March Madness 2023 takes center stage with Selection Sunday, when teams across college basketball learn if they’ll earn a berth into the NCAA Tournament.
USA TODAY Sports will provide the latest bracket reveal updates, news, analysis, conference tournament scores and more throughout the day. Follow along.
When is Selection Sunday 2023?
Sunday, March 12, 2023. The men’s bracket reveal show begins at 6 p.m. ET and airs on CBS. The women’s bracket reveal show begins at 8 p.m. and airs on ESPN.
PRINTABLE BRACKET:Fill out the NCAA Tournament field as bids are announced
Survive and win: March Madness Survivor Pools from USA TODAY
What day does March Madness start?
Games for the men’s First Four are March 14-15. The women’s First Four will be played March 15-16. First-round games for the men are March 16-17 and March 17-18 for the women.
March Madness 2023 schedule
Here is the men’s schedule:
- First Four: March 14-15
- First round: March 16-17
- Second round: March 18-19
- Sweet 16: March 23-24
- Elite Eight: March 25-26
- Final Four: April 1
- National championship game: April 3
Here is the women’s schedule:
- First Four: March 15-16
- First round: March 17-18
- Second round: March 19-20
- Sweet 16: March 24-25
- Elite Eight: March 26-27
- Final Four: Friday, March 31
- National championship game: Sunday, April 2
How to watch March Madness 2023
For the men, CBS will air the Selection Sunday show, as well as the Final Four and the national championship game. TruTV will carry the First Four. CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV will air first- and second-round games. CBS and TBS will air Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games. CBS will air the men’s Final Four and championship game.
For the women, ESPN will air the Selection Sunday show. ESPN and ABC will carry the First Four. ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews and ABC will air first- and second-round games. ESPN and ABC will air Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games. ABC will air the national championship game.
Who are the March Madness 2023 broadcasters?
For the eighth consecutive year, Jim Nantz, Bill Raftery, Grant Hill and Tracy Wolfson will call the men’s Final Four and championship game. This will mark Nantz’s 32nd – and final – Final Four as lead play-by-play announcer. Nantz announced in October that he would be leaving the longtime role with CBS and Turner Sports to be with his family.
Jay Wright and Stan Van Gundy will join NCAA Tournament coverage as analysts. The network also tried in vain to get Dick Vitale to join its team. Vitale said he turned down the offer, in part, because of loyalty to ESPN, the network he has worked for since 1979.
Greg Gumbel will host studio coverage from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York, joined by Charles Barkley, Clark Kellogg and Kenny Smith as well as Wally Szczerbiak. Ernie Johnson will host studio coverage from WBD Studios in Atlanta alongside Jay Wright, Candace Parker and Seth Davis. Additionally, Adam Zucker and Adam Lefkoe will also serve as hosts from New York and Atlanta, respectively.
Printable March Madness 2023 bracket
Here is a printable version of the men’s bracket. Here is a printable version of the women’s bracket.
Filling out a March Madness bracket is a daunting task.
Compared to correctly predicting the fate of 68 teams through six rounds, the USA TODAY Sports’ March Madness survivor pool games appear to be a much more accessible challenge.
Make a small number of picks each round. If you get them right, you advance. Last the longest without missing a pick and collect some serious cash. And you get two chances to win by competing in both the men’s and women’s survivor pools.
Is it really that simple?
Well, here’s the catch: You can only pick a team once during the entire tournament. Each of your picks must be correct to advance to the next round. If you fail to make any or all picks in a round, you are eliminated.
Ahead of Selection Sunday, which will reveal the 68-team fields for both tournaments, USA TODAY Sports announced two brand new survivor pool games to give fans a chance to win $5,000, the amount awarded to the person who lasts the longest in the men’s or women’s pools.
Here are the keys to winning the survivor pool.
— Richard Morin
Offenses slow to start in Big Ten title game
It has been a slow start for both Penn State and Purdue midway through the first half of the Big Ten Tournament championship, though the Nittany Lions, in particular, have struggled. Both teams have combined to go 10-of-30 (33.3%) from the field, with the Boilermakers taking a 13-6 lead with just fewer than 10 minutes to play in the period.
It has been a different story in the AAC title game
Even with Houston not starting star guard Marcus Sasser (groin), both the Cougars and Memphis have found a rhythm early in the American Athletic Conference championship game. The Tigers, however, are particularly on a roll, connecting on 11-of-20 (55%) shots with 6:25 left to play in the first half. The Cougars slowed a touch after their hot start, and have gone 6-of-21 (28.6%) from the field as Memphis has taken a 26-18 lead.
Sasser, who averaged 17.1 points per game this season, has yet to appear in the game.
Roll Tide Roll
Alabama made its strongest case yet for the NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 overall seed, crushing Texas A&M in an 82-63 victory in the SEC Tournament championship. The Crimson Tide excelled on help defense, hustle plays and rebounding, while holding the Aggies to 29.7% shooting (19-of-64).
Alabama outrebounded Texas A&M by a margin of 50-39. The Tide were led by forward Brandon Miller (23 points, 12 rebounds) and guard Jahvon Quinerly (22 points). Texas A&M never held a lead in the game.
This marks Alabama’s second SEC title in three seasons, and its 82 points were second most in program history in an SEC Tournament championship.
Another Tournament trip booked
VCU cruised in the second half of the Atlantic 10 tournament championship, outscoring Dayton by 18 after halftime, en route to its 68-56 victory. The Flyers got a huge game from forward Daron Holmes II, who poured in half of Dayton’s scoring with a 28-point, 16-rebound day. And while fellow forward Mustapha Amzil scored another 17 points, that was where Dayton’s proficiency ended, as the next leading scorer, forward Toumani Camara, scored only six.
VCU put on a clinic from three-point range, connecting on a staggering 8-of-17 (47.1%) from beyond the arc to pull away and make its second NCAA Tournament appearance in the last three seasons.
Crimson Tide pulling away as Aggies stars struggle
Alabama forward Brandon Miller has caught fire in the second half of the SEC Tournament final, chipping in 18 points and 12 rebounds so far as the Crimson Tide are extending their lead.
The Aggies, who have never won a men’s SEC Tournament championship, are looking like they will need to wait at least another season to do so. Guard Wade Taylor IV, the team’s leading scorer in the regular season, has started the game 0-of-8 and scored only two points midway through the second half. Forward Julius Marble, Texas A&M’s fourth-leading scorer, has been sidelined with foul trouble.
The Aggies trail 58-45, with 9:12 left to play.
Kentucky, in 2012, was the last SEC team to win it all.
SEC schools supplied five of the nation’s top 12 men’s basketball coaching salaries when this season began, in USA TODAY’s latest analysis. The salary list features a facelift this year after well-paid stalwarts Mike Krzyzewski and Jay Wright retired.
SEC basketball is on solid footing. The conference may tie its record with eight NCAA selections.
“I think we’re poised to have a team ascend to the top of the competitive mountain this year – and, if not this year, soon,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey told USA TODAY Sports.
In the past 10 tournaments, the SEC supplied six Final Four teams. That matches the Big 12 and Big East and ranks one shy of the ACC and Big Ten.
But, investment doesn’t ensure championships in a tournament celebrated for its madness.
Read the full look into the investment into SEC basketball here.
— Blake Toppmeyer
Tigers punch ticket to Big Dance
For the first time since 2017, Princeton is going to the men’s NCAA Tournament. The Tigers had four players reach double figures in a 74-65 victory over Yale Sunday in the Ivy League Tournament championship. Forward Tosan Evbuomwan led the way for Princeton, dropping 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting.
This marks the 26th trip to the tournament in program history.
Alabama races out to 11-point led in SEC final
The Crimson Tide defense showed up again and held Texas A&M to 20.7% shooting (6-for-29) and 23 points in the first half of the SEC Tournament final. In fact, because the Aggies are 10-of-12 from the line, they have scored just 13 points off of made field goals.
Alabama, meanwhile, has been efficient, scoring at a 40.7% clip. Forward Brandon Miller (eight points) and guard Jahvon Quinerly (13) have led the way for the Tide.
Princeton holding steady, Yale running out of time
The Tigers opened the second half on a 14-8 run to extend their lead, but Yale has battled back to stay within striking distance. The problem for the Bulldogs is that time is running out. Princeton is holding a 55-48 lead with 7:47 left to play in the Ivy League final and the Tigers have done it behind forward Tosan Evbuomwan, whose 20 points (8-of-13 from the field) lead all players.
Princeton is looking to win its first Ivy League Tournament since 2017, the inaugural season of the championship.
Tigers extend lead in first half of Ivy League final
A buzzer-beating three-pointer from Princeton forward Caden Pierce gave the Tigers a 33-29 lead heading into halftime. The Tigers got big first-half contributions from Pierce (eight points), forward Tosan Evbuomwan (10 points) and guard Matt Allocco (nine points), who combined for 27 of Princeton’s 33 (81.8%) points. Only five Princeton players, all of whom are starters, have scored points in the Ivy League Championship.
Yale, on the other hand, got a huge spark from reserve forward Matt Knowling, who scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting off the bench. That’s tied for the team high through the first half with fellow guard August Mahoney, who did so on 4-of-6 shooting, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc.
How Mick Cronin went from being perceived as an underwhelming hire by UCLA almost four years ago to the coach who has revived the school’s basketball program is best illustrated by, well, a dog bone.
It measures two feet long.
It travels with the second-ranked Bruins.
It represents what Cronin has instilled in his players, who along with the dog bone are in Las Vegas this week competing for the Pac-12 tournament title and possibly a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
“When they throw the food out at night from a restaurant, the law of the alley says that the hungry dog’s going to get the bone,’’ Cronin told USA TODAY Sports. “A hungry dog’s going to go fight and get the bone and take all of this clawing and scratching because he’s starving.
“That’s how you have to be as a team.’’
— Josh Peter
Princeton starts hot in Ivy League final, Yale answers
The Tigers did it on both ends to start the Ivy League Championship, scoring the game’s first 12 points a quarter of the way through the first half. But the Bulldogs got some defensive stops and then answered with an 11-point run over 3:35 of game time midway through the period. Though it looked like the final was setting up to be a game of runs, both squads settled and traded baskets.
Yale, which is looking for its third consecutive Ivy League Tournament championship, shot 8-of-22 (36.4%) from the field, while Princeton converted 8-of-20 (40%) baskets with 5:15 left to play in the first half. The Bulldogs scored nine points off the bench and are down 23-20.
Texas takeover
This year’s men’s NCAA Tournament will have some solid representation from the nation’s second-biggest state.
Texas is expected to be home to more than 10% of the 68-team field with seven schools likely included when the committee’s bracket is unveiled. Texas, Texas Southern and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi each won automatic berths in their conference tournaments. Houston can be the fourth Sunday in the American Athletic title game against Memphis. Even if the No. 1 Cougars lose, they should be one of the top seeds along with other at-large entries from the Lone Star State — Baylor, TCU and Texas A&M.
Winners and losers ahead of Selection Sunday
Selection Sunday starts at 6 p.m. ET but we have plenty to work out before that — like who the No. 1 overall seed will be, and where they’re going to play. The overall No. 1 seed location will dictate where everyone else goes, and a lot can happen on championship Sunday, when conference tournament titles will be awarded in the SEC, Big Ten and AAC, among others.
A lot can happen between now and when the bracket goes from pencil to pen. But for now, these are Saturday’s winners and losers. Kansas might be kicking itself for a while after no-showing against the Longhorns, but a run to the Final Four will make everyone feel better and forget about this performance.
These are the winners and losers in men’s college basketball ahead of Selection Sunday.
— Lindsay Schnell
There are 32 conference tournaments that produce 32 automatic bids. The other 36 at-large teams selected to the field will be announced on Selection Sunday. Here is who has secured automatic bids.
- Alabama: SEC Tournament champion
- Arizona: Pac-12 Conference tournament champion
- Charleston: Colonial Athletic Association tournament champion
- Colgate: Patriot League tournament champion
- Drake: Missouri Valley tournament champion
- Duke: ACC tournament champion
- Fairleigh Dickinson: Earns Northeast Conference bid due to title game opponent Merrimack’s ineligibility
- Florida Atlantic: Conference USA tournament champion
- Furman: Southern tournament champion
- Gonzaga: West Coast Conference tournament champion
- Grand Canyon: WAC tournament champion
- Howard: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament champion
- Iona: MAAC tournament champion
- Kennesaw State: Atlantic Sun tournament champion
- Kent State: MAC tournament champion
- Louisiana-Lafayette: Sun Belt tournament champion
- Marquette: Big East Conference tournament champion
- Montana State: Big Sky tournament champion
- North Carolina-Asheville: Big South tournament champion
- Northern Kentucky: Horizon League tournament champion
- Oral Roberts: Summit League tournament champion
- Princeton: Ivy League tournament champion
- San Diego State: Mountain West Conference tournament champion
- Southeast Missouri State: Ohio Valley Conference tournament champion
- Texas: Big 12 Conference tournament champion
- Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: Southland Conference tournament champion
- Texas Southern: SWAC tournament champion
- UC Santa Barbara: Big West Conference tournament champion
- Vermont: America East tournament champion
- Virginia Commonwealth: Atlantic 10 tournament champion
Some of the most successful coaches in college basketball rank among the nation’s highest-paid, including Kansas coach Bill Self and Virginia’s Tony Bennett. But there are many more coaches struggling to match the expectations that come with a contract worth multiple millions in annual salary.
That includes the highest-paid coach in the sport, Kentucky’s John Calipari, who is earning $8.5 million in total compensation with a contract that runs through the 2028-29 season. After being knocked out in the first round of last year’s NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats have spent most of this season unranked and on the tournament bubble.
USA TODAY Sports compiled pay information from each school in the Power Five conferences and from each school outside those conferences whose team has appeared in at least three of the past five NCAA tournaments.
These are the five most overpaid coaches in men’s college basketball.
— Paul Myerberg
