March Madness (NCAA College Basketball)

The NCAA men’s college basketball tournament, best known as March Madness, is the premier university-level men’s basketball competition in the United States. In essence, it is much like the playoffs of professional leagues like the NBA, except that 68 Division 1 teams qualify for the initial rounds (unlike 16 in the NBA) and the rounds are single game elimination matches instead of best-of-seven series. In the past, many players who have had memorable March Madness tournaments have gone on to dominate in the NBA, including legends like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Patrick Ewing, as well as current stars such as Carmelo Anthony, Blake Griffin, and Steph Curry.

How can I find cheap tickets to March Madness?

NCAA March Madness is one of the most eagerly anticipated events in basketball each year, with many hoops fans actually more excited about this tournament than the NBA Playoffs! The chance to cheer on one’s local team or alma mater is also a particularly special opportunity in the hearts of many Americans, even casual basketball fans. All this attention means that getting your hands on tickets to March Madness games can be a tall order, so be sure to check our ticket listings on TicketX as soon as possible in order to find the cheapest March Madness tickets out there. Our handy TicketX seating chart is also the best way to compare different seating options in terms of location and price. 

Note that for some of the earlier rounds, some tickets offer entry to multiple games on the same day at the same venue. Other tickets include all the games of a round at one venue across multiple days. Be sure to check which ticket you are purchasing before you buy it.  

Are there concerts going on during the NCAA Final Four?

Yes! The March Madness Music Festival 2024 will be happening in downtown Phoenix, Arizona from April 5-7 during the NCAA Final Four Semifinals and Championship Final. Visit TicketX Magazine to discover the stunning lineup of superstar performers who will be appearing on stage and find out how you too can be a part of this incredible music festival!

Which teams will be playing in the 2024 March Madness tournament? What is the schedule for the 2024 March Madness tournament?

Selection Sunday (March 17, 2024) has now come and gone, revealing all 68 March Madness tournament participants at long last! You can also check the details on our article "Selection Sunday for March Madness 2024: The Balls Are Set" in TicketX magazine.

Here is the full game schedule so far for the First Four, First Round (Round of 64), and Second Round (Round of 32):

2024 NCAA First Four

• Mar 19 - Wagner Seahawks vs. Howard Bison @ University of Dayton Arena

• Mar 19 - Colorado State Rams vs. Virginia Cavaliers @ University of Dayton Arena

• Mar 20 - Grambling Tigers vs. Montana State Bobcats @ University of Dayton Arena

• Mar 20 - Colorado Buffaloes vs. Boise State Broncos @ University of Dayton Arena

2024 NCAA March Madness First Round (Round of 64)

Thursday, March 21 

• Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Michigan State Spartans @ Spectrum Center (Charlotte, North Carolina)

• BYU Cougars vs. Duquesne Dukes @ CHI Health Center (Omaha, Nebraska)

• Creighton Bluejays vs. Akron Zips @ PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

• Arizona Wildcats vs. Long Beach State Beach @ Delta Center (Salt Lake City, Utah)

• North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Wagner Seahawks @ Spectrum Center (Charlotte, North Carolina)

• Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Morehead State Eagles @ CHI Health Center (Omaha, Nebraska)

• South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Oregon Ducks @ PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

• Dayton Flyers vs. Nevada Wolf Pack @ Delta Center (Salt Lake City, Utah)

• Texas Longhorns vs. Colorado State Rams @ Spectrum Center (Charlotte, North Carolina)

• Kentucky Wildcats vs. Oakland Golden Grizzlies @ PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

• Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. McNeese Cowboys @ Delta Center (Salt Lake City, Utah)

• Iowa State Cyclones vs. South Dakota State Jackrabbits @ CHI Health Center (Omaha, Nebraska)

• Tennessee Volunteers vs. Saint Peter's Peacocks @ Spectrum Center (Charlotte, North Carolina)

• Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. NC State Wolfpack @ PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

• Kansas Jayhawks vs. Samford Bulldogs @ Delta Center (Salt Lake City, Utah)

• Washington State Cougars vs. Drake Bulldogs @ CHI Health Center (Omaha, Nebraska)

Friday, March 22 (Round of 64)

• Florida Atlantic Owls vs. Northwestern Wildcats @ Barclays Center (Brooklyn, New York)

• Baylor Bears vs. Colgate Raiders @ FedExForum (Memphis, Tennessee)

• San Diego State Aztecs vs. UAB Blazers @ Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena (Spokane, Washington)

• Marquette Golden Eagles vs. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Indiana)

• UConn Huskies vs. Stetson Hatters @ Barclays Center (Brooklyn, New York)

• Clemson Tigers vs. New Mexico Lobos @ FedExForum (Memphis, Tennessee)

• Auburn Tigers vs. Yale Bulldogs @ Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena (Spokane, Washington)

• Florida Gators vs. Colorado Buffaloes @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Indiana)

• Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Texas A&M Aggies @ FedExForum (Memphis, Tennessee)

• Duke Blue Devils vs. Vermont Catamounts @ Barclays Center (Brooklyn, New York)

• Purdue Boilermakers vs. Grambling Tigers @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Indiana)

• Alabama Crimson Tide vs. College of Charleston Cougars @ Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena (Spokane, Washington)

• Houston Cougars vs. Longwood Lancers @ FedExForum (Memphis, Tennessee)

• Wisconsin Badgers Basketball vs. James Madison Dukes @ Barclays Center (Brooklyn, New York)

• Utah State Aggies vs. TCU Horned Frogs @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Indiana)

• Saint Mary's Gaels vs. Grand Canyon Antelopes @ Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena (Spokane, Washington)

2024 NCAA March Madness Second Round (Round of 32)

Saturday, March 23 

• Duquesne Dukes vs. Illinois Fighting Illini @ CHI Health Center (Omaha, Nebraska)

• Washington State Cougars vs. Iowa State Cyclones @ CHI Health Center (Omaha, Nebraska)

• Oakland Golden Grizzlies vs. NC State Wolfpack @ PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

• Oregon Ducks vs. Creighton Bluejays @ PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

• North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Michigan State Spartans @ Spectrum Center (Charlotte, North Carolina)

• Tennessee Volunteers vs. Texas Longhorns @ Spectrum Center (Charlotte, North Carolina)

• Kansas Jayhawks vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs @ Delta Center (Salt Lake City, Utah)

• Arizona Wildcats vs. Dayton Flyers @ Delta Center (Salt Lake City, Utah)

Sunday, March 24 

• UConn Huskies vs. Northwestern Wildcats @ Barclays Center (Brooklyn, New York)

• James Madison Dukes vs. Duke Blue Devils @ Barclays Center (Brooklyn, New York)

• Marquette Golden Eagles vs. Colorado Buffaloes @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Indiana)

• Utah State Aggies vs. Purdue Boilermakers @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Indiana)

• Baylor Bears vs. Clemson Tigers @ FedExForum (Memphis, Tennessee)

• Houston Cougars vs. Texas A&M Aggies @ FedExForum (Memphis, Tennessee)

• Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Grand Canyon Antelopes @ Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena (Spokane, Washington) 

• Yale Bulldogs vs. San Diego State Aztecs @ Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena (Spokane, Washington) 

2024 NCAA Sweet 16

Thursday, March 28

• Arizona Wildcats vs. Clemson Tigers @ Crypto.com Arena (Los Angeles, California)

• North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Alabama Crimson Tide @ Crypto.com Arena (Los Angeles, California)

• UConn Huskies vs. San Diego State Aztecs @ TD Garden (Boston, Massachusetts)

• Iowa State Cyclones vs. Illinois Fighting Illini @ TD Garden (Boston, Massachusetts)

Friday, March 29

• Marquette Golden Eagles vs. NC State Wolfpack @ American Airlines Center (Dallas, Texas)

• Purdue Boilermakers vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs @ Little Caesars Arena (Detroit, Michigan)

• Houston Cougars vs. Duke Blue Devils @ American Airlines Center (Dallas, Texas)

• Tennessee Volunteers vs. Creighton Bluejays @ Little Caesars Arena (Detroit, Michigan) 

2024 NCAA Elite 8

Saturday, March 30

• UConn Huskies vs. Illinois Fighting Illini @ TD Garden (Boston, Massachusetts)

• Clemson Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide @ Crypto.com Arena (Los Angeles, California)

Sunday, March 31

• Purdue Boilermakers vs. Tennessee Volunteers @ Little Caesars Arena (Detroit, Michigan)

• Duke Blue Devils vs. NC State Wolfpack @ American Airlines Center (Dallas, Texas)

2024 NCAA Final Four - Semifinals

Saturday, April 6

• Purdue Boilermakers vs. NC State Wolfpack @ State Farm Stadium (Glendale, AZ)

• UConn Huskies vs. Alabama Crimson Tide @ State Farm Stadium (Glendale, AZ)

Read more about March Madness in our article: "March Madness Schedule" on TicketX Magazine.

You can also check Women’s March Madness 2024 on TicketX Magazine.

2024 NCAA Final Four - Championship Final

Monday, April 8

• Purdue Boilermakers vs. UConn Huskies @ State Farm Stadium (Glendale, AZ)

How do teams qualify for March Madness?

With over 350 universities in the United States hosting men’s Division 1 level basketball teams, clearly not everyone can participate in the season-ending March Madness tournament. The current format involves 32 teams gaining automatic promotion by winning their individual conference throughout the season. The remaining 36 teams are chosen by a 12-member selection committee through a convoluted set of rules and parameters. In the end, all 68 teams to take part in the tournament are announced on Selection Sunday (March 17, 2024), just a few days prior to the beginning of the event!

How does the March Madness tournament work?

The March Madness basketball tournament is a single-game elimination tournament. You win, you move on; you lose, you go home. Simple as that. When the tournament expanded from 64 to 68 teams, however, due to conference realignment, the NCAA faced a bit of a mathematical conundrum. Their answer was to introduce an additional play-in round known as the First Four to whittle the tournament down to a more easily divisible 64 teams. 

The tournament then proceeds through six consecutive rounds:

• First and Second Round - the First Round consists of 32 games played by 64 teams, the Second Round of 16 games played by the remaining 32 teams. 

• Sweet 16 and Elite 8 - the Sweet Sixteen (similar to the “Round of 16” in tournaments like the World Cup) involves 8 games played by the remaining 16 teams. The Elite Eight refers to the quarterfinals, in which 4 games are contested by the remaining 8 teams. 

• Final Four - the Final Four refers to both the semifinals, 2 games contested by the 4 winners of the Elite Eight quarterfinals, and the final itself, contested by the 2 winners of the Final Four semifinals. The winners of the final will be 2024 March Madness champions.

When is March Madness? What are the 2024 March Madness dates?

March Madness gives us a huge and very obvious clue right in its very name about when the tournament takes place, though the Final Four actually tends to occur in early April. Here are the dates for the various rounds in the 2024 March Madness tournament (exact dates and times for individual games are still TBA, after Selection Sunday). 

• First Four - March 19-20 

• First and Second Round - March 21-24

• Sweet 16 and Elite 8 - March 28-30

• Final Four - April 6-8 (with the championship final game on April 8)

Where does March Madness take place?

March Madness differs from the playoffs of North American professional leagues (NBA, MLS, NFL, NHL) in that certain locations are pre-selected to host various rounds of the tournament. While some of these venues are college basketball arenas, others are professional (NBA) arenas used due to their ability to cater to higher capacity crowds.

While there are technically six rounds of the NCAA college postseason tournament (March Madness) plus the First Four play-in, the First and Second Rounds are held concurrently in the same venues across 3-4 days. Likewise, the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight are also typically held in the same venues, again across 3-4 days. The three games of the Final Four (semifinals and final) are also held in a single venue.

Here are the venues that have been scheduled for the 2024 March Madness tournament: 

• First Four - UD Arena (Dayton, Ohio)

• First and Second Round - Barclays Center (Brooklyn, New York), Spectrum Center (Charlotte, North Carolina), Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Indiana), CHI Health Center (Omaha, Nebraska), PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), Delta Center (Salt Lake City, Utah), Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena (Spokane, Washington), FedExForum (Memphis, Tennessee)

• Sweet 16 and Elite 8 - TD Garden (Boston, Massachusetts), American Airlines Center (Dallas, Texas), Little Caesars Arena (Detroit, Michigan), Crypto.com Arena (Los Angeles, California)

• Final Four - State Farm Arena (Glendale, Arizona)