Before the tournament expanded to 68 teams in 2011, there used to be a single opening-round game between No. 16 seeds just to get in the actual tournament. But with the enhanced TV deal with Turner Sports and CBS that was set to start back in 2011, the NCAA worked to take a different approach with the First Four.

Madness is finally here. Follow along live for full first-round action on Thursday from the 2025 men's NCAA Tournament.

Copyright © 2025 Bleacher Report, Inc. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All Rights Reserved.

The first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament has begun. There will be 16 games, including Auburn vs. Alabama State. Follow our live coverage.

Riley Weiss scored 14 of her 24 points in the fourth quarter to help Columbia rally from a 13-point halftime deficit and beat Washington 63-60 and earn the school’s first-ever NCAA Tournament victory.

Marcus Foster scores 22 points and Zach Freemantle adds 15 despite foul trouble as Xavier erases a 13-point deficit for its biggest comeback win of the season, 86-80. The 11th-seeded Musketeers

The final matchup of the First Four belongs to Xavier and Texas, who take the court at 9:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 19. It’s the second time the two teams have met in the tournament. In 2023, Texas and Xavier met in the Sweet 16, and the Longhorns delivered a 83-71 victory to improve to the Elite Eight.