March Madness 2012 TV Schedule: Key Dates You Just Can't Miss

With March Madness officially ready to kick off, it’s time to break down the TV schedule and the key dates you just can’t miss as a college basketball fan.

It’s obvious the championship game is important, but I’d rather watch the round of 64 as much as I would the championship any day. It’s all about the upsets.

Below are the key dates on the calendar, followed by the full list of games, what time they come on and what station they will appear.

Championship Game – April 2

Leave it to New Orleans and the Louisiana Superdome to hold one of the wildest parties in all the land as the NCAA Championship runs through the Bayou. With a heavy helping of March Madness in our college basketball bellies, the Championship game will be the desert that you can’t help by savor.

It’s not worth watching it all if you don’t watch the finale.

Second-Third Rounds – March 15-18

With the second and third round taking place all over the United States, this is the time to get out and see a game live. With the bracket still unblemished and our Nostradamus-esque predictions still standing tall, this is the most exciting few days of fast-paced action a sports fan could ever want.

These few days very quickly separates the boys from the men.

National Semifinals – March 31

While the National Championship is the key, the semifinals are as interesting as or more interesting than the actual final, because there are four teams fighting like dogs instead of two.

During the Final Four, the teams there are all NCAA title game-worthy, so it’s basically like two mini championship games.

TV Schedule:

March 11 - Sunday

12-1 pm - Road to the Final Four (CBS)

6-7 pm - National Championship Selection Show (CBS)

March 13 - Tuesday

6:30-11 pm - First Four (truTV)

March 14 - Tuesday

6:30-11 pm - First Four (truTV)

March 15 - Thursday

12-5 pm - Second Round (CBS)

7-12 pm - Second Round (CBS)

1:30-6 pm - Second Round (TBS)

6:45-12 pm - Second Round (TBS)

2-7 pm - Second Round (TNT)

7:15-12:15 pm - Second Round (TNT)

12:30-5:30 pm - Second Round (truTV)

7:15-12:15 pm - Second Round (truTV)

March 16 - Friday

12-5 pm - Second Round (CBS)

7-12 pm - Second Round (CBS)

1:30-6 pm - Second Round (TBS)

6:45-12 pm - Second Round (TBS)

2-7 pm - Second Round (TNT)

7:15-12:15 pm - Second Round (TNT)

12:30-5:30 pm - Second Round (truTV)

7:15-12:15 pm - Second Round (truTV)

March 17 - Saturday

12-10 pm - Third Round Quadruple-Header (CBS)

7-12 pm - Third Round  (TBS)

6-10:30 pm - Third Round (TNT)

March 18 - Sunday

12-7:30 pm - Third Round Triple-Header (CBS)

7-12 pm - Third Round  (TBS)

6-10:30 pm - Third Round (TNT)

7:30 pm - Third Round (truTV)

March 22 - Thursday

7-12 pm - Regional Semifinals (CBS)

7:15-12:30 pm - Regional Semifinals (TBS)

(Also 6-11 pm - Division II Championship - CBS Sports Network)

March 23 - Friday

7-12 pm - Regional Semifinals (CBS)

7:15-12:30 pm - Regional Semifinals (TBS)

March 24 - Saturday

3-4:30 pm - The Road to the Final Four

4:30-9 pm - Elite Eight (CBS)

(Also 1-3 pm - Division II Championship - CBS)

March 25 - Sunday

2-7 pm - Elite Eight (CBS)

March 31 - Saturday

Noon - College All-Star Game (truTV)

3:30 pm - The Road to the Final Four: Outside the Games

4-6 pm - The Final Four Show

6-11 pm - Men's Final Four (CBS)

April 1 - Monday

9 pm - Prelude to a Championship

9:30-11:30 pm - NCAA Men's Championship (CBS)

Check back for more on the NCAA Basketball as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s College Basketball Page to get your fill of college basketball.

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