The craziness and unexpected moments that almost always come around during March Madness is back in our lives. If you needed proof of that, just look at the happenings of the First Four on Thursday and first-round action that went down on Friday as the 2021 NCAA Tournament got underway. The most notable piece of history that occurred happened on Friday as No. 15 seed Oral Roberts etched its name in the history books by upsetting No. 2 seed Ohio State. The March Madness is back, folks!
The action on Saturday got off to a bit of a slow start. Each higher seeded team in the first six games of the day took home relatively easy victories. The only team that struggled a bit was No. 5 seed Creighton, who eked past No. 12 seed UC Santa Barbara thanks to a last-second bucket. But, there’s still plenty of time for more madness to unfold throughout the day.
Below you can find tip times and TV channels for every first round game slated to take place on Saturday.
Be sure to check in often as this story will update every single time the NCAA Tournament schedule is adjusted. Games will be aired on CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV — and as always, you can also watch every game in the tourney via March Madness Live.
2021 NCAA Tournament schedule, dates
Saturday, March 20 — Mackey Arena, Assembly Hall, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Lucas Oil Stadium
| 12:15 p.m. | (5) Colorado 96, (12) Georgetown 73 | Recap |
| 12:45 p.m. | (4) Florida State 64, (13) UNC Greensboro 54 | Recap |
| 1:15 p.m. | (3) Kansas 93, (14) Eastern Washington 84 | Recap |
| 1:45 p.m. | (8) LSU 76, (9) St. Bonaventure 61 | Recap |
| 3 p.m. | (1) Michigan 82, (16) Texas Southern 66 | Recap |
| 3:30 p.m. | (5) Creighton 63, (12) UC Santa Barbara 62 | Recap |
| 4 p.m. | (2) Alabama 68, (15) Iona 55 | Recap |
| 4:30 p.m. | (6) USC 72, (11) Drake 56 | Recap |
| 6:25 p.m. | (15) Grand Canyon vs. (2) Iowa | TBS (watch live) |
| 7:10 p.m. | (10) Maryland vs. (7) UConn | CBS (watch live) |
| 7:15 p.m. | (13) Ohio vs. (4) Virginia | truTV (watch live) |
| 7:25 p.m. | (9) Missouri vs. (8) Oklahoma | TNT (watch live) |
| 9:20 p.m. | (16) Norfolk State vs. (1) Gonzaga | TBS (watch live) |
| 9:40 p.m. | (11) Michigan St./UCLA vs. (6) BYU | CBS (watch live) |
| 9:50 p.m. | (14) Abilene Christian vs. (3) Texas | truTV (watch live) |
| 9:57 p.m. | (7) Oregon “no-contest” over (7) VCU | Story |
Second round
Sunday, March 21 — Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Lucas Oil Stadium
|
12:10 p.m. |
(1) Illinois vs. (8) Loyola Chicago |
CBS (watch live) |
|
2:40 p.m. |
(1) Baylor vs. (9) Wisconsin |
CBS (watch live) |
|
5:15 p.m. |
(3) West Virginia vs. (11) Syracuse |
CBS (watch live) |
|
6:10 p.m. |
(3) Arkansas vs. (6) Texas Tech |
TNT (watch live) |
|
7:10 p.m. |
(2) Houston vs. (10) Rutgers |
TBS (watch live) |
|
7:45 p.m. |
(7) Florida vs. (15) Oral Roberts |
truTV (watch live) |
|
8:45 p.m. |
(5) Villanova vs. (13) North Texas |
TNT (watch live) |
|
9:40 p.m. |
(4) Oklahoma State vs. (12) Oregon State |
TBS (watch live) |
Monday, March 22 — Noon start (CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV)
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Lucas Oil Stadium
Sweet 16
Saturday, March 27 — 2 p.m. start (CBS, TBS)
Sunday, March 28 — 1 p.m. start (CBS, TBS)
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse
Elite Eight
Monday, March 29 — 7 p.m. start (CBS)
Tuesday, March 30 — 6 p.m. start (TBS)
Lucas Oil Stadium
Final Four
Saturday, April 3 — 5 p.m. start (CBS)
Lucas Oil Stadium
National Championship
Monday, April 5 — 9 p.m. (CBS)
Lucas Oil Stadium
First Four
Thursday, March 18 — Mackey Arena, Assembly Hall
| 5:10 p.m. | (16) Texas Southern 60, (16) Mount St. Mary’s 52 — Recap |
| 6:27 p.m. | (11) Drake 53, (11) Wichita St. 52 — Recap |
| 8:40 p.m. | (16) Norfolk State 54, (16) Appalachian State 53 — Recap |
| 9:57 p.m. | (11) UCLA 86, (11) Michigan State 80 (OT) — Recap |
First round
Friday, March 19, 2021 — Mackey Arena, Assembly Hall, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Lucas Oil Stadium
| 12:15 p.m. | (7) Florida 75, (10) Virginia Tech 70 (OT) | Recap |
| 12:45 p.m. | (3) Arkansas 85, (14) Colgate 68 | Recap |
| 1:15 p.m. | (1) Illinois 78, (16) Drexel 49 | Recap |
| 1:45 p.m. | (6) Texas Tech 65, (11) Utah State 53 | Recap |
| 3 p.m. | (15) Oral Roberts 75, (2) Ohio State 72 (OT) | Recap |
| 3:30 p.m. | (1) Baylor 79, (16) Hartford 55 | Recap |
| 4 p.m. | (8) Loyola Chicago 71, (9) Georgia Tech 60 | Recap |
| 4:30 p.m. | (12) Oregon State 70, (5) Tennessee 56 | Recap |
| 6:25 p.m. | (4) Oklahoma State 69, (13) Liberty 60 | Recap |
| 7:10 p.m. | (9) Wisconsin 85, (8) North Carolina 62 | Recap |
| 7:15 p.m. | (2) Houston 87, (15) Cleveland State 56 | Recap |
| 7:25 p.m. | (13) North Texas 78, (4) Purdue 69 | Recap |
| 9:20 p.m. | (10) Rutgers 60, (7) Clemson 56 | Recap |
| 9:40 p.m. | (11) Syracuse 78, (6) San Diego State 62 | Recap |
| 9:50 p.m. | (3) West Virginia 84, (14) Morehead State 67 | Recap |
| 9:57 p.m. | (5) Villanova 73, (12) Winthrop 63 | Recap |