The UConn men’s basketball team is seeking its third straight national championship, while the South Carolina Lady Gamecocks try to claim their fourth title in program history after an undefeated 2024 season. Here are key dates and locations for the 2025 men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournament, set to kick off on Selection Sunday, March 16.
Some teams will have to wait until Selection Sunday to learn their March Madness fates. Others, however, won't have to sweat about being left out.
Nearly half of the 68-team fields in the 2025 men's and women's NCAA Tournaments are made up of automatic bids. There are 31 conference tournaments in men's and women's college basketball, and the winners automatically qualify for March Madness (unless, of course, a school is ineligible).
Tickets to both Big Dances are already being punched. The men's automatic bids awarded so far have included High Point, Omaha and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville securing their March Madness debuts. And on the women's side, Arkansas State, George Mason and Fairleigh Dickinson earned NCAA Tournament berths for the first time.
So, which other squads are March Madness bound? And when will the other conference tournaments wrap up? Here's what to know:
Which teams are going to the men's NCAA Tournament in 2025?
Here's a look at the automatic bids for the men's NCAA Tournament:
- America East: Bryant
- American Athletic: Memphis
- Atlantic 10: Virginia Commonwealth
- ACC: Duke
- ASUN: Lipscomb
- Big 12: Houston
- Big East: St. John's
- Big Sky: Montana
- Big South: High Point
- Big Ten: Michigan
- Big West: UC San Diego
- CAA: UNC Wilmington
- Conference USA: Liberty
- Horizon League: Robert Morris
- Ivy League: Yale
- MAAC: Mount St. Mary's
- MAC: Akron
- MEAC: Norfolk State
- Missouri Valley: Drake
- Mountain West: Colorado State
- Northeast: St. Francis
- Ohio Valley: Southern Illinois-Edwardsville
- Patriot League: American University
- SEC: Florida
- Southern: Wofford
- Southland: McNeese
- SWAC: Alabama State
- Summit League: Omaha
- Sun Belt: Troy
- West Coast: Gonzaga
- WAC: Grand Canyon
Which teams are going to the women's NCAA Tournament in 2025?
And here are the automatic bids for the women's Big Dance. Once again, if a date is listed, that's when the conference tournament championship will be held (this list will be updated as more teams qualify):
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- America East: Vermont
- American Athletic: South Florida
- Atlantic 10: George Mason
- ACC: Duke
- ASUN: Florida Gulf Coast
- Big 12: TCU
- Big East: UConn
- Big Sky: Montana State
- Big South: High Point
- Big Ten: UCLA
- Big West: UC San Diego
- CAA: William & Mary
- Conference USA: Liberty
- Horizon League: Green Bay
- Ivy League: Harvard
- MAAC: Fairfield
- MAC: Ball State
- MEAC: Norfolk State
- Missouri Valley: Murray State
- Mountain West: San Diego State
- Northeast: Fairleigh Dickinson
- Ohio Valley: Tennessee Tech
- Patriot League: Lehigh
- SEC: South Carolina
- Southern: UNC Greensboro
- Southland: Stephen F. Austin
- SWAC: Southern
- Summit League: South Dakota State
- Sun Belt: Arkansas State
- West Coast: Oregon State
- WAC: Grand Canyon
When is the March Madness bracket released?
The March Madness brackets will be unveiled on Sunday, March 16, shortly after the final conference tournaments conclude.
When are the Selection Sunday shows?
The men's bracket will be revealed first starting at 6 p.m. ET on CBS. Then, the women's bracket will be released starting at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
When is the first game of 2025 March Madness?
The men's tournament kicks off with the First Four on Wednesday, March 19. The women's First Four begins on Thursday, March 20.
Who won March Madness in 2024?
The UConn Huskies repeated as men's NCAA Tournament champions in 2024, while the South Carolina Gamecocks went undefeated en route to a national championship on the women's side.
