The madness of March is nearly upon us with the unveiling of the 68-team March Madness bracket just around the corner.
There's chaos and drama every year, but the 2020 edition of the NCAA Tournament could be unlike any other in what has been a parity-driven season in college basketball.
Below you will find all the details you need to know about the 2020 tournament, including a full schedule, tournament location list, Selection Sunday details, top 25 rankings and bracket projections.
DeCOURCY: Big Ten basketball facing unprecedented, unparalleled parity
When is March Madness 2020?
- First Four start: March 17
- First round start: March 19
- End date: Monday, April 6
The 2020 March Madness drama will get underway with play-in games in the First Four on Tuesday, March 17 and Wednesday, March 18.
After the field is narrowed to 64 teams, first round action will take place the next two days on Thursday, March 19 and Friday, March 20, with 16 games both days.
Every March Madness game will be viewable on CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV as well as the March Madness app.
NCAA Tournament schedule
| Round | Site | Dates |
| First Four | Dayton, Ohio | March 17-18 |
| First/Second rounds | Albany, N.Y. | March 19, 21 |
| First/Second rounds | Spokane, Wash. | March 19, 21 |
| First/Second rounds | St. Louis | March 19, 21 |
| First/Second rounds | Tampa, Fla. | March 19, 21 |
| First/Second rounds | Greensboro, N.C. | March 20, 22 |
| First/Second rounds | Omaha, Neb. | March 20, 22 |
| First/Second rounds | Sacramento, Calif. | March 20, 22 |
| First/Second rounds | Cleveland | March 20, 22 |
| Midwest Regional | Indianapolis | March 26, 28 |
| West Regional | Los Angeles | March 26, 28 |
| South Regional | Houston | March 27, 29 |
| East Regional | New York | March 27, 29 |
| Final Four | Atlanta | April 4 |
| National championship | Atlanta | April 6 |
When is Selection Sunday 2020?
- Date: Sunday, March 15
- Time: 6 p.m. ET
- TV channel: CBS
The 2020 March Madness selection show will be on TBS and available via live stream on the March Madness app and NCAA.com. The show will announce each of the 68 teams that have been selected to the tournament, in addition to dates, game locations, tipoff times and TV channels for the matchups. Greg Gumbel will handle the studio host duties as he unveils the bracket.
NCAA basketball top 25 rankings & standings
Here is a look at the current AP top-25 rankings as of Monday, Feb. 3.
| Rank | Team (First-place votes) | Conference | W-L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baylor (49) | Big 12 | 19-1 |
| 2 | Gonzaga (15) | WCC | 23-1 |
| 3 | Kansas (1) | Big 12 | 18-3 |
| 4 | San Diego State | Mountain West | 23-0 |
| 5 | Louisville | ACC | 19-3 |
| 6 | Dayton | Atlantic 10 | 20-2 |
| 7 | Duke | ACC | 18-3 |
| 8 | Florida State | ACC | 18-3 |
| 9 | Maryland | Big Ten | 17-4 |
| 10 | Villanova | Big East | 17-4 |
| 11 | Auburn | SEC | 19-2 |
| 12 | Seton Hall | Big East | 16-5 |
| 13 | West Virginia | Big 12 | 17-4 |
| 14 | Oregon | Pac-12 | 18-5 |
| 15 | Kentucky | SEC | 16-5 |
| 16 | Michigan State | Big Ten | 16-6 |
| 17 | Iowa | Big Ten | 16-6 |
| 18 | LSU | SEC | 17-4 |
| 19 | Butler | Big East | 17-5 |
| 20 | Illinois | Big Ten | 16-6 |
| 21 | Creighton | Big East | 17-5 |
| 22 | Penn State | Big Ten | 16-5 |
| 23 | Arizona | Pac-12 | 15-6 |
| 24 | Colorado | Pac-12 | 17-5 |
| 25 | Houston | American | 17-5 |
NCAA Tournament bracket predictions
SN's predictions and explanations for the top overall 16 seeds for 2020 March Madness are below. The teams are listed by region with each team's seed line to the left and overall 1-16 seed rank in parentheses.
| SOUTH REGION | MIDWEST REGION | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — Baylor (1) | 1 — Kansas (2) | |
| 2 — Dayton (8) | 2 — Louisville (6) | |
| 3 — Villanova (10) | 3 — Maryland (12) | |
| 4 — Auburn (16) | 4 — Butler (13) | |
| EAST REGION | WEST REGION | |
| 1 — Gonzaga (4) | 1 — San Diego State (3) | |
| 2 — Duke (5) | 2 — West Virginia (7) | |
| 3 — Seton Hall (9) | 3 — Florida State (11) | |
| 4 — Michigan State (15) | 4 — Oregon (14) |
1. Baylor — The AP No. 1 team lost its second game of the season to Washington but has been perfect ever since, racking up wins over Kansas (away), Villanova (neutral) and Arizona and Butler (both home) in the process.
2. Kansas — The Jayhawks lead the nation in strength of schedule and are the only team with 10 Quad-I victories.
3. San Diego State — SDSU is the country's final undefeated squad and the country's NET leader, checking in with wins over Creighton, BYU and Iowa.
4. Gonzaga — With wins over Arizona and Oregon away from home, the Bulldogs should feel confident about their chances of landing another No. 1 seed.
5. Duke — The Stephen F. Austin loss hurts, but there's a serious case to be made about the Blue Devils' potential as a top seed with wins over Kansas and Michigan State away from home.
6. Louisville — Chris Mack's group might max out as a No. 2 seed, but that's a great spot to be in what figures to be a chaotic month of March. Cardinals have a win at Duke.
7. West Virginia — WVa's elite stretch of schedule (No. 4) and 10 combined Quad-I/II wins makes up for a lackluster 3-4 road record.
8. Dayton — The Flyers have yet to lose in regulation with overtime losses to Kansas and Colorado. There still isn't a top-30 NET win on the resume, though.
9. Seton Hall — Myles Powell's squad is flying high of late. The Pirates own a 12-5 record against Quad-I/II opponents this season, including wins over Maryland and at Butler.
10. Villanova — Another quality road win would be nice, as the Wildcats have just one NET top-50 road victory to date. The Kansas win and strength of schedule certainly help.
11. Florida State — If FSU can beat Duke or Louisville again, it would be a major boost to the Seminoles' resume. An additional top-tier win could solidify this group as a No. 2 seed.
12. Maryland — Trending up of late, the Terrapins are top-15 in both NET and strength of schedule and haven't suffered any losses outside Quad-I.
13. Butler — The Bulldogs seem to be back on course after losing four of six. Butler's team sheet is stacked with Quad-I wins that will pay dividends as the season progresses.
14. Oregon — Thanks to a loaded nonconference slate, Oregon has a strong strength of schedule and wins over likely tournament teams in Seton Hall, Houston, Michigan and Memphis.
15. Michigan State — Sparty has hit a rough patch recently and stands just 3-6 in Quad-I games. Advanced metrics should help keep this team within striking distance of a top-4 seed.
16. Auburn — Much like Dayton, the Tigers have a stellar record with not much meat on the resume. An underwhelming year in the SEC hasn't provided Auburn with many opportunities for quality victories.