March Madness 2018: NCAA Men's Tournament Schedule, Selection Sunday Info

The Big Ten got the jump on the college basketball world by holding its conference tournament a week earlier than usual, and the rest of college basketball will catch up this week.

Once all the conference tournament crowns are handed out, it will be time for the busiest and most anticipated part of the college basketball season: The Big Dance.

The anticipation is likely to build during the week until Selection Sunday, when the 68 teams that will be competing for this year's national championship tournament will be announced.

This year, that event will be held on TBS, and it can also be live-streamed at the NCAA's website

TV: TBS

Date: March 11, 2018

Time: 6:00 p.m. ET

Live stream: NCAA.com

Once that announcement is made, the tournament will get underway with the First Four, which includes doubleheaders on March 13 and 14. Those games will allow four teams to earn a spot in the main draw.

The first and second round will be played iover a four-day period starting March 15. Here's a look at the tournament's full schedule, courtesy of NCAA.com.

March Madness 2018 dates and schedule

ROUND	SITE	DATE(S)
Selection Sunday	N/A	March 11
First Four	Dayton	March 13-14
First/Second	Pittsburgh	March 15 & 17
First/Second	Wichita	March 15 & 17
First/Second	Dallas	March 15 & 17
First/Second	Boise	March 15 & 17
First/Second	Charlotte	March 16 & 18
First/Second	Detroit	March 16 & 18
First/Second	Nashville	March 16 & 18
First/Second	San Diego	March 16 & 18
Midwest Regional	Omaha	March 23 & 25
West Regional	Los Angeles	March 22 & 24
South Regional	Atlanta	March 22 & 24
East Regional	Boston	March 23 & 25
Final Four	San Antonio	March 31, April 2

With the regular season finished and the majority of the conference tournaments yet to be played, the top four seeds are likely to be Virginia, Villanova, Kansas and Xavier, according to ESPN.com Bracketology expert Joe Lunardi.

Top-ranked Virginia goes into the ACC tournament as the runaway winner of the regular-season conference title, earning a four-game edge over the second-place Duke Blue Devils.

Virginia (28-2) has won five in a row at this point, and it has the defensive core and clutch scoring to go into the NCAA tournament as the overall No. 1 seed.

Kyle Guy leads the team with 13.9 points per game, but his shooting has been an issue. Guy is making 40.1 percent of his shots from the field. Devon Hall is averaging 11.9 points per night, while Ty Jerome is scoring 10.6 points per night and hitting 89.5 percent of his free throws.

Senior forward Isaiah Wilkins said the Cavaliers can't rest on their laurels as they go into the postseason.

"I think we have to have like a full reset," Wilkins said after the Cavaliers closed the season by beating Notre Dame, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "It's a chapter, and it closed. Now we just have to be extra prepared and play free."

Villanova (27-4) is a powerful team that has had a couple of ups and downs this year, but there's little doubt that head coach Jay Wright's men are capable of going all the way. 

The Wildcats were the No. 1 team in the nation through the early part of February, but they were just 5-3 in their last eight games. If that downturn was merely the result of some late-season doldrums, it seems likely that Villanova will find its game in the NCAA tournament.

Jalen Brunson is a player-of-the-year candidate, and he is averaging 19.0 ppg and connecting on 52.8 percent of his shots. Mikal Bridges is providing excellent support for the Wildcats, as he is averaging 17.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per night.

Kansas (24-7) was the No. 1 team in the Big 12 during the regular season, and that conference was the best in the nation this season. Head coach Bill Self may not have a roster filled with superstars, but the Jayhawks know how to finish games and should feel confident going into the tournament.

Orlin Wagner/Associated Press

Devonte Graham earned Big 12 player-of-the-year honors this year after averaging 17.6 points per game. While his numbers paled in comparison to Oklahoma's Trae Young (27.5 ppg and 8.9 apg), he was the unanimous selection for the award.

Graham is far from a one-man team. In fact, he excels at bringing out the best in teammates Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and Udoka Azubuike. Mykhailiuk is averaging 15.3 points per game, while Azubuike is scoring 13.7 points while shooting an amazing 77.4 percent from the field.

Xavier (27-4) has been a battling team all season, and the Musketeers were good enough to beat out Villanova for the regular-season Big East title.

Xavier lost both of its regular-season games to the Wildcats, but the team has been remarkably consistent and should be ready if it meets its rivals in the conference title game. 

Trevon Bluiett is battle-tested, and he leads the Musketeers with 19.4 points per game. J.P. Macura is averaging 12.4 points per game and is an excellent complementary player.