March Madness schedule today: TV channels, scores for Thursday's NCAA Tournament Round 1 games

John Leuzzi, USA TODAY NETWORK

March Madness has officially commenced.

For the last six months, 351 Division I basketball teams have competed with one common goal: to put together a resume worthy enough to appear in the single greatest sporting event in the world, that is the NCAA Tournament.

MORE: Watch select NCAA Tournament games with Sling TV

Now, that moment has arrived, the focus for the now-64 teams shifts to outlasting each other to cut down the nets as the last remaining team. Four teams from the original 68-team bracket have already been eliminated from the bracket from the First Four, and more carvings to the feast are set to happen throughout the entire day as the first round of the big dance gets underway.

Fittingly, "Mr. March" himself — Tom Izzo — and the Michigan State Spartans kick off the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Thursday when it takes on Mississippi State at 11:15 a.m. CT.

Other games that highlight day one of the three-week tournament include 6 seed South Carolina vs. 11 seed Oregon at 3 p.m., 7 seed Dayton vs. 10 seed Nevada at 3:30 p.m. and 5 seed Gonzaga vs. 12 seed McNeese State at 6:25 p.m. before capping off the night with 7) seed Washington State vs. 10 seed Drake at a 9:05 p.m. tip-off.

Here's what you need to know about Thursday's first round games of the NCAA Tournament:

REQUIRED READING: March Madness schedule 2024: Day-by-day TV channels, streams to watch NCAA Tournament games

March Madness schedule today

The first set of first-round games in the NCAA Tournament begin on Thursday, March 21 when 8 seed Mississippi State takes on 9 seed Michigan State in Charlotte, North Carolina. The last game of the first day is 7 seed Washington State vs. 10) seedDrake in Omaha, Nebraska.

Here's the full slate of games for Thursday's first round of the NCAA Tournament:

All times are in Central

  • Game 1: (8) Mississippi State vs. (9) Michigan State | 11:15 a.m. | CBS

  • Game 2: (6) BYU vs. (11) Duquesne | 11:40 a.m. | truTV (Sling TV)

  • Game 3: (3) Creighton vs. (14) Akron | 12:30 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)

  • Game 4: (2) Arizona vs. (15) Long Beach State | 1 p.m. | TBS (Sling TV)

  • Game 5: (1) North Carolina vs. (16) Wagner | 1:45 p.m. | CBS

  • Game 6: (3) Illinois vs. (14) Morehead State | 2:10 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)

  • Game 7: (6) South Carolina vs. (11) Oregon | 3 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)

  • Game 8: (7) Dayton vs. (10) Nevada | 3:30 p.m. | TBS (Sling TV)

  • Game 9: (7) Texas vs. (10) Colorado State | 5:50 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)

  • Game 10: (3) Kentucky vs. (14) Oakland | 5:10 p.m. | CBS

  • Game 11: (5) Gonzaga vs. (12) McNeese | 6:25 p.m. | TBS (Sling TV)

  • Game 12: (2) Iowa State vs. (15) South Dakota State | 6:35 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)

  • Game 13: (2) Tennessee vs. (15) Saint Peters | 8:20 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)

  • Game 14: (6) Texas Tech vs. (11) NC State | 8:40 p.m. | CBS

  • Game 15: (4) Kansas vs. (13) Samford | 8:55 p.m. | TBS (Sling TV)

  • Game 16: (7) Washington State vs. (10) Drake | 9:05 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)

How to watch March Madness games

Thursday's slate of NCAA Tournament games will appear across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV, all of which will broadcast four games.

As for streaming options, there are three. The first one is the free March Madness Live App, which is where every NCAA Tournament game will be on. The other is Sling TV, which is where you can watch select NCAA Tournament games that appear on either TBS, truTV and TNT. The last one is Fubo, which carries CBS and offers a free trial to select viewers.

NCAA Tournament scores, results for Thursday's First Round games

This section will be updated as games become finalized

  • (8) Mississippi State vs. (9) Michigan State

  • (6) BYU vs. (11) Duquesne

  • (3) Creighton vs. (14) Akron

  • (2) Arizona vs. (15) Long Beach State

  • (1) North Carolina vs. (16) Wagner

  • (3) Illinois vs. (14) Morehead State

  • (6) South Carolina vs. (11) Oregon

  • (7) Dayton vs. (10) Nevada

  • (7) Texas vs. (10) Colorado State

  • (3) Kentucky vs. (14) Oakland

  • (5) Gonzaga vs. (12) McNeese

  • (2) Iowa State vs. (15) South Dakota State

  • (2) Tennessee vs. (15) Saint Peter's

  • 6) Texas Tech vs. (11) NC State

  • (4) Kansas vs. (13) Samford

  • (7) Washington State vs. (10) Drake

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: March Madness schedule today: Time, TV channel, scores for Thursday's games

Advertisement