NEWSLETTER
It’s the best time of the year for college basketball. Teams from across the country compete in the NCAA Division I Tournament. It’s March Madness and it’s complete chaos. But, how many games are in March Madness? How many does each round of the tournament have? Here’s everything you need to know about the total March Madness games.
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Total Number of NCAA Tournament Games
The NCAA Tournament has a total of 67 games played. Since 2011, the March Madness Tournament has had 68 teams in the men’s tournament. The women’s NCAA March Madness Tournament expanded to 68 teams in 2022. Here’s a breakdown of the number of games by round:
First Four: 4 games
First Round (Round of 64): 32 games
Second Round (Round of 32): 16 games
Sweet 16: 8 games
Elight 8: 4 games
Final Four: 2 games
NCAA Championship: 1 game
The First Four games begin on March 14 and 15 for the men’s tournament. The play-in games are the Tuesday and Wednesday of the week after the March 12 Selection Sunday show. Selection Sunday reveals the entire tournament bracket after the final conference tournament games finish.
There were 63 games when we had the 64-team tournament. The expansion in bids to the tournament boosted the games to 67.
The March Madness Bracket
The bracket for 2023 is broken down into four regions that each contain teams seeded numbers 1 through 16. In 2011, the men’s tournament expanded from 64 teams to 68. This introduced the First Four. Eight teams play in four play-in games to get to the First Round.
The teams are selected for the single-elimination tournament by a selection committee. These selections include the First Four teams. Teams are selected by automatic bids and at-large bids. An automatic bid goes to teams that win their conference tournaments. These teams make up 32 spots in the tournament field.
At-large bids go to teams based on certain qualifications such as record, the strength of schedule, and more. The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tourney has 38 at-large teams in the field.
When Does March Madness Start
The tournament starts in mid-March after Selection Sunday. The First Four games usually take place on Tuesday and Wednesday after Selection Sunday. The First Round of the Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament begins on Thursday.
The 2023 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament begins with the First Four on March 14 and 15. Men’s NCAA games continue with the First Round starting on Thursday, March 16, 2023.
Final Four and National Championship
The Final Four and NCAA National Championship take place in the same arena over a weekend in early April. The Final Four for NCAA college basketball usually takes place on a Saturday while the title game is on a Monday.
For the 2023 NCAA Basketball Championship, the Final Four and National Championship games take place at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. The Final Four is on Saturday, April 1. You can watch the National Title game on Monday, April 3.
How Many Teams are in the March Madness Basketball Tournament?
There are 68 teams in the men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments. There are 32 automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament and 38 at-large bids. The tournament schedule kicks off with the First Four and continues into the First Round.
Since the tournament was expanded to 68 teams, the Opening Round switched to the First Four. The Opening Round used to include one play-in game. It decided the final number 16 seed in the Division I basketball tournament. Since 2011, it has been known as the First Four.
How Many Games are in March Madness FAQs
There are a total of 67 games in March Madness played with the 68 teams in the NCAA Tourney. These games are played across the country and run from the First Four all the way to the Final Four and Championship games.
There are 32 games in the first round of the tournament. This is because once the First Round begins, there are 64 teams in the tournament. Two teams for each game make 32 games.
The tournament begins in mid-March each year. The 2023 NCAA Tournament begins with the First Four on March 14 and 15. It then moves to the First Round of the tournament on Thursday, March 16.
There have been 68 teams in the men’s tournament since the NCAA expanded from 64 teams. To qualify for March Madness, teams need to receive an at-large bid or win their conference tournament.
