Each year, March Madness is filled with exciting storylines and heroic moments.
But the excitement, pageantry and tradition that comes with the three-week NCAA Tournament doesn’t start with the first round.
It starts in Dayton, Ohio with the First Four.
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Eight Division I men’s college basketball teams will travel to the University of Dayton’s UD Arena to compete in a two-night play-in tournament on the college campus with one shared goal in mind: get into the field. It’s part of what makes March Madness a tournament like no other.
Since it was added to the men’s NCAA Tournament format in 2011, there have been just two teams that have made it from the First Four to the Final Four: Shaka Smart’s VCU Rams in 2011 and Mick Cronin’s UCLA Bruins in 2021.
Who will make the First Four in 2025? That will be answered in just a few hours, when the entire field of 68 is announced on CBS during the Selection Sunday bracket reveal show.
Here’s what you need to know about when the First Four is for the men’s NCAA Tournament, including a history of the First Four and more:
When is the First Four for men’s March Madness?
First Four games for the 2025 men’s NCAA Tournament will take place on Tuesday, March 18 and Wednesday, March 19. The four games will be split, two apiece, across Tuesday and Wednesday.
Those that win the First Four games on Tuesday will advance to first-round games of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 20. Those that win the First Four games on Wednesday will advance to first-round games on Friday, March 21 — all told, a quick turnaround with travel and game prep for the winners of First Four games.
Where is the First Four for men’s March Madness?
The First Four will be once again played on the campus of the University of Dayton at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio.
The 2025 NCAA Tournament is the 13th time that the First Four will take place at UD Arena since the play-in tournament was added to the overall NCAA Tournament in 2011.
The lone two years that the First Four didn’t take place at UD Arena was in 2020, when the entire March Madness tournament was canceled due to COVID-19. In 2021, the NCAA brought the whole tournament to the state of Indiana for a “bubble site.”
Who plays in the First Four? Explaining NCAA Tournament play-in games
As previously noted by The Enquirer, part of the USA TODAY Network, the First Four is composed of the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams. Though it is not officially the first round of the NCAA Tournament, it does represent the first round of games played in March Madness.
Traditionally, the First Four consists of four teams that will play for a 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament, while the other four will be fighting for an 11 seed. However, there have been First Fours where teams are playing for two 12-, 13- and 14-seed lines. Last year’s First Four was the first to include teams fighting for a 10 seed.
First Four history
Here’s a full list how past First Four games have gone since it began in 2011:
2011
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(11) UTSA 70, Alabama State 61
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(12) Clemson 70, UAB 52
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(16) UNC-Asheville 81, Arkansas-Little Rock 77
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(16) VCU 59, USC 46
2012
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(12) South Florida 65, Cal 54
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(14) Vermont 71, Lamar 59
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(16) BYU 78, Iona 54
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(16) Western Kentucky 59, Mississippi Valley State
2013
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(11) Saint Mary’s 67, Middle Tennessee 54
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(13) La Salle 80, Boise State 71
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(16) North Carolina A&T 73, Liberty 72
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(16) James Madison 67, LIU-Brooklyn 55
2014
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(11) Tennessee 78, Iowa 65
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(12) NC State 74, Xavier 59
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(16) Albany 71, Mount St. Mary’s 64
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(16) Cal Poly 81, Texas Southern 69
2015
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(11) Dayton 56, Boise State 55
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(11) Ole Miss 94, BYU 90
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(16) Hampton 74, Manhattan 64
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(16) Robert Morris 81, North Florida 77
2016
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(11) Michigan 67, Tulsa 62
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(11) Wichita State 70, Vanderbilt 50
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(16) Florida Gulf Coast 96, Fairleigh Dickinson 65
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(16) Holy Cross 59, Southern 55
2017
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(11) Kansas State 95, Wake Forest 88
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(11) USC 75, Providence 71
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(16) UC Davis 67, North Carolina Central 63
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(16) Mount St. Mary’s 67, New Orleans 66
2018
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(11) St. Bonaventure 65, UCLA 58
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(11) Syracuse 60, Arizona State 56
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(16) Radford 71, LIU-Brooklyn 61
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(16) Texas Southern 64, North Carolina Central 46
2019
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(11) Arizona State 74, St. John’s 65
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(11) Belmont 81, Temple 70
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(16) North Dakota State 78, North Carolina Central 74
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(16) Fairleigh Dickinson 82, Prairie View A&M 76
2021
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(11) UCLA 86, Michigan State 80
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(11) Drake 53, Wichita State 52
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(16) Norfolk State 54, Appalachian State 53
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(16) Texas Southern 60, Mount St. Mary’s 52
2022
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(11) Notre Dame 89, Rutgers 87
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(12) Indiana 66, Wyoming 58
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(16) Texas Southern 76, Texas A&M Corpus Christi 67
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(16) Wright State 93, Bryant 82
2023
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(11) Pitt 60, Mississippi State 59
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(11) Arizona State 98, Nevada 73
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(16) Texas A&M Corpus Christi 75, SE Missouri State 71
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(16) Fairleigh Dickinson 84, Texas Southern 61
2024
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(10) Colorado State 67, (10) Virginia 42
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(10) Colorado 60, (10) Boise State 53
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(16) Wagner 71, (16) Howard 68
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(16) Grambling State 88, (16) Montana State 81 (OT)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: First Four schedule: March Madness play-in game times, dates, location
