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NCAA March Madness bracket, schedule unveiled

By Connor Grott
The NCAA tournament begins March 19 with the First Four in Dayton, Ohio. March Madness ends April 8 with the National Championship Game in Minneapolis. File Photo by Gary C. Caskey/UPI
The NCAA tournament begins March 19 with the First Four in Dayton, Ohio. March Madness ends April 8 with the National Championship Game in Minneapolis. File Photo by Gary C. Caskey/UPI | License Photo

March 18 (UPI) -- College basketball's regular season and conference championship week is finished and the 68-team NCAA tournament field is set.

On Sunday, Auburn won its first SEC title since 1985, Cincinnati defeated Houston in the AAC championship game and Michigan State captured the Big Ten championship over Michigan. Duke claimed the ACC title Saturday, and Iowa State pulled out a win over Kansas in the Big 12 title game.

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Other teams that captured a conference championship and automatic berth were: Buffalo (MAC), Villanova (Big East), Yale (Ivy League), Saint Louis (Atlantic 10), Georgia State (Sun Belt), Vermont (America East), NC Central (MEAC), Utah State (MWC), Prairie View (SWAC), Montana (Big Sky), Old Dominion (C-USA), Abilene Christian (Southland), New Mexico State (WAC), Oregon (Pac-12) and UC Irvine (Big West), among others.

The rest of the tournament's field was rounded out Sunday during the annual Selection Show, as Duke, North Carolina, Virginia and Gonzaga earned No. 1 seeds.

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Belmont, Temple, Arizona State and St. John's were the Last Four In. The First Four Out were UNC-Greensboro, Alabama, TCU and Indiana.

This year's NCAA tournament schedule begins with the First Four on March 19. The tournament's first full day of action arrives March 21.

Below is the full March Madness bracket for each region, along with the tournament's schedule and game locations. Game times have yet to be announced.

East Region (First and Second Rounds):

No. 1 Duke (29-5) vs. No. 16 NC Central/North Dakota State, Friday, Columbia, South Carolina

No. 8 VCU (25-7) vs. No. 9 UCF (23-8), Friday, Columbia, South Carolina

No. 5 Mississippi State (23-10) vs. No. 12 Liberty (28-6), Friday, San Jose, California

No. 4 Virginia Tech (24-8) vs. No. 13 Saint Louis (23-12), Friday, San Jose, California

No. 6 Maryland (22-10) vs. No. 11 Belmont/Temple, Thursday, Jacksonville, Florida

No. 3 LSU (26-6) vs. No. 14 Yale (22-7), Thursday, Jacksonville, Florida

No. 7 Louisville (20-13) vs. No. 10 Minnesota (21-13), Thursday, Des Moines, Iowa

No. 2 Michigan State (28-6) vs. No. 15 Bradley (20-14), Thursday, Des Moines, Iowa

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The East Region! #SelectionSunday

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South Region (First and Second Rounds):

No. 1 Virginia (29-3) vs. No. 16 Gardner-Webb (23-11), Friday, Columbia, South Carolina

No. 8 Ole Miss (20-12) vs. No. 9 Oklahoma (19-13), Friday, Columbia, South Carolina

No. 5 Wisconsin (23-10) vs. No. 12 Oregon (23-12), Friday, San Jose, California

No. 4 Kansas State (25-8) vs. No. 13 UC Irvine (30-5), Friday, San Jose, California

No. 6 Villanova (25-9) vs. No. 11 Saint Mary's (22-11), Thursday, Hartford, Connecticut

No. 3 Purdue (23-9) vs. No. 14 Old Dominion (26-8), Thursday, Hartford, Connecticut

No. 7 Cincinnati (28-6) vs. No. 10 Iowa (22-11), Friday, Columbus, Ohio

No. 2 Tennessee (29-5) vs. No. 15 Colgate (24-10), Friday, Columbus, Ohio

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The South Region! #SelectionSunday

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Midwest Region (First and Second Rounds):

No. 1 North Carolina (27-6) vs. No. 16 Iona (17-15), Friday, Columbus, Ohio

No. 8 Utah State (28-6) vs. No. 9 Washington (26-8), Friday, Columbus, Ohio

No. 5 Auburn (26-9) vs. No. 12 New Mexico State (30-4), Thursday, Salt Lake City, Utah

No. 4 Kansas (25-9) vs. No. 13 Northeastern (23-10), Thursday, Salt Lake City, Utah

No. 6 Iowa State (23-11) vs. No. 11 Ohio State (19-14), Friday, Tulsa, Oklahoma

No. 3 Houston (31-3) vs. No. 14 Georgia State (24-9), Friday, Tulsa, Oklahoma

No. 7 Wofford (29-4) vs. No. 10 Seton Hall (20-13), Thursday, Jacksonville, Florida

No. 2 Kentucky (27-6) vs. No. 15 Abilene Christian (27-6), Thursday, Jacksonville, Florida

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The Midwest Region! #SelectionSunday

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West Region (First and Second Rounds):

No. 1 Gonzaga (30-3) vs. No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson/Prairie View A&M, Thursday, Salt Lake City, Utah

No. 8 Syracuse (20-13) vs. No. 9 Baylor (19-13), Thursday, Salt Lake City, Utah

No. 5 Marquette (24-9) vs. No. 12 Murray State (27-4), Thursday, Hartford, Connecticut

No. 4 Florida State (27-7) vs. No. 13 Vermont (27-6), Thursday, Hartford, Connecticut

No. 6 Buffalo (31-3) vs. No. 11 Arizona State/St. John's, Friday, Tulsa, Oklahoma

No. 3 Texas Tech (26-6) vs. No. 14 Northern Kentucky (26-8), Friday, Tulsa, Oklahoma

No. 7 Nevada (29-4) vs. No. 10 Florida (19-15), Thursday, Des Moines, Iowa

No. 2 Michigan (28-6) vs. No. 15 Montana (26-8), Thursday, Des Moines, Iowa

2019 March Madness Round-by-Round Dates

March 19-20: First Four play-in games in Dayton, Ohio

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March 21-24: First and Second Rounds

March 28-29: Sweet 16

March 30-31: Elite Eight

April 6: Final Four

April 8: National Championship Game

First- and Second-Round Locations:

The first and second round of March Madness will take place in: Hartford, Connecticut; Salt Lake City; Des Moines, Iowa; Jacksonville, Florida; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Columbus, Ohio; Columbia, South Carolina; San Jose; California.

Sweet 16, Elite Eight and Final Four Sites

For the Sweet 16 and the Elite Eight, the contests will re-locate to: Louisville, Kentucky (South Regional); Anaheim, California (West Regional); Washington, D.C. (East Regional); Kansas City, Missouri (Midwest Regional).

The site of the Final Four is at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

How to Watch

CBS Sports and Turner Sports will televise the NCAA tournament, with games being broadcasted on CBS, TruTV, TNT and TBS. Viewers can also watch the tournament through the March Madness Live site or the March Madness Live app.

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