March Madness live updates: Scores, highlights of Friday’s first round

The March Madness debut of the projected No. 1 pick in the NBA draft and a slew of popular upset picks highlight the first-round action as the 2025 NCAA Tournament rolls on throughout the country on Friday.

There are another 16 games on the schedule and the East region matchup between No. 1 seed Duke and No. 16 seed Mount St. Mary’s will garner a lot of the attention early now that Cooper Flagg is expected to play after suffering an ankle injury in the ACC Tournament. But that’s just the start. 

Two-time defending national champion UConn is also in action, this time as a No. 8 seed facing No. 9 seed Oklahoma. No. 6 seed Illinois will face No. 11 seed Xavier in an intriguing matchup between the Big Ten and Big East in the Midwest region bracket and No. 12 Colorado State is favored over No. 5 seed Memphis in their South Region first-round game. Popular Final Four and national championship picks like No. 1 seed Florida, No. 2 seed Alabama, No. 2 seed Michigan State also begin their NCAA Tournament journeys during this second full day of March Madness.

USA TODAY Sports is keeping track of all the games from the 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket taking place at sites around the country on Friday with live updates, upset alerts, highlights and more. Follow along.

March Madness 2025 expert predictions

USA TODAY experts set their picks ahead of the NCAA Tournament. Here is who they picked.

Jordan Mendoza

Full bracket

Final Four: Michigan State, Florida, Duke, Houston
Final: Florida vs. Houston
National champion: Houston

Paul Myerberg

Full bracket

Final Four: Auburn, St. John’s, Duke, Tennessee
Final: Auburn vs. Duke
National champion: Duke

Eddie Timanus

Full bracket

Final Four: Auburn, Florida, Duke, Houston
Final: Florida vs. Duke
National champion: Florida

Dan Wolken

Full bracket

Final Four: Michigan State, Florida, Duke, Houston
Final: Florida vs. Duke
National champion: Duke

2025 Men’s March Madness Printable Bracket

Here is your printable March Madness bracket.

Click for your 2025 NCAA Tournament printable bracket

Is Cooper Flagg playing in March Madness for Duke?

Cooper Flagg, the projected top pick in this year’s NBA draft and one of the favorites to win national player of the year, will be available to play for No. 1-ranked Duke on Friday in the first round of the Men’s NCAA Tournament after spraining his ankle a week ago in the ACC quarterfinals. — Dan Wolken

March Madness bracket: Dates, times, TV, results and scores (needs updates)

All times Eastern

Tuesday, March 18

First Four games

South region: No. 16 Alabama State def. No. 16 St. Francis, 70-68
South region: No. 11 North Carolina def. No. 11 San Diego State, 95-68

Wednesday, March 19

First Four games

East region: No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s def. No. 16 American, 83-72, 6:40 p.m. on truTV
Midwest region: No. 11 Xavier def. No. 11 Texas, 86-80, 9:10 p.m. on truTV

Thursday, March 20

Round of 64 games

South region: No. 9 Creighton def. No. 8 Louisville, 89-75
Midwest region: No. 4 Purdue def. No. 13 High Point, 75-63
East region: No. 3 Wisconsin def. No. 14 Montana, 86-66
Midwest region: No. 1 Houston def. No. 16 SIU-Edwardsville, 78-40
South region: No. 1 Auburn def. No. 16 Alabama State, 83-63
Midwest region: No. 12 McNeese State def. No. 5 Clemson, 69-67
East region: No. 6 BYU def. No. 11 VCU, 80-71
Midwest region: No. 8 Gonzaga def. No. 9 Georgia, 89-68
Midwest region: No. 2 Tennessee def. No. 15 Wofford, 77-62
West region: No. 10 Arkansas def. No. 7 Kansas, 79-72
South region: No. 4 Texas A&M def. No. 13 Yale, 80-71
West region: No. 11 Drake def. No. 6 Missouri, 67-57
Midwest region: No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 Utah State, 9:25 p.m. on TNT
West region: No. 2 St. John’s vs. No. 15 Omaha, 9:45 p.m. on CBS
South region: No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 12 UC San Diego, 10 p.m. on TBS
West region: No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 14 UNC-Wilmington, 10:10 p.m. on truTV

Friday March 21

Round of 64 games

East region: No. 8 Mississippi State vs. No. 9 Baylor, 12:15 p.m. on CBS
East region: No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 15 Robert Morris, 12:40 p.m. on truTV
South region: No. 3 Iowa State vs. No. 14 Lipscomb, 1:30 p.m. on TNT
West region: No. 5 Memphis vs. No. 12 Colorado State, 2 p.m. on TBS
East region: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 American/Mount St. Mary’s, 2:50 p.m. on CBS
East region: No. 7 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 10 Vanderbilt, 3:15 p.m. on truTV
South region: No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 North Carolina/San Diego State, 4:05 p.m. on TNT
West region: No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Grand Canyon, 4:35 p.m. on TBS
West region: No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Norfolk State, 6:50 p.m. on TNT
Midwest region: No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 14 Troy, 7:10 p.m. on CBS
South region: No. 7 Marquette vs. No. 10 New Mexico, 7:25 p.m. on TBS
East region: No. 4 Arizona vs. No. 13 Akron, 7:35 p.m. on truTV
West region: No. 8 UConn vs. No. 9 Oklahoma, 9:25 p.m. on TNT
Midwest region: No. 6 Illinois vs. No. 11 Texas/Xavier, 9:45 p.m. on CBS
South region: No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 15 Bryant, 10 p.m. on TBS
East region: No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 Liberty, 10:10 p.m. on truTV

Watch 2025 NCAA Tournament games with Sling TV

Saturday, March 22

Midwest Region: No. 12 McNeese State vs. No. 4 Purdue, 12:10 p.m. on CBS
West Region: No. 10 seed Arkansas vs. No. 2 seed St. John’s, 2:40 p.m. on CBS
South Region: No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 4 Texas A&M, 5:15 p.m. on CBS
West Region: No. 11 Drake vs. No. 3 Texas Tech, 6:10 p.m. on TNT
South Region: No. 9 Creighton vs. No. 1 Auburn, 7:10 p.m. on TBS
East Region: No. 6 BYU vs. No. 3 Wisconsin, 7:45 p.m. on CBS
Midwest Region: No. 8 Gonzaga vs. No. 1 Houston, 8:40 p.m. on TNT
Midwest Region: No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 2 Tennessee, 9:40 p.m. on TBS

Sunday, March 23

Round of 32 games, Time and TV channel TBD

Thursday, March 27

East and West region Sweet 16 games, Time and TV channel TBD

Friday, March 28

Midwest and South region Sweet 16 games, Time and TV channel TBD

Saturday, March 29

East and West region finals, Time and TV channel TBD

Sunday, March 30

Midwest and South region finals, Time and TV channel TBD

Saturday, April 5

Final Four

Game 1: 6:09 p.m. on CBS
Game 2: 8:49 p.m. on CBS

Monday, April 7

National championship game: 8:50 p.m. on CBS

What time are March Madness games today?

March Madness continues Friday with another 16 games slated throughout the day. The action kicks off with No. 9 Baylor taking on No. 8 Mississippi State at 12:15 p.m. ET. The first round concludes with No. 12 Liberty vs. No. 5 Oregon at 10:10 p.m. ET.

How to watch March Madness Friday: TV, streaming coverage 

TV channels: Coverage across CBS, TNT, TBS, TruTV
Live stream: Max and Sling for games carried on TNT, TBS, TruTV; CBS games available on Fubo

Watch March Madness with Sling

What channel is March Madness on?

Coverage for Friday’s Day 2 action will be broadcast across CBS, TNT, TBS, and TruTV channels. You can also watch the conclusion of the first round via streaming options: Max and Sling for games carried on TNT, TBS, TruTV. Games carried on CBS are available on Fubo, which offers a free trial subscription to new users.

March Madness odds

March Madness First Four odds, according to BetMGM. Odds as of Thursday, March 20.

Here’s a full look at the favorites to win the men’s tournament, everyone who sits at better odds than +2500.

T1. Duke (+325)
T1. Florida (+325)
3. Auburn (+400)
4. Houston (+600)
5. Tennessee (+1800)
6. Alabama (+2000)
T7. Michigan State (+2500)
T7. St. John’s (+2500)

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.