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Many sports fans consider March Madness to be the greatest sporting event in the world, and it is just around the corner. Before the teams square off in the epic, 68-team tournament, fans first have to know who will actually make up the field.
Selection Sunday, the day when teams are added to the bracket or cut from championship contention, is one of the most anxiety-ridden sports days of the year. This college basketball season has been particularly competitive, and there are going to be some tough decisions that need to be made when the bracket is created. With that said, here is everything that you need to know about Selection Sunday for the 2025 NCAA men's/women's basketball seasons.
When is Selection Sunday?
Selection Sunday for both men's and women's basketball is on Sunday, March 16. The men's bracket will be revealed at 6 p.m. ET, while the women's division will be announced at 8 p.m. ET.
How to watch Selection Sunday
ESPN will have Selection Sunday coverage for both the men's and women's divisions. From 7-8 p.m. ET, ESPN will air a bracketology show, but it will be CBS that actually broadcasts the selection special at 6 p.m. ET. ESPN will take care of everything on the women's side, though, as the selection show on ESPN is from 8-9 p.m. ET, with women's bracketology following the conclusion of that. All of that can be caught via live stream on fuboTV.
Date: Sunday, March 16 | Time: 6 p.m. ET (men's), 8 p.m. ET (women's)
TV channel: CBS (men's), ESPN (women's) | Live stream: fuboTV (Get access | Save $30)
March Madness bracket explanation
For both the men's and women's divisions, 68 teams are selected to partake in March Madness. There are 31 conferences, and conference tournament winners from each get an automatic bid. The other 37 spots are selected on Sunday. These spots are called “at-large” bids. The selection committee has to decide that team's regular season/conference tournament record was impressive enough to make the tournament.
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Game results, strength of schedule, location, scoring margin, net offensive/defensive efficiency, and quality of wins/losses are all taken into account when selecting the at-large teams.
Twelve athletic directors/conference commissioners make up the selection committee. Members serve five-year terms, and the men's and women's divisions have different selection committees. Some teams will feel snubbed from the tournament, but the selection committee does a pretty good job of getting the right teams into the big dance.
The tournament starts with the First Four, which officially sets the 64-team field. The round of 64 and round of 32 are action-packed days from March 20-23. Then, advancing teams move on to regional play for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. Region winners move on to the Final Four, and the best of the best square off in the national championship game.
The March Madness tournament was first played in 1939, and it has been played every season since, excluding the Covid-19-shortened 2020 season. The 2025 field will be one of the most unpredictable tournaments in recent memory.
Teams on the fringe
A lot can happen from now until Selection Sunday. The majority of athletic conferences have yet to have their conference tournaments, and some surprising teams are sure to win automatic bids and, therefore, knock an equal amount of teams out of March Madness contention.
Even so, ESPN's bracketology is a good reference point for who seems like a tournament lock, who is on the fringe, and what teams are likely on the outside looking in.
As of now, in the men's division, Utah State, Arkansas, Baylor, and San Diego State are projected to be the last four teams to secure a bye. These teams wouldn't have to play in the extra game (First Four) like Oklahoma, Indiana, Xavier, and Ohio State are projected to. The first four teams out of the bracket are projected to be Boise State, UNC, Texas, and Colorado State. The next four out, as of now, are Dayton, Wake Forest, Villanova, and UC Irvine.
Bracketology isn't a perfect science, and things will change during conference tournament play, but these are the teams that most need to finish the season strong. UConn is the defending (back-to-back) champions, but Auburn is the top-seeded team.
