The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is one of the most exciting times of the year.
It's thrilling and unpredictable, and you can watch it on TV or even in person if you live near a college campus with a team that made it into the tournament!
Look out for the March Madness odds too, as you are open to several winning opportunities in this period.
March Madness History & Meaning
March Madness is the name given to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, which is held every year at the end of March and beginning of April.
The term "March Madness" has been used by media outlets since 1985 and was coined by basketball analyst and former North Carolina State coach Jim Valvano.
The tournament is named after the month it's played in, as many universities begin their spring semesters on March 1st or 2nd. It began as a way for schools to fill their stadiums with fans during this normally slow period for college basketball teams.
How Do Teams Qualify for March Madness?
The teams that make it to the Big Dance have all qualified by winning their respective conferences. Some conferences, like the SEC and ACC, have a tournament that determines which teams qualify for March Madness.
In other conferences (like the Pac-12), all of the teams advance automatically to a “play-in” game with one final spot at stake in a match against an opponent from another conference.
The rest of these spots are filled by picking at-large bids based on performance during regular season play and projecting how they will do in future games—a process known as RPI (Rating Percentage Index)
What Is Selection Sunday?
The Selection Committee releases the complete NCAA tournament bracket on Selection Sunday, which includes all teams and seeds. Selection Sunday takes place on March 12 in 2023.
When Is the Men's March Madness Competition in 2022?
The 2023 Men's March Madness is scheduled to be held from Tuesday, March 12 to Monday April 3, 2023.
Below is the match schedule:
Selection Sunday: 12th of March, 2023
First Four: 14th to 15th of March, 2023
First Round: 16th to 17th of March, 2023
Second Round: 18th to 19th of March, 2023
Sweet 16: 23rd to 24th of March, 2023
Elite Eight: 25th to 26th of March, 2023
Final Four: 1st of April, 2023
NCAA Championship Game: 3rd of April, 2023
Venues of the events include UD Arena, T-Mobile Arena, Madison Square Garden, T-Mobile Center, KFC Yum! Center, NRG Stadium, and so on.
Game Times & How to Watch
This year's games kick off on Sunday, March 12, at noon ET with a first-round showdown. The rest of the tournament will take place over the week and into early next week.
The games are broadcast on TBS and CBS in addition to TNT and truTV (you can also watch them on your smartphone or tablet through one of those apps).
You can also stream all 67 games live on mobile devices in your browser via NCAA March Madness Live or CBS Sports website.
How Many Teams Are in the March Madness Tournament?
The number of teams that participate in the tournament changes every year.
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, or March Madness, is divided into four regions: East, South, West and Midwest. Each region contains multiple conferences with two champions from each conference advancing to their respective regional tournament.
The number of teams in each region varies depending on how many bids each conference receives (each conference gets one automatic bid and a few at-large bids for its best teams).
The most recent expansion took place before the 2011 tournament with the addition of Butler University from Indianapolis as well as VCU from Richmond and Creighton from Omaha.
Since then, there have been several more expansions including bringing back 16 seeds for five years starting in 2014 after they were eliminated due to economic concerns following an upset by 15th-seeded Minnesota over top seed Syracuse during 2009's event; expanding the field by adding 68th team instead of 64th starting with 2015 season (there had been no change since 1985); making bracket size even bigger by eliminating play-in games altogether starting this year (a change that some fans are not happy about).
What to Expect This Year
The NCAA men's basketball tournament is one of the biggest sporting events in America and people across the country gather together to watch their favorite teams play it out for a title.
The tournament takes place every March and millions of dollars are bet on who will win each game and ultimately claim victory as National Champions!
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March Madness is a great time of year, and it’s better than ever to watch it. With so much excitement around every game, there’s plenty to keep you entertained.
Whether you love basketball or just want something fun to do during these cold winter months, March Madness is the place for you!
