March Madness 2017 Schedule: First-Round Start Times, TV Channels For Thursday And Friday

Thursday marks the height of arguably the most exciting week on the sports calendar with the first round of the NCAA Tournament. March Madness 2017 officially began with the opening round games, but the real fun begins with the Round of 64.

With the first game starting shortly after noon on both Thursday and Friday, there will be games on four different TV channels for much of each day. The schedule includes 32 contests as every winner takes one step closer to reaching the Final Four.

READ: Final Four predictions for March Madness 2017

No.5 Notre Dame and No.12 Princeton kick things off Thursday afternoon in a matchup that could begin a string of upsets. The Fighting Irish are favored, but the first round usually features at least one victory for a No.12 seed.

No.1 Gonzaga and No.1 Villanova play Thursday, while No.1 North Carolina and No.1 Kansas will have to wait until Friday to begin their tournament runs. No.2 Duke, who has the best odds to win the national championship, plays their first-round game Friday night.

Here’s a look at the complete schedule for the first round of March Madness 2017:

Thursday, March 16

No.12 Princeton vs. No.5 Notre Dame, 12:15 p.m. EDT, CBS

No.12 UNC Wilmington vs. No.5 Virginia, 12:40 p.m. EDT, truTV

No.13 Winthrop vs. No.4 Butler, 1:30 p.m. EDT, TNT

No.16 South Dakota State vs. No.1 Gonzaga, 2 p.m. EDT, TBS

No.13 Bucknell vs. No.4 West Virginia, 2:45 p.m. EDT, CBS

No.13 East Tennessee State vs. No.4 Florida, 3:10 p.m. EDT, truTV

No.12 Middle Tennessee State vs. No.5 Minnesota, 4 p.m. EDT, TNT

No.9 Vanderbilt vs. No.8 Northwestern, 4:30 p.m. EDT, TBS

No.11 Xavier vs. No.6 Maryland, 6:50 p.m. EDT, TNT

No.16 Mount St. Mary’s vs. No.1 Villanova, 7:10 p.m. EDT, CBS

No.10 VCU vs. No.7 St. Mary’s, 7:20 p.m. EDT, TBS

No.13 Vermont vs. No.4 Purdue, 7:27 p.m. EDT, truTV

No.14 Florida Gulf Coast vs. No.3 Florida State, 9:20 p.m. EDT, TNT

No.9 Virginia Tech vs. No.8 Wisconsin, 9:40 p.m. EDT, CBS

No.15 North Dakota vs. No.2 Arizona, 9:50 p.m. EDT, TBS

No.12 Nevada vs. No.5 Iowa State, 9:57 p.m. EDT, truTV

Friday, March 17

No.10 Oklahoma State vs. No.7 Michigan, 12:15 p.m. EDT, CBS

No.14 New Mexico State vs. No.3 Baylor, 12:40 p.m. EDT, truTV

No.9 Seton Hall vs. No.8 Arkansas, 1:30 p.m. EDT, TNT

No.14 Iona vs. No.3 Oregon, 2 p.m. EDT, TBS

No.15 Jacksonville State vs. No.2 Louisville, 2:45 p.m. EDT, CBS

No.11 USC vs. No.6 SMU, 3:10 p.m. EDT, truTV

No.16 Texas Southern vs. No.1 North Carolina, 4 p.m. EDT, TNT

No.11 Rhode Island vs. No.6 Creighton, 4:30 p.m. EDT, TBS

No.16 UC Davis vs. No.1 Kansas, 6:50 p.m. EDT, TNT

No.10 Wichita State vs. No.7 Dayton, 7:10 p.m. EDT, CBS

No.15 Troy vs. No.2 Duke, 7:20 p.m. EDT, TBS

No.11 Kansas State vs. No.6 Cincinnati, 7:27 p.m. EDT, truTV

No.9 Michigan State vs. No.8 Miami, 9:20 p.m. EDT, TNT

No.15 Northern Kentucky vs. No.2 Kentucky, 9:40 p.m. EDT, CBS

No.10 Marquette vs. No.7 South Carolina, 9:50 p.m. EDT, TBS

No.14 Kent State vs. No.3 UCLA, 9:57 p.m. EDT, truTV