March Madness is here. The 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament kicks off with the First Four on March 15th, 2016. The opening round of the tournament will get started on March 17th, 2016 with First Round Play.

After feedback from fans, the NCAA ceased calling the First Four the first round of the tournament, and instead went back to the traditional round labeling of the games. The 2016 March Madness Sweet Sixteen Schedule will take place on March 24th and 25th this year featuring the semifinal matchups in each region. The winner of each game will earn a spot in the Elite Eight (Regional Finals) to compete for a spot in the 2016 March Madness Final Four being held at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.

2016 March Madness Notable Facts

There are a number of notable facts for the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament when compared to past year. First, is that of the 31 regular season conference champions, a total of 20 teams failed to win their conference tournament. This combined with a record-setting total of 23 losses for the #1 seeds definitely is indicative of the parity we have seen in college basketball this season making it even more likely that we will see one to many “Cinderella’s” emerge during the tournament. This is also the first time ever that Stony Brook (America East) and Cal State Bakersfield (WAC) have earned a spot to the dance in their respective school histories. Ivy League fans see the first appearance by Yale since 1962 (The Ivy League does not have a postseason tournament), and this is the second year in a row that we have four schools from State University of New York (SUNY) in the tournament. Prior to 2016, the SUNY system had never seen more than one school earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

How to Watch the Sweet 16 on TV?

For the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, Turner Sports and CBS Sports have signed up for joint U.S. broadcast rights under the NCAA’s March Madness brand. The companies signed a 14 year contract in 2011, and the NCAA Championship rotates between the two networks based on the year. Odd-numbered years are shown by CBS, and even numbered years starting with 2016 are shown by Turner making it the first time that the championship game will be shown on a cable provider’s network. From the Final Four on, all of the TV rights will be kept by TBS, and TNT and TruTV will feature additional footage and coverage to compliment the action. Non-cable subscribers will have to watch games on the NCAA.com live stream after the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 conclude. The games will be shown via the NCAA’s app and on the website for the Sweet 16 for those who do not have cable.

2016 March Madness Sweet 16 Schedule

West Regional Sweet 16 Schedule

Date: March 24th, 2016
Location: Honda Center (Anaheim, California)
The Sweet 16 games in the West Regional will be held on March 24th, 2016 in Anaheim, California. The top overall seeds in the region are #1 Seed: Oregon, #2 Seed: Oklahoma, and #3 Seed: Texas A&M. Team’s should not under-estimate the defending 2015 NCAA Champion, Duke Blue Devils who are also in the bracket.

South Regional Sweet 16 Schedule

Dates: March 24th, 2016
Location: KFC Yum! Center (Louisville, Kentucky)

The Sweet 16 games in the South Regional will be held on March, 24th, 2016 at the KFC Yum! Arena in Louisville, Kentucky. The top overall seeds in the region are #1 Seed: Kansas, #2 Seed: Villanova, and #3 Seed: Miami (FL). California (4 Seed) and Maryland (5 Seed) are also in the bracket, so it may prove to be a challenge for the overall tournament favorite, Kansas, to make it past the Sweet 16 and Elite 8.

Midwest Regional Sweet 16 Schedule

Dates: March 25th, 2016
Location: United Center (Chicago)
The Sweet 16 games in the Midwest Regional will be held on March 25th, 2016 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The top overall seeds in the region are: #1 Seed: Virginia, #2 Seed: Michigan State, and #3 Seed: Utah with the bracket also having Iowa State (4 Seed) and Purdue (5 Seed).

East Regional Sweet 16 Schedule

Dates: March 25th 2016
Location: Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia)
The Sweet 16 games in the East Regional will be held on March 25th, 2016 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. The top overall seeds in the region are #1 Seed: North Carolina, #2 Seed: Xavier, #3 Seed: West Virginia, and #4 Seed: Kentucky. The East Region is assessed as being the most challenging for teams to make it past the Sweet 16, and it should be interesting to see how far Coach Cal can take the Kentucky Wildcats after being awarded a lower seed than expected after defeating Texas A&M in the 2016 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship.

2016 March Madness Elite Eight Schedule

West Regional
Dates: March 26th, 2016
Location: Honda Center (Anaheim, California)
South Regional
Dates: March 26th, 2016
Location: KFC Yum! Center (Louisville, Kentucky)
Midwest Regional
Dates: March 27, 2016
Location: United Center (Chicago)
East Regional
Dates: March 25, 27, 2016
Location: Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia)

2016 March Madness Final Four Tournament Schedule

Date: April 2, 2016
Location: NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas

2016 March Madness Championship

Date: April 4, 2016
Location: NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas

If you are looking to more closely follow the game action for the 2016 March Madness Tournament, we have a printable 2016 bracket that you can download, as well as a fillable 2016 NCAA Tournament bracket to help you follow the action.