When does March Madness Start? Tipoff Dates For Men's & Women's Tournaments, NIT

It seems impossible but it's true. College basketball conference tournaments have begun. Every team has a chance to be a national champion if they string together enough consecutive wins. There will soon be a month-long stretch where no one does any work because they are obsessing over their brackets. It's the best.

If for some reason you don't have the important days ahead marked off on a special calendar, allow us to offer a helping hand. Here are the starting dates for the men's and women's NCAA Tournaments, as well as relevant information for the NIT, should your team happen to end up there.

Men's NCAA Tournament

• Selection Sunday: Sunday, March 12 (6 p.m. ET on CBS)
• First Four: March 14-15
• First round: March 16-17
• Second round: March 18-19
• Sweet 16: March 23-24
• Elite Eight: March 25-26
• Final Four: April 1
• NCAA championship game: April 3 

Women's NCAA Tournament

• Selections are Sunday, March 12, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN
• The First Four games are Wednesday and Thursday, March 15-16
• The first round is Friday and Saturday, March 17-18
• The second round is Sunday and Monday, March 19-20
• The Sweet 16 is Friday and Saturday, March 24-25
• The Elite 8 is Sunday and Monday, March 26-27
• The Final Four is at 7 and 9:30 p.m. ET on Friday, March 31 on ESPN.
• The national championship game is at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 2 on ABC.

NIT

• Selections for the 2023 NIT will be announced Sunday, March 12
• First-round NIT games are March 14-15 at campus sites
• Second-round NIT games are March 18-19 at campus sites
• The quarterfinal NIT games are March 21-22 at campus sites
• The 2023 NIT semifinals are March 28 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on ESPN
• The 2023 NIT championship game is March 30 at the Orleans Arena on ESPN2.