-24.

There’s then a week-long break before the next round of games begin; the Sweet Sixteen goes from March 28-29, and the Elite Eight goes from March 30-31. The Final Four will come around after another week break, on April 6, before the National Championship on April 8.

That’s the men’s tournament, though. The women’s tourney is offset by one day; the first four for the women runs from March 20-21, with the first round going from March 22-23. The second round runs from March 24-25, the Sweet Sixteen from March 29-30, the Elite Eight from March 31-April 1, and the Final Four on April 5. The women’s national championship will be on April 7 at 3 PM.

The NIT starts on March 19, with first round games airing that day and the following (the 20th). The second round goes from March 23-24, the quarterfinals from March 26-27, the semifinals on April 2, and the championship on April 4.