Here’s how to watch the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The first round of the NCAA Tournament is a basketball lover’s dream -- 64 games across the men’s and women’s competition with nearly nonstop coverage. It is also where the most beloved Cinderella stories get their start, upsetting countless brackets on the way.
The 2022 tournament is poised to bring the same thrilling drama from the opening tipoff.
Get Southern California news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC LA newsletters.
Here’s all the information you need to tune into the first round of the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments.
When does March Madness start?
One week and 32 conference tournaments later, the madness of March has already begun. But the NCAA Tournament, officially dubbed March Madness, begins Tuesday, March 15 with the play-in round featuring Texas A&M-CC against Texas Southern and Indiana against Wyoming.
Sports
Get today's sports news out of Los Angeles. Here's the latest on the Dodgers, Lakers, Angels, Kings, Galaxy, LAFC, USC, UCLA and more LA teams.
The tournament gets into full swing by Thursday, March 17, with the beginning of the first round of the men’s tournament. The first round is scheduled for March 17 and 18, followed immediately by the second round on March 19 and 20.
On the women’s side, each round of competition is scheduled directly a day behind the men. The first round kicks off Friday, March 18, and runs through Monday, March 21.
The full bracket is available here.
Where are the first rounds of the 2022 Men’s NCAA Tournament?
Eight cities have been tapped to host the first two rounds of the men’s tournament, in addition to Dayton, Ohio, which is hosting the First Four games.
The eight host cities and venues for the first round of the men’s tournament are:
- Buffalo, N.Y. - KeyBank Center
- Indianapolis - Gainbridge Fieldhouse
- Fort Worth, Tex. - Dickies Arena
- Portland, Ore. - Moda Center
- Greenville, S.C. - Bon Secours Wellness Arena
- Milwaukee - Fiserv Forum
- Pittsburgh - PPG Paints Arena
- San Diego - Viejas Arena
What channel is the first round of the 2022 Men’s NCAA Tournament on?
CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV will all team up to provide wall-to-wall coverage of the first two rounds of the men’s tournament.
The complete TV schedule is available here.
Where are the first rounds of the 2022 Women’s NCAA Tournament?
Unlike the men’s tournament with predetermined locations, the first two rounds of the women’s tournament are held at the home arena of the top four seeds from each region.
The 16 host cities and venues for the first round of the women’s tournament are:
- Columbia, S.C. - Colonial Life Arena
- Ames, Iowa - James H. Hilton Coliseum
- Raleigh, N.C. - Reynolds Coliseum
- Baton Rouge, La. - Pete Maravich Assembly Center
- Waco, Texas - Ferrell Center
- Iowa City, Iowa - Carver-Hawkeye Arena
- College Park, Md. - XFINITY Center
- Louisville, Ky. - KFC Yum! Center
- Austin, Texas - Frank Erwin Center
- Stanford, Calif. - Maples Pavilion
- Storrs, Conn. - Gampel Pavilion
- Ann Arbor, Mich. - Crisler Center
- Bloomington, Ind. - Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall
- Knoxville, Tenn. - Thompson-Boling Arena
- Tucson, Ariz. - McKale Center
- Norman, Okla. - Lloyd Noble Center
What channel is the first round of the 2022 Women’s NCAA Tournament on?
All of the action for the women’s tournament can be found on the ESPN Networks.
The complete TV schedule is available here.
