NCAA brackets live updates: When first-round March Madness games will be played (2024)

March Madness is here!

The 2021 NCAA Tournament field is being revealed on Selection Sunday. We will have the brackets, the seeds and more as 68 teams learn their path to the national championship that will be decided in Lucas Oil Stadium on April 5.

The March Madness tournament will begin Thursday, March 18, with the "First Four" games. First-round games will be played Friday, March 19, and Saturday, March 20.

All 67 games are being played in Central Indiana, and teams will remain in Indianapolis until they are eliminated.

Need a March Madness bracket?:Download, print and fill out your predictions here

► Breaking down the South Region

► Breaking down the Midwest Region

► Breaking down the East Region

► Breaking down the West Region

Who will break your bracket?:The Cinderella teams of the 2021 NCAA Tournament

More:What happens if a team needs to pull out of the NCAA tournament due to COVID-19

First four schedule

Texas Southern vs. Mount St. Mary's, 5:10 p.m. Thursday in Bloomington, Ind., TruTV

Drake vs. Wichita State, 6:27 p.m. Thursday in West Lafayette, Ind., TBS

Appalachian State vs. Norfolk State, 8:40 p.m. Thursday in Bloomington, Ind., TruTV

UCLA vs. Michigan State, 9:57 p.m. Thursday in West Lafayette, Ind., TBS

6:39 p.m. — Teams on standby if COVID knocks others out

1 Louisville (13-7)

2 Colorado State (18-6)

3 Saint Louis (14-6)

4 Ole Miss (16-11)

6:37 p.m. — East Region highlighted by Michigan State/UCLA play-in game

1 Michigan (20-4) vs. 16 Mt. St. Mary's/Texas Southern winner, 3 p.m. Saturday at West Lafayette, CBS

8 LSU (18-9) vs. 9 St. Bonaventure (16-4), 1:45 p.m. Saturday at Bloomington, TNT

5 Colorado (22-8) vs. 12 Georgetown (13-12), 12:15 p.m. Saturday at Hinkle Fieldhouse, CBS

4 Florida State (16-6) vs. 13 UNC Greensboro (21-8), 12:45 p.m. Saturday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, TruTV

6 BYU (20-6) vs. 11 Michigan State/UCLA winner, 9:40 p.m. Saturday at Hinkle Fieldhouse, CBS

3 Texas (19-7) vs. 14 Abilene Christian (23-4), 9:50 p.m. Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium, TruTV

7 UConn (15-7) vs. 10 Maryland (16-13), 7:10 p.m. Saturday at West Lafayette, Ind., CBS

2 Alabama (24-6) vs. 15 Iona (12-5), 4 p.m. Saturday at Hinkle Fieldhouse, TBS

6:30 p.m. — Midwest Region gets Illinois as top seed

1 Illinois (23-6) vs. 16 Drexel (12-7), 1:15 p.m. Friday at Farmers Coliseum, TBS

8 Loyola Chicago (24-4) vs. 9 Georgia Tech (17-8), 4 p.m. Friday at Hinkle Fieldhouse, TBS

6:22p.m. — Baylor leads the South Region, Purdue gets North Texas

1 Baylor (22-2) vs. 16 Hartford (15-8), 3:30 p.m. Friday at Lucas Oil Stadium, TruTV

8 North Carolina (18-10) vs. 9 Wisconsin (17-12), 7:10 p.m. Friday at West Lafayette, Ind., CBS

5 Villanova (16-6) vs. 12 Winthrop (23-1), 9:57 p.m. Friday at Farmers Coliseum, TNT

4 Purdue (18-9) vs. 13 North Texas (17-9), 7:25 p.m. Friday at Lucas Oil Stadium, TNT

6 Texas Tech (17-10) vs. 11 Utah State (20-8), 1:45 p.m. Friday at Bloomington, Ind., TNT

3 Arkansas (22-6) vs. 14 Colgate (14-1), 12:45 p.m. Friday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, TruTV

7 Florida (14-9) vs. 10 Virginia Tech (15-6), 12:15 p.m. Friday at Hinkle Fieldhouse, CBS

2 Ohio State (21-9)vs. 15 Oral Roberts (16-10), 3 p.m. Friday at West Lafayette, Ind., CBS

6:15p.m. — Gonzaga is overall No. 1 seed, Drake gets at-large bid

Gonzaga leads the West region and will play winner of Norfolk State/Appalachian State winner. Those two schools will play in the 'First Four."

8 Oklahoma (15-10) vs. 9 Missouri (16-9), 7:25 p.m. Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium, TNT

5 Creighton (20-8) vs. 12 UC Santa Barbara (22-4), 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium, TruTV

4 Virginia (18-6) vs.13 Ohio (16-7), 7:15 p.m. Saturday in Bloomington, Ind., TruTV

6 USC (22-7) vs. 11 Wichita State/Drake winner (First Four), 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, TNT

3 Kansas (20-8) vs. 14 Eastern Washington (16-7), 1:15 p.m. Saturday at Farmers Coliseum, TBS

7 Oregon (20-6) vs. 10 VCU (19-7), 9:57 p.m. Saturday at Farmers Coliseum, TNT

2 Iowa (21-8) vs. 15 Grand Canyon (17-6), 6:25 p.m. Saturday at Farmers Coliseum, TBS

6:06 p.m. — Illinois beats Ohio State in Big Ten title game

Up next, the selection show. Buckle up.

6:01 p.m. — Big Ten championship goes to OT, so yeah, that's fun.

Illinois and Ohio Stateare locked in a thrilling Big Ten title game at Lucas Oil Stadium, which hopefully is a harbinger of things to come. Bracket coming soon.

When are the brackets announced for March Madness?

We'll have updates starting at 6 p.m. when the March Madness bracket announcement begins.

Where to watch Selection Sunday

You can watch the Selection Sunday show on CBS at 6 p.m., or stream it on March Madness Live, in addition to viewing CBS through services like fuboTV and Paramount+.

Finding Cinderella

Here's a look at 11teams—how they got to the tournament, any connections they may have to Indiana and other factsto consider about why each could make a surprising run in the tournament.

Who is on the bubble for Selection Sunday?

Entering Sunday, according to USA TODAY Sports’ bracketology, the first four out included Wichita State, Colorado State, Boise State and Saint Louis, with Memphis, Ole Miss, Seton Hall and St. John’s also on the outside looking in. Meanwhile, VCU, Syracuse, Drake and Utah State are slotted as the “last four in.”

Under COVID-19 protocols, the "last four out" teams will act as stand-by replacement teams in the tournament. They'd have up until Tuesday to become an alternate if one of the 68 teams cannot meet NCAA requirements in Indianapolis. After that, the bracket is locked. Kansas and Virginia, who had to bow out of their respective conference tournaments, are eligible for selection.