NCAA Bracket 2016: March Madness Tournament Schedule and Coverage

As the conference tournaments hit their stride, we are just days away from Selection Sunday and the announcements of the NCAA tournament bracket.

March Madness may be the second-biggest event on the American sporting scene behind the Super Bowl, and while the most important days of the tournament will take place weeks from now at the Final Four and the national championship game, much of the American sporting public is filled with hope at the moment that its school will play NCAA tournament basketball.

Many teams still have a chance to go to the Big Dance even if that hope is faint. It will require a team like Illinois to sweep through the Big Ten tournament, and that's highly unlikely.

But as poorly as the Illini played this season—they are 14-18 after beating Minnesota in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament—they still have a slim chance to get to the Big Dance as they wake up Thursday morning.

Date	Round	Location(s)
March 15, 16	First Four	UD Arena (Dayton, Ohio)
March 17, 19	First/Second Rounds	Dunkin Donuts Center (Providence, R.I.); Wells Fargo Arena (Des Moines, Iowa); PNC Arena (Raleigh, N.C.); Pepsi Center (Denver)
March 18, 20	First/Second Rounds	Barclays Center (Brooklyn, N.Y.); Scottrade Center (St. Louis); Chesapeake Energy Arena (Oklahoma City, Okla.); Spokane Arena (Spokane, Wash.)
March 24, 26	West Regional (Sweet 16, Elite Eight)	Honda Center (Anaheim, Calif.)
March 24, 26	South Regional (Sweet 16, Elite Eight)	KFC Yum! Center (Louisville, Ky.)
March 25, 27	Midwest Regional (Sweet 16, Elite Eight)	United Center (Chicago)
March 25, 27	East Regional (Sweet 16, Elite Eight)	Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia)
April 2	Final Four (Semifinals)	NRG Stadium (Houston)
April 4	Championship Game	NRG Stadium (Houston)

The NCAA tournament gets underway Tuesday and Wednesday with the First Four, and then the first round gets underway in earnest March 17.

The top seeds are likely to include Villanova in the East, Virginia in the South, Kansas in the Midwest and Michigan State in the West.

All of those teams are going to have an excellent chance to survive and advance to the Sweet 16, but unlike previous years when there have been truly dominant teams in the field, it would not be a major shocker if any of the most highly regarded teams suffered an upset well before they could get to the Final Four in Houston.

Villanova (27-4) may be the most motivated of any of the top seeds. It was a 33-3 team last year and was beaten in the round of 32 by North Carolina State.

Round	Date(s)	TV Networks
First Four	March 15-16	truTV
First-Second Rounds	March 17-20	TNT, truTV, TBS, CBS
Sweet 16	March 24-25	TBS, CBS
Elite 8	March 26-27	TBS, CBS
Final Four	April 2	TBS
Championship Game	April 4	TBS

You can be sure head coach Jay Wright's team has been stung badly by that loss. The Wildcats have tremendous balance, as they have five players who are averaging in double figures, including Josh Hart, who is averaging 15.3 points per game and connecting on 50.9 percent of his shots.

Michigan State (26-5) made it all the way to the Final Four last season but was trounced in one of the national semifinal games by eventual national champion Duke. The Spartans got off to a brilliant start this year before hitting a lull early in the Big Ten portion of the schedule. However, they have regained their stride and appear to be ready for another long March run.

Few coaches are as accomplished as Tom Izzo when it comes to preparing a team for the NCAA tournament, and he has big-time weapons on his side. Denzel Valentine is a player of the year candidate who is averaging 19.6 points per game and seems to come through with the big play whenever the game is on the line.

Orlin Wagner/Associated Press

Kansas (27-4) is another team that has gotten on a run late in the season. The Jayhawks have an 11-game winning streak as they prepare for the Big 12 tournament, and Perry Ellis is an explosive performer who can give his team a spark. Ellis is averaging 16.5 points per night and connecting on 52.1 percent of his shots from the field.

Virginia (24-6) and Michigan State engaged in a nasty, physical battle last year in the round of 32, and the Spartans outlasted the Cavaliers.

You can be sure Tony Bennett will remind his team of that game once the tournament gets underway. The Cavs are a tough, hustling team that likes to grind opponents with their defense, and that's just how Bennett wants them to play. Virginia doesn't run away from good teams very often, but the Cavs can play a nasty, aggressive brand of basketball and come out on the winning side.

Look for Virginia to take its cues from guard Malcolm Brogdon, who is averaging 18.4 points per game.