Technologies
March Madness 2023: Selection Sunday, Tournament Schedule, Bracket, How to Watch and More
College basketball’s biggest tournament tips off next week.

The calendar has turned to March, which means madness will soon ensue. The men’s NCAA college basketball tournament — affectionately (and accurately) known as March Madness — gets underway next week. And for the following three weeks, college basketball fans will be treated to small-school Cinderella runs and bracket-busting buzzer beaters.
Here’s everything you need to know to get ready for March Madness, from Selection Sunday to the Final Four and the National Championship game.


The University of Kansas is the defending NCAA men’s basketball champion, and the Jayhawks will enter the 2023 tournament as one of the top seeds.
Ed Zurga/Getty ImagesWhen does March Madness start?
With 68 teams invited to the big dance, the NCAA holds four play-in games to get the field down to 64, after which point the math works out to have four regional tournaments of 16 teams each. The winners of the four regional tournaments then advance to the Final Four, held this year in Houston.
March Madness begins on Tuesday, March 14, with two play-in games followed by two more play-in games the next night. After these First Four games, the field of 64 is set and the tournament begins in earnest on Thursday, March 16, with a full slate of games that will take place all afternoon and into the night with at least a few moments of madness practically guaranteed.
Which teams are playing in March Madness?
The March Madness bracket and matchups will be revealed this Sunday, March 12. Selection Sunday begins at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT) on CBS.
What is the March Madness schedule?
Here’s the schedule, round by round:
- First Four: March 14-15
- First round: March 16-17
- Second round: March 18-19
- Sweet 16: March 23-24
- Elite Eight: March 25-26
- Final Four: April 1
- NCAA championship game: April 3
How can I watch March Madness?
As in past years, the tournament will be shown across four channels: CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV. Yep, the time has come again to find TruTV on your dial.
Can I stream March Madness for free?
Go to the NCAA’s March Madness Live site or use its March Madness Live app and you’ll be able to watch games for free. You can watch March Madness Live on iOS and Android devices along with Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV and Xbox One. The app also supports AirPlay and Chromecast.
As with most things that are free, there’s a catch. Without proving you’re a pay-TV subscriber, you get only a three-hour preview, after which point you’ll need to log in to continue watching.
What are my other streaming options?
You can use a live TV streaming service to watch March Madness. Three of the five live TV streaming services offer the four channels needed to watch every tournament game, but keep in mind that not every service carries every local network, so check each one using the links below to make sure it carries CBS in your area.
You can also use Paramount Plus to watch some, but not all, of March Madness. Only the games shown on CBS are available on Paramount Plus.
Sarah Tew/CNET
YouTube TV costs $65 a month and includes CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV. Plug in your ZIP code on its welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area. Read our YouTube TV review.
Hulu
Hulu with Live TV costs $70 a month and includes CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV. Click the «View channels in your area» link on its welcome page to see which local channels are offered in your ZIP code. Read our Hulu with Live TV review.
Directv stream
DirecTV Stream’s basic $75-a-month plan includes CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV. You can use its channel lookup tool to see which local channels are available where you live. Read our DirecTV Stream review.
Paramount Plus costs $5 a month and will show March Madness games broadcast on CBS. You can’t, however, watch the rest of the tournament shown on TBS, TNT or TruTV with Paramount Plus. Read our Paramount Plus review.
Fubo TV
FuboTV’s basic plan costs $75 a month and includes CBS but not TBS, TNT or TruTV. It’s not the best choice for March Madness but will let you watch some early-round games, the Final Four and championship game. Click here to see which local channels you get. Read our FuboTV review.
Sling/CNET
Sling TV’s $40-a-month Blue plan includes TBS, TNT and TruTV. None of its plans include CBS, which means you can’t watch the culmination of March Madness on Sling. Read our Sling TV review.
All of the live TV streaming services above offer free trials, allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live-TV streaming services guide.
Technologies
The Duskbloods Is New FromSoftware Gaming Action Coming to Switch 2 in 2026
Talk about a surprise for the new Switch.

FromSoftware had a big day with the Switch 2 Direct. The company revealed a new game called The Duskbloods and confirmed that its smash-hit action RPG Elden Ring is coming to the new console, which launches on June 5 for $450.
The Duskbloods is exclusive to the Switch 2, which was a surprise announcement during the Switch 2 Direct. According to FromSoftware, the game is a player vs. player vs. enemy, or PvPvE, online multiplayer game similar to the developer’s upcoming Elden Ring: Nightreign.
Players will be part of the Bloodsworn, which is a group that has «transcended human strength thanks to their special blood.» Each individual will be playing against each other as well as taking on other foes.
The game features some mainstays for FromSoftware games, with a gothic tone and a focus on gore, like its popular Bloodborne game for the PS4. It does appear that characters have a few more abilities than seen in previous games from the cult developer.
The Duskbloods will release sometime in It will be released in 2026.
The Switch 2 will launch on June 5 and preorders will start on April 9 at retailers. The new console will feature plenty of third-party support, with major games like Borderlands 4, Madden and Civilization 7 coming from other publishers.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Thursday, April 3
Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 3.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword has two similar clues, 5-Across and 6-Across. They both play off the same idea — using the first part of two words to make one, all food-related. I didn’t get that at first, so I struggled with those two clues. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.
The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword
Let’s get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.
Mini across clues and answers
1A clue: Hit the ___ (go to bed)
Answer: SACK
5A clue: Misleading name for a sub/shish kebab restaurant?
Answer: SUSHI
6A clue: Misleading name for a taco/pasta restaurant?
Answer: TAPAS
7A clue: Certain sports bets
Answer: OVERS
8A clue: Cooped (up)
Answer: PENT
Mini down clues and answers
1D clue: Almost *too* sophisticated and charming
Answer: SUAVE
2D clue: Upscale Colorado skiing destination
Answer: ASPEN
3D clue: Word after bar or pie
Answer: CHART
4D clue: Smooch
Answer: KISS
5D clue: Word on an eight-sided traffic sign
Answer: STOP
How to play more Mini Crosswords
The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.
Technologies
Nintendo Switch 2: Everything We Know About the Console, New Games, Release Date
The $450 console will get Mario Kart World at launch, 4K gaming when docked, Switch 2 Edition game enhancements and new mouse controls.

The Nintendo Switch 2 console’s biggest reveal yet arrived Wednesday morning as part of the company’s Nintendo Direct event. This teed up a day of Switch 2 reveals that include its June 5 release date, a $450 price, its specs, and its initial game lineup that extends from launch into 2026.
The console will be further buoyed by having Mario Kart World as a launch title, which will go on sale in either a $500 bundle with the Switch 2 or on its own for $80 — making the open-world racing game one of Nintendo’s most expensive yet. Other games announced, such as Donkey Kong Bananza, are being priced around $70, which matches the cost of 2023’s The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. That Zelda game and Breath of the Wild are among the original Switch titles that will get enhanced Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrades, a premium upgrade allowing players to get new features, modes and graphical enhancements that take advantage of the newer system’s capabilities.
Here are the top highlights from Nintendo’s console event, all of the games we’ve heard about so far (including new titles, Nintendo Switch 2 Edition titles and GameCube games coming to Nintendo Switch Online) and all of our coverage so far. You can also check out our Nintendo Switch 2 live blog for even more updates about the Switch 2 as we learn them.
- Nintendo Switch 2 Direct Live Recap: Launches June 5, $450 and More
- Nintendo Switch 2 Priced at $450, Coming June 5
- How to Preorder Nintendo Switch 2: All Store Links
- All Nintendo Switch 2 Launch Games Coming Day One
- Nintendo Is Taking on Scalpers With a Genius Switch 2 Purchase Rule
- What You Need to Know About Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Games
- Switch 2 Specs vs. Switch 1 Specs: How Nintendo’s Consoles Compare
- Every New Feature in Switch 2 Joy-Cons and Pro Controller
- GameCube Games Are Coming to Switch Online: Here’s the List
- Nintendo Switch 2: What We Didn’t Get During Nintendo Direct 2025
- Mario Kart Goes Open-World With Mario Kart World
- The Duskbloods Is New FromSoftware Gaming Action Coming to Switch 2 in 2026
- The Nintendo Switch 2 Is Almost Here, Grab Some Games From Just $20 to Celebrate
- Yes, Silksong Is Coming in 2025, as Revealed in Switch 2 Nintendo Direct
- Mario, Pokemon and More Will Get Free Nintendo Switch 2 Updates
- Switch 2’s Zelda Notes Could Revolutionize Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Wait for the Switch 2 Before Playing These 3 Nintendo Games
- Nintendo Switch 2: Here’s Why I Won’t Be Upgrading as a Fan of Cozy Games
- The Switch 2 Is Almost Here and You Need a Specific Type of MicroSD Card — Here’s Where to Find Them
Nintendo Switch 2 console
The Nintendo Switch 2’s specs saw a noticeable technical bump over the Switch. The Nintendo Switch 2 has a 7.9-inch, 1080p resolution LCD that supports a 120Hz refresh rate — matching what we now see on most Android phones. When the Switch 2 is docked, compatible games can run in 4K resolution. The new dock also includes a cooling fan.
The Switch 2 comes with 256GB of internal storage, and the new Switch 2 Game Cards will load games faster. For digital libraries, however, the Switch 2 will only work with microSD Express cards, which are different from the microSD cards that are compatible with the prior Nintendo Switch. Nintendo will have a Software Transfer feature available to help move games and data from the original Switch to the Switch 2.
The new Joy-Con for the controllers will support mouse controls, and a new C button will be part of a new GameChat communication feature that allows both voice and video chat. There’s also a Nintendo Switch 2 Camera, allowing players to see each other.
The Switch 2 also adds a second USB-C port to the top of the system, which Nintendo says can help connect its new camera accessory or charge the console when playing in tabletop mode. Nintendo also revealed a new Switch 2 Pro Controller with the C button and customizable GL and GR buttons on the back.
Following the presentation, Nintendo unveiled the system’s price of $450 in the US. It will also sell the Switch 2 bundled with a digital version of Mario Kart World for $500.
Mario Kart World
Mario Kart World removes its traditional boundaries and lets drivers roam freely across an entire world of race courses. The game will get its own Nintendo Direct later this month, where we’ll see additional details, but we already know it’ll include traditional races and a Free Roam mode, much like in the Forza Horizon series.
Getting the game bundled for an extra $50 on the cost of the Switch 2 might be the move if you are interested in the game, because Nintendo announced on its website that standalone copies of Mario Kart World will cost $80.
Joy-Con 2 C button and GameChat
Nintendo’s rolling out its new C button across several new Switch 2 controllers. The button will be used for the new GameChat communication features without a headset. The button will be used alongside a microphone on the console itself, which Nintendo says can be used whether it’s docked to a TV or in handheld mode.
In its teaser video, Nintendo promises the microphone will be able to cancel out loud background noises. GameChat will also work with a Nintendo Switch 2 Camera, allowing video chat and various camera-based game modes in supported titles. GameChat will be free at launch through March 31, 2026.
Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games upgrade titles
The Nintendo Switch 2 will play three types of games: original Switch games, Switch 2 games and Switch 2 Edition games that will receive substantial enhancements. For many of these Switch 2 Edition games, you’ll need to buy an upgrade pack if you own the original for Switch. Many of them will get more than just enhanced graphics in the upgrade; for example, Super Mario Party Jamboree will get new games that support the new Joy-Cons’ mouse controls, audio recognition and video camera gameplay options through the Switch 2 Camera.
Other Nintendo Switch games that are getting Switch 2 Edition options include The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Metroid Prime 4 Beyond and Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Enhancements vary: The Zelda games will start working with a companion phone app for maps and sending schematics to friends, while Kirby will get a new story that’s exclusive to the Switch 2 Edition. On the third-party side, Civilization 7 will get mouse controls.
Nintendo did not announce what upgrade packs will cost. However, some Switch games will get free updates that will improve performance or enhance features when playing them on the Switch 2. The Switch games getting these updates include:
- Arms
- Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
- Super Mario Odyssey
- Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
- Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics
- The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
- The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
- Game Builder Garage
- New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
- Pokemon Scarlet
- Pokemon Violet
- Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is a new game set in the world of Zelda that tells the story that leads into The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. This appears to be similar to how Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity told the story of a war that led to the events of Breath of the Wild. The teaser shows Zelda discovering that she’s arrived in the past of Hyrule, and the game will expand on how she gets involved in the corresponding Imprisonment War.
Nintendo Switch 2 games
Several other first- and third-party games were spotlighted during the Switch 2 Direct. These include Donkey Bananza, one of the first 3D platforming games featuring DK since 1999’s Donkey Kong 64. Kirby will also return to the racing genre in Kirby Air Riders, which comes more than 20 years after the GameCube racer Kirby’s Air Ride. DragXDrive will use mouse controls to control a futuristic wheelchair basketball game in which players will simulate push and pull motions to control their character.
An onslaught of Switch 2 third-party games were quickly shuffled through during the Direct, which I list below. An unnamed James Bond game is in development at Hitman studio IO Interactive, as is a darker title from Elden Ring creator FromSoftware called The Duskbloods, which will be exclusive to the Switch 2.
The full list of announced Nintendo Switch 2 games includes:
- Borderlands 4
- Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster
- Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition
- Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion
- Deltarune
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Drag x Drive
- EA Sports FC
- EA Sports Madden NFL
- Elden Ring Tarnished Edition
- Enter the Gungeon 2
- Fast Fusion
- Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade
- Fortnite
- Hades 2
- Hitman World of Assassination — Signature Edition
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
- Kirby Air Riders
- Kirby and the Forgotten Land — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Star-Crossed World
- Kunitsu-Gai: Path of the Goddess
- Mario Kart World
- Metroid Prime 4: Beyond — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
- NBA 2K
- Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour
- Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition
- Pokemon Legends: Z-A — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
- Project 007
- Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S
- Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
- Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
- Split Fiction
- Star Wars Outlaws
- Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions
- Street Fighter 6
- Super Mario Party Jamboree — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Jamboree TV
- Survival Kids
- The Duskbloods
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
- Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and 4
- WWE 2K
- Yakuza 0 Definitive Edition
Among these titles, you can see the full list of June 5 Switch 2 launch day games here.
Nintendo GameCube library coming to Switch 2
The Nintendo Switch Online game library will add GameCube games to the Switch 2. On launch day, these games will initially include The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, SoulCalibur 2 and F-Zero GX, with each game getting enhanced graphics. Online multiplayer will also be added to certain titles. Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Strikers and Luigi’s Mansion are among the games set to arrive later. At launch, Nintendo will also sell a GameCube controller, which will be wireless and include a C button for GameChat.
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