March Madness Creates Incredible Excitement
NCAA Tournament Games Dominate the Sports Scene
One of the biggest events – and betting opportunities – of the sports year is the NCAA basketball tournament. Once the field is set on selection Sunday – this year it is March 16 – all sorts of scouring begins.
In addition to people looking for NCAA basketball betting lines on every game in the field, there is the annual rush to fill out a bracket. More like brackets. It is one of the biggest “community” events of the year. People setting up bracket pools and folks investing money to try and wind up with the best overall record.
There are many different ways to play. And, of course, there are the bloated payoffs offered by different shops, sports sites and other hot spots if you can create a perfect bracket. Word to the wise, it would be easier to hit PowerBall than to create a perfect bracket. The tournament and all the different wagering opportunities that go along with it captivate hardcore, casual, and all sorts of sports fans and regular folks for March.
You can bet on these games at your favorite online shop or at sportsbooks that follow gambling regulations in states and allow wagering on these events. Historically, the scenes at casinos in Las Vegas on the first weekend of the tournament have been packed and wild.
Upsets happen and fan reaction, whether you are cheering for a school you attended or hoping to cash a bet, evokes intensity and emotion. The combination of people wanting certain teams to win to boost their bracket and the overall spectre of the NCAA Basketball Tournament is one of the most exciting annual sports events. There is also a sense among many that the tournament peaks in its opening four days because 48 games are played overall, and that leaves people locked into their televisions, screens, or telephones from morning deep until night.
After those first four days, the stakes are higher for schools that advanced but the thrill of so many games being played in such a short space has evaporated.
How Does The NCAA Basketball Championship Work?
There are 68 teams invited to the NCAA Basketball Tournament. There are four regions of 16 teams. The other four teams are considered “The First Four.” That means they have to play a game before getting into the actual body of the tournament – okay, yes, the bracket. Those games in 2025 take place in Dayton on March 18 and 19.
Once those games are played, the tournament gets underway. There are 16 games each on March 20 and 21. That would be the first round contests. They are played in eight different venues with four games in the first round, and two days later, two games are played at each spot. That whittles the field to the Sweet 16.
Those contests will be played on March 27 and 28. They cut the field to the Elite Eight with those contests on March 29 and 30. After that, we are on to the Final Four, which is in San Antonio, Texas, on April 5 and 7.
There are betting opportunities on every game in the tournament, ranging from ATS to moneyline to Props. It is a field day in addition to the bracket love. For comprehensive analysis and betting tips, tune into NCAAB shows on BetUS TV.
What Networks Broadcast NCAA Basketball Championship Games?
There will be plenty of channels involved with the broadcasting of the NCAA on TV basketball today. Throughout the run, you can find games on CBS, TNT. TBS and truTV. It will also be streamed on Paramount+.
Taking you through each of the rounds.
- The first four will be on truTV, Max, and March Madness Live
- The first two days of 16 games each will be on CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV, Paramount+, and Max, March Madness Live
The second round games will be on CBS, TBS, TNT, Paramount+, Max, March Madness Live on March 22. truTV will be added to the mix on March 23.
The next weekend games starting with the Sweet 16 will air on CBS, TBS, Paramount+, and Max.
When we get to the Final Four, the Saturday doubleheader will be on CBS with the final on Monday. In a change after much criticism, the game will start at 8:50 p.m. ET, a half-hour before it has tipped since the 1970s.
Who says networks and the NCAA don’t respond to gripes?
