March 13 (UPI) — Hardcourt stages are primed from the East Coast to the West Coast for the annual NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament. Southeast Missouri State and Texas A&M Corpus Christi will launch the slate Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio.
Alabama, Houston, Kansas and Purdue earned top seeds in the 2023 Division I men’s basketball tournament. The 68-team field for the 67-game tournament was announced Sunday on CBS. Basketball fans can catch the action over the next three weeks on CBS, truTV, TNT and TBS.
“We set goals over the summer for the regular season, tournament and obviously a national championship,” Alabama guard Jahvon Quinerly told reporters Sunday. “It’s March. Any team can win on any given day. I’m going to make sure our guys are ready to go, no matter who we match up with.”
Southeast Missouri State and Texas A&M Corpus Christi will tip off at 6:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday on tru TV. The winner of that game between No. 16 seeds will advance to a Round of 64 first-round matchup Thursday against Alabama, the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament.
Two No. 11 seeds, Pittsburgh and Mississippi State, will play in the second First Four game at 9 p.m. on truTV. The winner will meet No. 6 Iowa State on Friday in the Round of 64.
No. 16 seeds Fairleigh Dickinson and Texas Southern will meet at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday on truTV in another First Four game. No. 11 seeds Nevada and Arizona State will play in the last First Four game at 9 p.m. Wednesday on the same network.
The winners from those games will meet No. 1 Purdue and No. 6 TCU in respective Round of 64 matchups.
Round of 64 games will air Thursday and Friday. Round of 32 action will air Saturday and Sunday. The Sweet 16 will be March 23 and 24. Elite Eight games will air March 25 and 26.
The Final Four will be April 1, and the national title game will be April 3. The Final Four and tournament finale will be held at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Houston is the title favorite. The Cougars (31-4), fueled by a tenacious defense, own the best scoring margin in the nation (19 points). Alabama (30-5), defending champion Kansas (27-7), Purdue (30-5), UCLA (29-5), Gonzaga (28-5), Arizona (28-6), Texas (26-8), Marquette (28-6) and Baylor (22-10) are among the other expected contenders.
Purdue center Zach Edey, Gonzaga forward Drew Timme, Alabama forward Brandon Miller, Iowa forward Kris Murray, Indiana forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, Houston guard Marcus Sasser and Kansas forward Jalen Wilson are among 14 Wooden Award nominees who will participate in the tournament.
Oral Roberts guard Max Abmas, Memphis guard Kendric Davis and UNC Asheville forward Drew Pember also are among the players to watch.
Schedule in EDT
Tuesday
First Four
No. 16 Southeast Missouri State vs. No. 16 Texas A&M Corpus Christi at 6:30 p.m. on truTV
No. 11 Pittsburgh vs. No. 11 Mississippi State at 9 p.m. on truTV
Wednesday
First Four
No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson vs. No. 16 Texas Southern at 6:30 p.m. on truTV
No. 11 Nevada vs. No. 11 Arizona State at 9 p.m. on truTV
Thursday
Round of 64
No. 9 West Virginia vs. No. 8 Maryland at noon on CBS
No. 13 Furman vs. No. 4 Virginia at 12:30 p.m. on truTV
No. 10 Utah State vs. No. 7 Missouri at 1:20 p.m. on TNT
No. 16 Howard vs. No. 1 Kansas at 1:50 p.m. on TBS
No. 16 Southeast Missouri State/Texas A&M CC vs. No. 1 Alabama at 2:20 p.m. on CBS
No. 12 College of Charleston vs. No. 5 San Diego State at 3 p.m. on truTV
No. 15 Princeton vs. No. 2 Arizona at 3:50 p.,m. on TNT
No. 9 Illinois vs. No. 8 Arkansas at 4:20 p.m. on TBS
No. 9 Auburn vs. No. 8 Iowa at 645 p.m. on TNT
No. 12 Oral Roberts vs. No. 5 Duke at 7 p.m. on CBS
No. 15 Colgate vs. No. 2 Texas at 7:15 p.m. on TBS
No. 10 Boise State vs. No. 7 Northwestern at 7:25 p.m. on truTV
No. 16 Northern Kentucky vs. No. 1 Houston at 9:15 p.m. on TNT
No. 13 Louisiana vs. No. 4 Tennessee at 9:30 p.m. on CBS
No. 10 Penn State vs. No. 7 Texas A&M at 9:45 p.m. on TBS
No. 15 UNC Asheville vs. No. 2 UCLA at 9:55 p.m. on truTV
Friday
Round of 64
No. 10 USC vs. No. 7 Michigan State at noon on CBS
No. 14 Kennesaw State vs. No. 3 Xavier at 12:30 p.m. on truTV
No. 14 UC Santa Barbra vs. No. 3 Baylor at 1:20 p.m. on TNT
No. 12 VCU vs. No. 5 Saint Mary’s at 1:50 p.m. on TBS
No. 15 Vermont vs. No. 2 Marquette at 2:30 p.m. on CBS
No. 11 Mississippi State/Pittsburgh vs. No. 6 Iowa State at 3 p.m. on truTV
No. 11 NC State vs. No. 6 Creighton at 3:50 p.m. on TNT
No. 13 Iona vs. No. 4 UConn at 4:20 p.m. on TBS
No. 16 Texas Southern/Fairleigh Dickinson vs. No. 1 Purdue at 6:45 p.m. on TNT
No. 11 Providence vs. No. 6 Kentucky at 7 p.m. on CBS
No. 12 Drake vs. No. 5 Miami at 7:15 p.m. on TBS
No. 14 Grand Canyon vs. No. 3 Gonzaga at 7:25 p.m. on truTV
No. 9 Florida Atlantic vs. No. 8 Memphis at 9:15 p.m. on TNT
No. 14 Montana State vs. No. 3 Kansas State at 9:30 p.m. on CBS
No. 13 Kent State vs. No. 4 Indiana at 9:45 p.m. on TBS
No. 11 Arizona State/Nevada vs. No. 6 TCU at 9:55 p.m. on truTV
Saturday
Round of 32
TBD vs. TBD at noon on CBS
TBD vs. TBD at 2:30 p.m. on CBS
TBD vs. TBD at 5 p.m. on CBS
TBD vs. TBD at 6 p.m. on TNT
TBD vs. TBD at 7 p.m. on TBS
TBD vs. TBD at 7:30 p.m. on CBS
TBD vs. TBD at 8:30 p.m. on TNT
TBD vs. TBD at 9:30 p.m. on TBS
Sunday
Round of 32
TBD vs. TBD at noon on CBS
TBD vs. TBD at 2:30 p.m. on CBS
TBD vs. TBD at 5 p.m. on CBS
TBD vs. TBD at 6 p.m. on TNT
TBD vs. TBD at 7 p.m. on TBS
TBD vs. TBD at 7:30 p.m. on truTV
TBD vs. TBD at 8:30 p.m. on TNT
TBD vs. TBD at 9:30 p.m. on TBS
March 23
Sweet 16
TBD vs. TBD at 6:15 p.m. on TBS
TBD vs. TBD at 7 p.m. on CBS
TBD vs. TBD at 8:45 p.m. on TBS
TBD vs. TBD at 9:30 p.m. on CBS
March 24
Sweet 16
TBD vs. TBD at 6:15 p.m. on TBS
TBD vs. TBD at 7 p.m. on CBS
TBD vs. TBD at 8:45 p.m. on TBS
TBD vs. TBD at 9:30 p.m. on CBS
March 25
Elite Eight
TBD vs. TBD at 6 p.m. on TBS
TBD vs. TBD at 8:30 p.m. on TBS
March 26
Elite Eight
TBD vs. TBD at 2 p.m. on CBS
TBD vs. TBD at 4:55 p.m. on CCBS
April 1
Final Four
TBD vs. TBD at 6 p.m. on CBS
TBD vs. TBD at 8:30 p.m. on CBS
April 3
National Championship game
TBD vs. TBD at 9 p.m. on CBS
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