Selection Sunday 2023: NCAA bracket announcement time, how to watch and stream

Philadelphia basketball fans will see a familiar face on this year’s NCAA selection show.

Former Villanova head coach Jay Wright, who joined CBS as a college basketball analyst this season, will make his debut as a bracket analyst during tonight’s selection show, which will air live at 6 p.m. on CBS.

As has been the case for the past few years, CBS will reveal the full 68-team bracket by region shortly after the show begins. Following its full release, host Greg Gumbel will discuss the bracket with Wright and fellow analysts Clark Kellogg and Seth Davis. Gumbel will also interview NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee Chair Chris Reynolds.

CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus called the show a “high-wire act” juggling graphics, analysis, and up to 15 live shots, often put together at the last minute.

“Obviously, you only get one chance to do it right, and we get the brackets anywhere from an hour to 15 minutes before we go on air,” McManus said during a recent conference call. “But it’s fun, and it kicks off our tournament coverage, and the attention it gets in the media is remarkable.”

For the 12th year, CBS is partnering with Warner Bros. Discover Sports (previously Turner Sports) to cover the men’s basketball tournament. This year, CBS will air both the Final Four and the championship game, which will be called for the final time by longtime announcer Jim Nantz.

Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream:

The March Madness Live site and app have a three-hour free preview before you need to log in with your cable provider, plenty to get through the show.

Do you consider Penn State a local team?

After upsetting No. 3 seed Indiana Saturday, the No. 10 Nittany Lions will face off against No. 1 Purdue in the Big Ten tournament’s championship game Sunday at 3:30 p.m. Even if Penn State doesn’t win the Big Ten tournament, they have a decent shot of making the NCAA tournament as an at-large bid, which would mark their third straight NCAA men’s tournament appearance.

Rutgers is also on the bubble after a decent showing in the Big Ten tournament, defeating Michigan and keeping things close in a loss to Purdue. “They’re obviously an NCAA Tournament team. I think they can do some real damage,” Purdue head coach Matt Painter said of Rutgers after the game.

Villanova failed to win the Big East tournament, eliminating their only remaining avenue to make it into the NCAA tournament. It’s the first time since 2012 the Wildcats have failed to advance to the big dance, ending a streak that includes six Sweet 16s, three Final Fours, and two national championships.

Temple, St. Joe’s, Penn, La Salle, and Drexel will also be watching March Madness from home after losing in their respective conference tournaments. It’s the first time since 1977 no Philadelphia teams will play in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, according to former Daily News editor Bob Vetrone Jr.

» READ MORE: No NCAA Tournament for Villanova, and no ducking the challenges ahead

Teams can make it into the men’s NCAA tournament two ways — an automatic bid and an at-large bid.

Thirty-two teams receive automatic bids by winning their Division I conference tournament. Several conferences will hold their championship games Sunday.

The remaining 36 teams are picked by a 10-member selection committee after every conference tournament game has been played. Since 2019, the committee has used the NCAA Evaluation Tool as their primary tool in evaluating whether teams deserve a spot.

The current NET rankings have Rutgers at No. 38, while Penn State is ranked 54th.

After the teams are selected, NCAA says the committee “endeavors to achieve reasonable competitive balance in each region of the bracket.”

The NCAA tournament tips off on Tuesday with the First Four, four play-in games between the four lowest-seeded automatic bids and the four lowest-seeded at-large bids.

The games — which take place once again at the the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio — will air on TruTV Tuesday and Wednesday, with coverage beginning at 6 p.m.

The first round begins Thursday and will feature 32 games airing on CBS, TNT, TBS, and TruTV over two days.

The first and second rounds will be played at eight regional sites — Birmingham, Ala.; Des Moines, Iowa; Orlando, Fla.; Sacramento, Calif.; Albany, N.Y.; Columbus, Ohio; Denver, Colo.; and Greensboro, N.C.

The tournament’s second round begins Saturday and will feature 16 games over two days airing on CBS, TNT, TBS, and TruTV.

The Sweet 16 tips off Thursday, March 23, and will feature eight primetime games played across two days on CBS and TBS.

Both the Sweet 16 and the Elite 8 will be played at four regional sites:

The Elite Eight gets underway Saturday, March 25, and features four games split by CBS and TBS.

The tournament moves to Houston, Tx. for the Final Four, which will air on CBS from NRG Stadium on Saturday, April 1. Jim Nantz, Grant Hill, Bill Raftery, and reporter Tracy Wolfson will call the Final Four and the national championship game for the eighth consecutive year.

This year’s national championship game will tip off on CBS on April 3 at 9:20 p.m.