How to Watch the NCAA Tournament First Round Thursday Live Stream Online

March madness is finally upon us.

Perhaps no sporting event in America rivals the first four days of the NCAA Tournament in terms of intensity, drama, and sheer craziness. Forty-eight games will take place in sites across the country over the next four days, and the field of 64 will be whittled down to the Sweet 16.

Virginia, Xavier, Villanova and Kansas are the top seeds — with perennial powers Duke, North Carolina, and Michigan State also expected to be serious contenders.

Thursday’s action features some interesting match-ups. Star guard Collin Sexton leads the Alabama Crimson Tide into an intriguing 8-9 matchup against Virginia Tech. Two teams on a roll square off in Boise when SEC Tournament champion Kentucky take on surprising Atlantic 10 Champs Davidson. And Duke opens up with a potentially tricky game against MAAC power Iona.

Potential day one upsets to watch: Stephen F. Austin — which has delivered a few Tourney shockers in recent years by taking down West Virgnia and VCU — has a good chance against No. 3 seeded Texas Tech. And if you really want to go for the glory in your office pool, take Penn to pull off the stunner against Kansas and become the first-ever 16 seed to beat a No. 1. This seems to be the best chance in years for the unprecedented 1 vs. 16 upset.

The Tournament begins at 12:15 p.m. ET. CBS, TNT, TBS, and TruTV will all televise games throughout the day from four sites around the country. You can stream the action via the NCAA website. The games on TNT, TBS, and TruTV require a cable subscription. However, the four games being televised on CBS Thursday can all be accessed for free without a cable login.

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