What Is Selection Sunday? When Will March Madness Brackets Be Ready?

March Madness is one of the most exciting times of the year. People across the nation celebrate the three-week celebration of the sport of basketball, leaving us with one(well, two) champions who rose above all. It all starts tonight as we approach the hours of Selection Sunday—the day the tournament field is officially set.

Selection Sunday refers to the day the NCAA Selection Committee announces the 68 teams that will compete in the Men’s and Women’s NCAA Division I basketball tournament. They decide the teams that get in, their seeds, and the region they will play in, ultimately forming the bracket.

How does Selection Sunday work?

The first job of the selection committee is to decide the 68 teams that will suit up in the tournament. For a team to get selected, they can come through two routes — automatic bid or at-large bids.

The 31 teams that win their conference tournaments receive the automatic bid to be a part of the tournament. The selection committee then decides the 37 teams that get selected through the at-large bids. Each conference just has one team make it through the automatic bid, but the selection committee can decide any number of at-large teams from each conference.

Usually, we see the teams from dominant college basketball conferences such as the ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, SEC, and to a lesser extent, the American, A-10, Mountain West, and WCC. However, most of these at-large teams do not learn about their fate till Selection Sunday and have to be ready for a quick turnaround to the tournament.

When Will the March Madness Brackets Be Ready?

The good news for all fans is that we don’t have to wait much longer to know the remaining 37 teams that will make it through to the tournament. Selection Sunday for the men’s tournament airs at 6 PM ET today on CBS.

Meanwhile the Selection Sunday for the women’s tournament is scheduled to take place at 8 PM ET on ESPN.

We should have the March Madness Brackets ready by 10 PM ET at the latest.

Key Dates to Keep in Mind for March Madness

For the Men’s Tournament, here are the key dates to keep in mind:

• First Four: March 18-19
• First round: March 20-21
• Second round: March 22-23
• Sweet 16: March 27-28
• Elite Eight: March 29-30
• Final Four: April 5 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas
• NCAA championship game: April 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas

Meanwhile, for the Women’s Tournament, here are the dates:

• First Four: March 19-20
• First round: March 21-22
• Second round: March 23-24
• Sweet 16: March 28-29
• Elite Eight: March 30-31
• Final Four: Friday, April 4, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida
• NCAA championship game: Sunday, April 6, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida

Which teams are you looking forward to seeing the most?