Mark your calendars for March 16, 2025, as 68 lucky teams will be announced on Selection Sunday, kicking off March Madness with bracket busting excitement and questionable couch decisions.

On this highly anticipated day, 68 teams—31 of which will earn their spot through automatic bids—will be unveiled for both the men's and women's NCAA tournaments, setting the stage for a month of thrilling upsets and endless debates about which team deserves to be a 12-seed. Tune in at 6 p.m. ET on CBS for the men's reveal and catch the women's selections at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, as analysts dissect every choice while fans nationwide prepare their excuses for why they need to take off work for 'personal reasons.'

As the anticipation builds, CBS will be rolling out the heavy artillery for the men's Selection Sunday show, with Adam Zucker at the helm. Sporting his best hosting skills and a dartboard of projections, he'll be joined by analysts Clark Kellogg and Jay Wright. Their expertise is only rivaled by the sheer enthusiasm of fans who will be combing through spreadsheets to determine whether they should pledge allegiance to their alma mater or go with the trendy pick that just so happens to have a cooler mascot.

Meanwhile, over on ESPN, Elle Duncan will work her magic for the women's selection show, flanked by a cast of analysts and a reporter doing their best to ensure that the event feels as exciting as a surprise birthday party. After all, nothing says 'happy March Madness' quite like a group of people who just gained access to a fully stocked sports buffet of brackets, predictions, and frantic second-guessing of their own choices from last year.

Once the festivities kick off and the brackets are laid out before the nation, come the First Four games. The sweet smell of victory and nachos will waft through Dayton, Ohio on March 18-19 for the men's games, while the women will battle it out a day later on March 19-20. These preliminary rounds are basically the NCAA's version of 'the Hunger Games,' where teams let their hopes rise while others firmly face the ground of elimination. Fans should prepare for this clash by arming themselves with snacks that could double as armor.

The men's tournament will officially begin with the First Round games on March 20-21, which will be swiftly followed by the Championship game set for April 7, 2025, at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Not to be outdone, the women will also wade through their own intense battles, culminating in their championship match the day before, on April 6, 2025. So, whether you Team Men or Team Women, there's more action to digest than there are leftover turkey legs after Thanksgiving.

The selection process works much like a fancy dinner party; 31 teams will receive automatic bids by winning their respective conference tournaments—essentially the ‘invitation’ to the feast. The remaining 37 spots will be filled by at-large selections, decided by the selection committee, which sometimes seems to be composed of committee members who flip a coin and then decide based on whoever has the best logo. No one knows precisely how they determine these teams, but one thing is for sure: It’s not through an intricate system of meritocracy; it’s more akin to picking names out of a bowl.

This massive tournament isn’t limited to just one cozy venue; games will be played across various cities in the United States, transforming local basketball courts into arenas of emotion and angst for the duration of March. Some fans will travel far and wide, albeit hoping to book accommodations that don’t involve sharing a restroom with 24 other people. Still, nothing beats the thrill of seeing how poorly one’s bracket predictions go just a day into the tournament.

For those wishing to dive into the excitement but unable to weight lift a remote control, don’t fret! Streaming options are available, with Paramount+, ESPN+, and Fubo stepping up to ensure no one misses the flurry of bracket-building fun. From the comfort of your couch, you’ll have all the power to witness the joyous celebrations of victory and the intense denials of those selected teams consistently hitting the snooze button on their championship dreams.

So, whether you cheer for underdogs, traditional powerhouses, or even the team that somehow pulls out a victory due to a last-minute charge, the road to the championship is a grand narrative filled with unexpected plot twists. Just remember, on Selection Sunday, every bracket becomes a potential mixture of genius and regret—a cycle we love to embrace for another year.