- The First Four
- The Second Round (also known as "the Round of 64")
- The Third Round (also known as "the Round of 32")
- The Regional Semi-finals (participating teams are known popularly as the "Sweet Sixteen")
- The Regional Finals (participating teams are known commonly as the "Elite Eight")
- The National Semi-finals (participating teams are referred to officially as the "Final Four")
- The National Championship
The tournament is single-elimination, increasing the chance of an underdog "Cinderella team" advancing; although these lower-ranked teams are forced to play stronger teams, they need only one win to advance (instead of winning a majority of games in a series, as in professional basketball).
CBS Sports and Turner Sports have US television rights to the tournament. As part of the 14-year deal between CBS and Time Warner-owned Turner that began in 2011, rights to the National Championship Game will alternate between TBS in even-numbered years and CBS in odd-numbered years as of 2018, marking the first time in tournament history the game will air on cable and breaking CBS' streak of broadcasting 34 consecutive National Championships.[2]
First Four – truTV
First And Second rounds – CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV
Regional Semifinals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight) – TBS and CBS
National Semifinals (Final Four) and National Championship – TBS