March Madness 2020: NCAA Men's Tournament Schedule, Selection Sunday Info
March 10, 2020
With the second week of conference tournaments heating up, college basketball is that much closer to its shining moment (if you'll forgive the pun).
Through Monday night, six of the 32 automatic bids were accounted for: Liberty (Atlantic Sun), Winthrop (Big South), Bradley (Missouri Valley), Utah State (Mountain West), Belmont (Ohio Valley), and East Tennessee State (Southern).
Of those six, only Utah State is likely considered a bid-stealer, as San Diego State, the Mountain West's regular season champion, is a lock for a top-two seed line.
Here's the full schedule March Madness, from the drama of Selection Sunday to the cutting of the nets and playing of One Shining Moment at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Selection Sunday: March 15, 2020. The show begins at 6 p.m. ET on CBS.
First Four: Tuesday and Wednesday, March 17-18, 2020
NCAA Tournament Round 1: Thursday, March 19, and Friday, March 20, 2020
NCAA Tournament Round 2: Saturday, March 21, and Sunday, March 22, 2020
Sweet 16: Thursday, March 26, and Friday, March 27, 2020
Elite 8: Saturday, March 28, and Sunday, March 29, 2020
Final Four: Saturday, April 4, 2020
2020 NCAA championship game: Monday, April 6, 2020
As for the bubble teams, here are five squads you can expect to be sweating it out on Selection Sunday:
Texas
Shaka Smart's squad looked nothing like an NCAA tournament team while losing seven of nine games between mid-January and mid-February. But with the head coach's job status very much in question, the Longhorns responded by reeling off five straight wins, including a pair of victories over then-Top-25 teams West Virginia and Texas Tech.
Instead of ending the regular season with momentum, Texas was thumped by a hapless Oklahoma State team and will now be playing for its tournament life when it faces Texas Tech—another team on the bubble—in the Big 12 tournament.
Xavier
The Musketeers broke a 36-year streak of going at least .500 or above in conference play this season, finishing 8-10 in the Big East after starting the season 11-2.
The path to the NCAA tournament is pretty simple, though. Beat DePaul, and Xavier is likely in the conversation for one of the last four spots; beat DePaul and Villanova, and it is in; lose to DePaul, and it can enjoy the NIT.
Wichita State
In a typical year, a record of 23 wins for Gregg Marshall's squad would be enough on its own to get the Shockers into the Big Dance. But Wichita State's strength of schedule (No. 78), non-conference strength of schedule (No. 169) and lack of quality wins (just one, according to ESPN) has the Shockers a little nervous about their prospects.
Two years ago, WSU was a No. 4 seed with 25 wins. If it can get there this year, which means at least two wins in the AAC tournament, it might be able to sneak into the field of 68. Better to avoid the risk and steal the automatic bid instead.
Indiana
Hoosiers coach Archie Miller had plenty to say about bracket prognosticators who have his team on the bubble, and you can bet he won't be sending them a basket of roses after this is all over.
Simply put, though, Indiana's resume doesn't blow anyone away, especially as a team playing in college basketball's best conference this year.
It has seven quality wins, according to ESPN, but its non-conference strength of schedule ranks a paltry No. 176.
The Hoosiers did beat Florida State, the eventual ACC champion, as well as Ohio State and Michigan State, which are all top-15 teams, according to KenPom.
If Miller's squad beats Nebraska in its first Big Ten tournament game, it's hard to imagine the selection committee keeping a 20-win team with an SOS of 16 out of the field.
Memphis
Penny Hardaway's inaugural season at Memphis started with national championship aspirations, but it just might end with an NIT bid instead.
Without high lottery pick James Wiseman—who left the team after playing just three games—as well as starting forward D.J. Jeffries, Memphis sputtered through AAC play to 21-10 overall and 10-8 in conference play.
Despite all that, the Tigers do still have enough talent on the right day to win the AAC title and secure the automatic bid. Outside of that, they'll likely need to make it to the semifinals on Saturday to be considered for an at-large bid.
Follow Keegan on Twitter @ByKeeganPope.