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The NCAA Tournament finally made its return Thursday night with four exciting games in the First Four, but Friday is what brings back what college basketball fans have been truly craving — an all-day helping of March Madness. The day will feature 16 first-round NCAA Tournament games, starting with No. 7 seed Florida taking on No. 10 seed Virginia Tech at 12:15 p.m. ET and running all the way through a 9:57 p.m. nightcap between No. 5 seed Villanova and No. 12 seed Villanova.
In between, there will be an untold number of dramatic finishes that produce new heroes and Cinderella stories as the Big Dance unfolds for the first time since 2019. You can get a bird’s eye view of all the action with our printable bracket, and we’ve got a full listing of the pairings, times and channels below.
There are some notable changes for this year’s NCAA Tournament amid the COVID-19 pandemic. For one thing, all the games are being played in Indiana to reduced the amount of travel required for the participants. But where casual fans will notice the most difference is in the dates of each round. Traditionally, the first round has started on Thursday with the second round being completed by Sunday.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the protocols in place to ensure a safe environment for all, the first round will run on Friday and Saturday instead of Thursday and Friday. That means the Sweet 16 won’t be set until Monday night. Regardless, the basics are the same: a lot of meaningful basketball in a short period of time as we get closer to finally crowning a champion.
Below you can find tip times and TV channels for every first-round game slated to take place on Friday and Saturday.
Be sure to check in often as this story will update every single time the NCAA Tournament schedule is adjusted. Games will be aired on CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV — and as always, you can also watch every game in the tourney via March Madness Live.
2021 NCAA Tournament schedule, dates
First Four
Thursday, March 18 — Mackey Arena, Assembly Hall
| 5:10 p.m. | (16) Texas Southern 60, (16) Mount St. Mary’s 52 | Recap |
| 6:27 p.m. | (11) Drake 53, (11) Wichita St. 52 | Recap |
| 8:40 p.m. | (16) Norfolk State 54, (16) Appalachian State 53 | Recap |
| 9:57 p.m. | (11) UCLA 86, (11) Michigan State 80 (OT) | Recap |
First round
Friday, March 19, 2021 — Mackey Arena, Assembly Hall, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Lucas Oil Stadium
| 12:15 p.m. | (10) Virginia Tech vs. (7) Florida | CBS (watch live) |
| 12:45 p.m. | (14) Colgate vs. (3) Arkansas | truTV (watch live) |
| 1:15 p.m. | (16) Drexel vs. (1) Illinois | TBS (watch live) |
| 1:45 p.m. | (11) Utah State vs. (6) Texas Tech | TNT (watch live) |
| 3 p.m. | (15) Oral Roberts vs. (2) Ohio State | CBS (watch live) |
| 3:30 p.m. | (16) Hartford vs. (1) Baylor | truTV (watch live) |
| 4 p.m. | (9) Georgia Tech vs. (8) Loyola Chicago | TBS (watch live) |
| 4:30 p.m. | (12) Oregon State vs. (5) Tennessee | TNT (watch live) |
| 6:25 p.m. | (13) Liberty vs. (4) Oklahoma State | TBS (watch live) |
| 7:10 p.m. | (9) Wisconsin vs. (8) North Carolina | CBS (watch live) |
| 7:15 p.m. | (15) Cleveland State vs. (2) Houston | truTV (watch live) |
| 7:25 p.m. | (13) North Texas vs. (4) Purdue | TNT (watch live) |
| 9:20 p.m. | (10) Rutgers vs. (7) Clemson | TBS (watch live) |
| 9:40 p.m. | (11) Syracuse vs. (6) San Diego State | CBS (watch live) |
| 9:50 p.m. | (14) Morehead State vs. (3) West Virginia | truTV (watch live) |
| 9:57 p.m. | (12) Winthrop vs. (5) Villanova | TNT (watch live) |
Saturday, March 20 — Mackey Arena, Assembly Hall, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Lucas Oil Stadium
| 12:15 p.m. | (12) Georgetown vs. (5) Colorado | CBS |
| 12:45 p.m. | (13) UNC Greensboro vs. (4) Florida State | truTV |
| 1:15 p.m. | (14) Eastern Washington vs. (3) Kansas | TBS |
| 1:45 p.m. | (9) St. Bonaventure vs. (8) LSU | TNT |
| 3 p.m. | (16) Texas Southern vs. (1) Michigan | CBS |
| 3:30 p.m. | (12) UC Santa Barbara vs. (5) Creighton | truTV |
| 4 p.m. | (15) Iona vs. (2) Alabama | TBS |
| 4:30 p.m. | (11) Drake vs. (6) USC | TNT |
| 6:25 p.m. | (15) Grand Canyon vs. (2) Iowa | TBS |
| 7:10 p.m. | (10) Maryland vs. (7) UConn | CBS |
| 7:15 p.m. | (13) Ohio vs. (4) Virginia | truTV |
| 7:25 p.m. | (9) Missouri vs. (8) Oklahoma | TNT |
| 9:20 p.m. | (16) Norfolk St./Appalachian St. vs. (1) Gonzaga | TBS |
| 9:40 p.m. | (11) Michigan St./UCLA vs. (6) BYU | CBS |
| 9:50 p.m. | (14) Abilene Christian vs. (3) Texas | truTV |
| 9:57 p.m. | (10) VCU vs. (7) Oregon | TNT |
Second round
Sunday, March 21 — Noon start (CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV)
Monday, March 22 — Noon start (CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV)
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Lucas Oil Stadium
Sweet 16
Saturday, March 27 — 2 p.m. start (CBS, TBS)
Sunday, March 28 — 1 p.m. start (CBS, TBS)
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse
Elite Eight
Monday, March 29 — 7 p.m. start (CBS)
Tuesday, March 30 — 6 p.m. start (TBS)
Lucas Oil Stadium
Final Four
Saturday, April 3 — 5 p.m. start (CBS)
Lucas Oil Stadium
National Championship
Monday, April 5 — 9 p.m. (CBS)
Lucas OIl Stadium
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