March Madness live updates, scores, highlights: Follow all NCAA tournament Day 1 action as Creighton, Louisville tip off

It’s officially March Madness time. After the First Four games on Tuesday and Wednesday, the first full day of the NCAA tournament kicks off on Thursday with 16 men’s games spread out over 12 hours. Creighton and Louisville get things started in the first game of the day, while Texas Tech and UNC Wilmington will wrap up the opening day of action late tonight.

Here’s how Thursday’s schedule will unfold (all times Eastern, scroll for live updates).

Thursday’s schedule of games

12:15 p.m.: No. 9 Creighton vs. No. 8 Louisville (CBS)

12:40 p.m.: No. 13 High Point vs. No. 4 Purdue (TruTV)

1:30 p.m.: No. 14 Montana vs. No. 3 Wisconsin (TNT)

2 p.m.: No. 16 SIU Edwardsville vs. No. 1 Houston (TBS)

2:50 p.m.: Alabama State vs. No. 1 Auburn (CBS)

3:15 p.m.: No. 12 McNeese vs. No. 5 Clemson (TruTV)

4:05 p.m.: No. 11 VCU vs. No. 6 BYU (TNT)

4:35 p.m.: No. 9 Georgia vs. No. 8 Gonzaga (TBS)

6:50 p.m.: No. 15 Wofford vs. No. 2 Tennessee (TNT)

7:10 p.m.: No. 10 Arkansas vs. No. 7 Kansas (CBS)

7:25 p.m.: No. 13 Yale vs. No. 4 Texas A&M (TBS)

7:35 p.m.: No. 11 Drake vs. No. 6 Missouri (TruTV)

9:25 p.m.: No. 10 Utah State vs. No. 7 UCLA (TNT)

9:45 p.m.: No. 15 Omaha vs. No. 2 St. John’s (CBS)

10 p.m.: No. 12 UC San Diego vs. No. 5 Michigan (TBS)

10:10 p.m.: No. 14 UNC Wilmington vs. No. 3 Texas Tech (TruTV)

Follow along below for live reaction, highlights and more from Yahoo Sports:

Live15 updates

Thu, March 20, 2025 at 9:32 AM MST

Ryan Kalkbrenner is fired up for Creighton
Thu, March 20, 2025 at 9:23 AM MST

Chucky Hepburn has 5 points early
Thu, March 20, 2025 at 9:17 AM MST

First points of March Madness scored by Creighton
Thu, March 20, 2025 at 9:16 AM MST
Thu, March 20, 2025 at 9:08 AM MST

CBS crew pays tribute to Greg Gumbel ahead of NCAA tournament

Beautiful tribute from @TurnerSportsEJ and the CBS crew to open up March Madness with a segment honoring Greg Gumbel. He really was synonymous with this event.

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 20, 2025
Thu, March 20, 2025 at 9:03 AM MST
Thu, March 20, 2025 at 8:50 AM MST

Who are Yahoo users picking to win it all in Bracket Mayhem?

Most popular men’s Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem picks.
Thu, March 20, 2025 at 8:44 AM MST

Cooper Flagg and the Duke Blue Devils are March Madness title favorites

Click the photo above to read the story. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Thu, March 20, 2025 at 8:36 AM MST

Bracket 101: How to choose upsets, use betting lines to your advantage and more

The NCAA bracket is easy to fill out. Click above for different strategies. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)
Thu, March 20, 2025 at 8:31 AM MST

4 Cinderella picks to help you win your bracket pool

Click the photo above to read the story. (Ian Maule/Getty Images)
Thu, March 20, 2025 at 8:25 AM MST

Fade these top-seeded teams to win your bracket pool

Click the photo above to read the story. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Thu, March 20, 2025 at 8:20 AM MST

What to watch and what to skip on Thursday

Click the photo above to read the story. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Thu, March 20, 2025 at 8:18 AM MST

What channel is TruTV? Where else can you watch March Madness?

Click the photo above to read the story. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Thu, March 20, 2025 at 8:16 AM MST

Good morning folks and welcome to our March Madness live tracker for the first day of the NCAA tournament!

The action doesn’t start until 12:15 ET when Louisville and Creighton gets things started, so here’s some light reading while we wait for tip-off