Defending champs UConn vs No. 1 seed Florida leads Sunday slate
Mackenzie Salmon previews the best games during Sundays slate of games in the round of 32 including the defending champs UConn taking on Florida.
Sports Seriously
The first weekend of the men’s NCAA Tournament is coming to a close with the final day of the second round on Sunday.
Eight games are on deck and the Sunday slate starts with a bang as two-time defending champion Connecticut plays the underdog against high-powered Florida in a No. 1 vs. No. 8 matchup. Following his brilliant tournament debut, Cooper Flagg and top-seeded Duke will face No. 9 Baylor.
Double-digit seeds will try to keep their Cinderella runs going with 12th-seeded Colorado State facing Maryland and No. 10 seed New Mexico matching up against Tom Izzo and Michigan State. The schedule wraps up with an old-school former Pac-12 matchup between Arizona and Oregon in Seattle.
By the end of the night, 16 teams will remain in the field. All teams still standing will get a break before play resumes on Thursday and Friday.
Follow along live for bracket updates, scores, highlights and more from Sunday’s action:
Hassan Diarra’s lonnng 3-pointer for his first points of the first half pulled Connecticut even with Florida 31-31 after the first 20 minutes of action in Raleigh.
Both teams have had difficulty putting the ball in the basket, with UConn shooting 32.4% from the field and Florida 38.5%. The Gators led by as many as five points early, but committed nine turnovers in the half after averaging only 11 per game during the regular season.
Florida’s Alijah Martin leads all scorers with 14 points. Liam McNeely leads the Huskies with nine points on 3-of-10 shooting.
Duke is one of the most complete teams in the field and the clear favorite to win the region, should Flagg be fully recovered from his ankle injury. If so, his well-rounded game will help make the Blue Devils a difficult matchup for every potential opponent in the East, if not the entire bracket.
This is a team with few flaws, if any: Duke ranks seventh in the country in scoring defense, 15th in scoring offense, first in scoring margin, fifth in effective field goal percentage, seventh in field-goal percentage defense and ninth in rebounding margin. You can make the argument that failing to reach the Final Four would be a significant letdown. — Paul Myerberg
Top-seeded Florida owns an 11-8 lead over Connecticut with 11:40 to play in the first half of the day’s opening game. It’s been a sloppy scrum on both ends of the court with plenty of turnovers and missed shots.
UConn has had the worst of it, hitting just three of its first 16 shots from the field (18.8%) and 2-for-11 from 3-point land (18.2%). The Gators are shooting better (5-for-11, 45.5%), but they’ve already committed six turnovers.
What time are March Madness games today?
March Madness continues Sunday with another eight games slated throughout the day. The action kicks off with No. 8 UConn taking on No. 1 Florida at 12:10 p.m. ET. The second-round concludes with No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 4 Arizona at 9:40 p.m. ET.
How to watch March Madness Sunday: TV, streaming coverage
- TV channels: Coverage across CBS, TNT, TBS, TruTV
- Live stream: Max and Sling for games carried on TNT, TBS, TruTV; CBS games available on Fubo
Watch March Madness with Sling
There was much worry about the health of Cooper Flagg in the NCAA Tournament. Even though Duke opened against No. 16 Mount Saint Mary’s, the chance at a national championship hinged on the star freshman.
It took less than two minutes for all worries to go away. Flagg absorbed contact for a bucket and the foul, looking like the same person who could win national player of the year honors. He didn’t appear to have any problems in the 22 minutes he played as he caused havoc on both sides of the court near the rim. Flagg finished with 14 points, a team-high seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
The competition will get tougher for Duke with Baylor up next in the second round, but Flagg’s NCAA Tournament debut should erase any doubt of him being limited and keep the Blue Devils a heavy title favorite. — Jordan Mendoza
Men’s NCAA Tournament championship odds, according to BetMGM. Odds as of Sunday, March 22.
Here’s a full look at the favorites to win the men’s tournament: everyone who sits at better odds than +3000.
- Duke (+275)
- Florida (+300)
- Auburn (+500)
- Houston (+500)
- Tennessee (+1700)
- Alabama (+2000)
- Texas Tech (+2200)
- Michigan State (+3000)
- Iowa State (+3000)
Coverage for Sunday’s second round action will be broadcast across CBS, TNT, TBS, and TruTV channels.
You can also watch the conclusion of the first round via streaming options: Max and Sling for games carried on TNT, TBS, TruTV. Games carried on CBS are available on Fubo, which offers a free trial subscription to new users.
On the men’s side, the Final Four is scheduled for Saturday, April 5. The NCAA championship game will take place two days later on Monday, April 7. All games will played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
For the women, the Final Four will be played on Friday, April 4 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. The championship game will be Sunday, April 6 at 3 p.m. at the same venue.
USA TODAY experts set their picks ahead of the NCAA Tournament. Here’s who they chose.
Jordan Mendoza
Full bracket
- Final Four: Michigan State, Florida, Duke, Houston
- Final: Florida vs. Houston
- National champion: Houston
Paul Myerberg
Full bracket
- Final Four: Auburn,
St. John’s, Duke, Tennessee - Final: Auburn vs. Duke
- National champion: Duke
Eddie Timanus
Full bracket
- Final Four: Auburn, Florida, Duke, Houston
- Final: Florida vs. Duke
- National champion: Florida
Dan Wolken
Full bracket
- Final Four: Michigan State, Florida, Duke, Houston
- Final: Florida vs. Duke
- National champion: Duke
Here is your printable March Madness bracket.
All times Eastern
Tuesday, March 18
First Four games
Wednesday, March 19
First Four games
Thursday, March 20
Round of 64 games
- South region: No. 9 Creighton def. No. 8 Louisville, 89-75
- Midwest region: No. 4 Purdue def. No. 13 High Point, 75-63
- East region: No. 3 Wisconsin def. No. 14 Montana, 86-66
- Midwest region: No. 1 Houston def. No. 16 SIU-Edwardsville, 78-40
- South region: No. 1 Auburn def. No. 16 Alabama State, 83-63
- Midwest region: No. 12 McNeese State def. No. 5 Clemson, 69-67
- East region: No. 6 BYU def. No. 11 VCU, 80-71
- Midwest region: No. 8 Gonzaga def. No. 9 Georgia, 89-68
- Midwest region: No. 2 Tennessee def. No. 15 Wofford, 77-62
- West region: No. 10 Arkansas def. No. 7 Kansas, 79-72
- South region: No. 4 Texas A&M def. No. 13 Yale, 80-71
- West region: No. 11 Drake def. No. 6 Missouri, 67-57
- Midwest region: No. 7 UCLA def. No. 10 Utah State, 72-47
- West region: No. 2 St. John’s def. No. 15 Omaha, 83-53
- South region: No. 5 Michigan def. No. 12 UC San Diego, 68-65
- West region: No. 3 Texas Tech def. No. 14 UNC-Wilmington, 82-72
Friday March 21
Round of 64 games
- East region: No. 9 Baylor def. No. 8 Mississippi State, 75-72
- East region: No. 2 Alabama def. No. 15 Robert Morris, 90-81
- South region: No. 3 Iowa State def. No. 14 Lipscomb, 82-55
- West region: No. 12 Colorado State def. No. 5 Memphis, 78-70
- East region: No. 1 Duke def. No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s, 93-49
- East region: No. 7 Saint Mary’s def. No. 10 Vanderbilt, 59-56
- South region: No. 6 Ole Miss def. No. 11 North Carolina, 71-64
- West region: No. 4 Maryland def. No. 13 Grand Canyon, 81-49
- West region: No. 1 Florida def. No. 16 Norfolk State, 95-69
- Midwest region: No. 3 Kentucky def. No. 14 Troy, 76-57
- South region: No. 10 New Mexico def. No. 7 Marquette, 75-66
- East region: No. 4 Arizona def. No. 13 Akron, 93-65
- West region: No. 8 UConn def. No. 9 Oklahoma, 67-59
- Midwest region: No. 6 Illinois def. No. 11 Xavier, 86-73
- South region: No. 2 Michigan State def. No. 15 Bryant, 87-62
- East region: No. 5 Oregon def. No. 12 Liberty, 81-52
Watch 2025 NCAA Tournament games with Sling TV
Saturday, March 22
Sunday, March 23
Thursday, March 27
East and West region Sweet 16 games, Time and TV channel TBD
- No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 10 Arkansas
Friday, March 28
Midwest and South region Sweet 16 games, Time and TV channel TBD
- No. 1 Houston vs. No. 4 Purdue
- No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 5 Michigan
- No. 2 Tennessee vs. TBD
- No. 6 BYU vs. TBD
Saturday, March 29
- East and West region finals, Time and TV channel TBD
Sunday, March 30
- Midwest and South region finals, Time and TV channel TBD
Saturday, April 5
Final Four
- Game 1: 6:09 p.m. on CBS
- Game 2: 8:49 p.m. on CBS
Monday, April 7
- National championship game: 8:50 p.m. on CBS
Women’s March Madness schedule
Here is the women’s schedule:
- First Four: March 19-20
- First round: March 21-22
- Second round: March 23-24
- Sweet 16: March 28-29
- Elite Eight: March 30-March 31
- Final Four: Friday, April 4, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, hosted at Amalie Arena in Tampa. Second game starts 30 minutes after first game ends.
- NCAA championship game: Sunday, April 6 at 3 p.m. ET on ABC, hosted at Amalie Arena in Tampa.
Women’s March Madness printable bracket
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