When is First Four for March Madness 2024? Dates, times and how to watch NCAA Tournament

It's the appetizer before the main course as the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments get underway with the First Four games, beginning Tuesday.

The 68-team fields will be set on Selection Sunday and eight men's and women's schools have a little housekeeping to do before they get to the more traditional bracket setup.

The madness will begin this year's quest to reach the Final Four – for the men, it's in Phoenix; for the women, it's in Cleveland.

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When is men's First Four?

The men's First Four will take place with two games on Tuesday, March 19 and two games on Wednesday, March 20 in Dayton, Ohio.

How to watch men's First Four

The men's First Four games are scheduled to tip off at 6:30 p.m. 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Wednesday.

They will be broadcast live on TruTV, with Spero Dedes handling the play-by-play, Jim Spanarkel handling the analysis and Jon Rothstein reporting.

When is women's First Four?

The women's First Four will take place with two games on Wednesday, March 20 and Thursday, March 21. The sites of the women's First Four games will be held at the home courts of four of the top 16 national seeds.

How to watch the women's First Four

The women's First Four games will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks. The TV schedule and the announcers have not yet been revealed.