March Madness 2016: TV Channels, Schedule, Start Times For St. Patrick's Day Games

The first round of the 2016 NCAA men’s basketball tournament begins Thursday afternoon with a 16-game slate. The bevy of games on St. Patrick's Day include defending champion and No. 4 seed Duke, three of the four No. 1 seeds, North Carolina, Virginia, and Kansas.

The Blue Devils, led by guard Grayson Allen and star freshman Brandon Ingram, officially ring in the first round when they take on No. 13 seed UNC-Wilmington at 12:15 p.m. ET.

From there, 15 more games will take place until about midnight Thursday. Virginia will be the first No. 1 seed play, dueling with No. 16 Hampton at 3:10 p.m. ET in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Cavaliers are 24-point favorites and a No. 16 seed has never beaten a No. 1 seed.

That might be reassuring to Kansas, who faces No. 16 Austin Peay, and North Carolina before it faces upset minded and 2013’s Cinderella, Florida Gulf Coast. The Eagles just walloped Fairleigh Dickinson 96-55 in the First Four on Tuesday, but stand as a 22-point underdog to the Tar Heels.

Here’s the full schedule, including TV channels for each game.

First Round TV Schedule

March 17

Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa

No. 8 Colorado vs. No. 9 Connecticut, 1:30 p.m. ET (TNT)

No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 16 Austin Peay, 4 p.m. ET (TNT)

No. 5 Indiana vs. Chattanooga, 7:10 p.m. ET (CBS)

No. 4 Kentucky vs. No. 13 Stony Brook, 9:40 p.m. ET (CBS)

PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina

No. 8 Texas Tech vs. No. 9 Butler, 12:40 p.m. ET (TruTV)

No. 1 Virginia vs. No. 16 Hampton, 3:10 p.m. ET (TruTV)

No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 16 Florida Gulf Coast, 7:20 p.m. ET (TBS)

No. 8 USC vs. No. 9 Providence, 9:50 p.m. ET (TBS)

Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island

No. 4 Duke vs. No. 13 UNC-Wilmington, 12:15 p.m. ET (CBS)

No. 5 Baylor vs. No. 12 Yale, 2:45 p.m. ET (CBS)

No. 3 Miami vs. No. 14 Buffalo, 6:50 p.m. ET (TNT)

No. 6 Arizona vs. No. 11 Wichita State, 9:20 p.m. ET (TNT)

Pepsi Center in Denver

No. 4 Iowa State vs. No. 13 Iona, 2 p.m. ET (TBS)

No. 5 Purdue vs. Arkansas-Little Rock, 4:30 p.m. ET (TBS)

No. 3 Utah vs. No. 14 Fresno State, 7:27 p.m. ET (TruTV)

No. 6 Seton Hall vs. No. 11 Gonzaga, 9:57 p.m. ET (TruTV)