After one of the wildest conference championship weeks in memory, the 2024 NCAA Tournament brackets are finally here. From a fight at the end of LSU and South Carolina in the women's SEC final to North Carolina State's incredible five-day run to steal a bid in the ACC men's tournament, we've already had a ton of March Madness. And that was just an appetizer. The men's and women's First Four games are just around the corner, and the first rounds are right after. Here's everything you need to know about the beginning of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

2024 NCAA Tournament Men's First Four 

The Men's First Four kicks off all NCAA Tournament action this Tuesday, March 19, on TruTV. Wagner and Howard, NEC and Mid-Eastern conference champions, will kick things off for the right to try and upset No. 1 North Carolina in the first round. Colorado State and Virginia will compete as two of the last at-large bid earners for a spot in the Midwest Region in the late slot. Then, during the same time on Wednesday, the SWAC and Big Sky Conference champions Grambling State and Montana State play for the honor of a 16-seed in the first round, followed by at-large bid earners Colorado and Boise State.

  • Tuesday, March 19, 6:40 p.m. ET on TruTV: Wagner (16-15) vs. Howard (18-16) — West No. 16 seed
  • Tuesday, March 19, 9:10 p.m. ET on TruTV: Colorado State (24-10) vs. Virginia (23-10) — Midwest No. 10 seed
  • Wednesday, March 20, 6:40 p.m. ET on TruTV: Grambling State (20-14) vs. Montana State (17-17) — Midwest No. 16 seed
  • Wednesday, March 20, 9:10 p.m. ET on TruTV: Colorado (24-10) vs. Boise State (22-10) — South No. 10 seed

2024 NCAA Tournament Women's First Four 

The Women's First Four kicks off the same day the Men's First Four ends. ESPNU has the Day 1 game between Sacred Heart and Presbyterian. That will be a 7:00 p.m. matchup of the NEC and Big South conference champs. Two hours later, Columbia headlines a two-bid(!) Ivy League going up against fellow at-large bid earners Vanderbilt for a 12-seed. Then, on Thursday and ESPN2, Auburn and Arizona try to stake a claim to an 11-seed, followed by Patriot League and Ohio Valley Conference champs Holy Cross and UT Martin fighting for a 16-seed.

  • Wednesday, March 20, 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU: Sacred Heart (24-9) vs. Presbyterian (20-14) — Albany 1 No. 16 seed
  • Wednesday, March 20, 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU: Vanderbilt (22-9) vs. Columbia (23-6) — Portland 3 No. 12 seed
  • Thursday, March 21, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2: Auburn (20-11) vs. Arizona (17-15) — Portland 3 No. 11 seed
  • Thursday, March 21, 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2: Holy Cross (20-12) vs. UT Martin (16-16) — Albany 2 No. 16 seed

2024 NCAA Tournament First and Second Rounds

Finally, the first and second rounds of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, March Madness in its purest form, get started on Thursday and Friday, March 21 and 22, respectively. The men's tournament kicks off first-round games on Thursday, while the women's edition kicks off on Friday.

This means there will be 32 games of first-round March Madness action on Friday across the men's and women's tournaments. Call out of work or let your boss know you won't be getting much done. That's the biggest college basketball day of the year.

The men's second round picks up on Saturday as the women's first round concludes and runs through Sunday before teams will have the week off. The women's second round will run Sunday-Monday after their first round concludes Saturday.

So strap in, because one of the most memorable college basketball seasons in recent history is ready for its thrilling conclusion.