March Madness is here: ‘Can’t miss’ sports on TV this weekend

Every Friday, the staff of The Athletic recommends the most compelling sports on TV to watch this weekend.

This week, in honor of the early days of perennial March Madness, we lead with the most must-see college basketball games of the weekend, plus a few other games to watch.

📝Selection Sunday Shows

Men’s NCAA Tournament Selection Show
Sunday, 6 p.m. ET on CBS

There are sporting events that feel like national holidays. The Super Bowl is the biggest, where 120 million or so gather around TVs across the nation. Opening Day or night for baseball, basketball and college football are others, for some.

For my money, Selection Sunday may be the best of them all. For college basketball diehards, be it the men’s side or the women’s, it is when you find out where your team is going or not going. The jubilation and the depression are what make sports great. And the three weeks that follow may be the most fun of any event on the American sports calendar. It is not as big as the Super Bowl, but with everyone able to put their best guesses in a pool, it creates a nice cross-section of fans to enjoy. On Sunday, we find out who is dancing. — Andrew Marchand

Women’s NCAA Tournament Selection Show
Sunday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

Heading into Selection Sunday, questions remain about how the top of the bracket will look. It’s likely that either Big Ten tournament champ UCLA or SEC tournament champ South Carolina will be the No. 1 overall seed, but uncertainty remains about which teams will get the nod. There are also questions about which team will be the fourth No. 1 seed. Texas or UConn will likely get that spot, with the other being the first No. 2 seed. Either way, after a season full of parity, it’s fitting that key seeding questions remain. — Ben Pickman

Conference tournaments

Listed in chronological order

Big East Semifinals
Friday, 6:30 p.m. ET on Fox

Football, schmootball. True hoopheads know that the Big East is actually the most fun conference tournament to watch because in that league, basketball is king. That’s why I’ve loved watching this conference all year, and can’t wait for the semis doubleheader, with Marquette taking on St. John’s and Creighton meeting UConn. Marquette is ranked, but I don’t think anyone is paying close enough attention to the brilliance of Kam Jones, and I’m confident no one wants a piece of Creighton big man Ryan Kalkbrenner in the postseason. I love watching both of them. — Lindsay Schnell

ACC Semifinals
Friday, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN

The matchup says it all: Duke vs. UNC III in the ACC Tournament semifinals with massive postseason implications for the Tar Heels. This clash has a cruel twist for the Blue Devils, though: Cooper Flagg, the likely No. 1 pick in June’s NBA Draft, sprained an ankle on Thursday and will probably sit out the game. The Tar Heels now have a golden opportunity to improve their NCAA Tournament at-large case. — Jim Root

America East Championship Game
Saturday, 11 a.m. ET on ESPN2

The heavy hitters play in prime time, but the morning tipoff in the America East title game is one of my favorite March traditions. Brunch-time, high-stakes basketball in a tiny-but-loud gym somewhere in the thawing Northeast? A great way to start your Selection Sunday Eve. Vermont, which won the last three titles, lost in the semifinals, so this year’s game pits No. 3 seed Maine — going for its first NCAA Tournament bid ever — at top-seeded Bryant, a university in Smithfield, R.I., with a gym that seats just 2,600. Watch this to get ready. — Mark Cooper

SEC Semifinals
Saturday, 1 p.m. ET on ESPN

It isn’t hyperbole that the four teams playing in the SEC Tournament semifinals could be a preview of the Final Four itself; the conference is THAT good. While none of the games will impact any of the teams being in or out of the tournament field, it could have a huge impact on whether a team is a No. 1 or a No. 2 seed and what region it is placed in. — Dan Shanoff

Big 12 Championship Game
Saturday, 6 p.m. ET on ESPN

It seems crazy that Kansas is an afterthought in the Big 12 Tournament, but the reality is that Houston is the team to watch. A likely 1-seed in the Big Dance, if you haven’t seen Houston play yet this season, this is the moment to check out a team that a lot of people in your bracket pool will be picking to go far, led by star LJ Cryer, the typical ferocious Cougars D and, this year, an offense ranked Top 10 in the country by KenPom. — Dan Shanoff

Big West Championship Game
Saturday, 9:40 p.m. ET on ESPN2

If the seeding holds, this will be an incredible matchup of would-be NCAA Cinderellas — No. 1 seed UC San Diego vs. No. 2 seed UC Irvine. (Click those links for incredible reads on each team.) Both deserve a place in the NCAA Tournament field based on their respective resumes, but a win here lets one of them breathe a lot easier on Selection Sunday. — Dan Shanoff

SEC Championship Game
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET on ESPN

The culmination of one of the best conference campaigns in college basketball history happens on Sunday afternoon. A quartet of potential No. 1 seeds — Auburn, Florida, Alabama and Tennessee — will all be in contention for the crown, but the league’s incredible depth (likely 11+ Tournament teams) could make for a surprise matchup. Winning this event will be nearly as difficult as winning the NCAA Tournament itself. — Jim Root

Big Ten Championship Game
Sunday, 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS

Regardless of who from the conference makes it to the title game, this last game of Championship Week is the best way to whittle away those final few hours waiting for the brackets to be revealed at 6 p.m. ET. Michigan State is the favorite, but watch out for No. 6 seed Purdue, which is doing just fine without two-time player of the year Zach Edey. — Dan Shanoff

Beyond college basketball

⚽NWSL
Portland Thorns at KC Current
Saturday, 12:45 p.m. ET on ABC

Few teams saw as much change as the Portland Thorns — icons Christine Sinclair and Becky Sauerbrunn retired, star striker Sophia Wilson (née Smith) having recently announced her pregnancy and several starters injured in preseason. They’ll have a stern test against the Kansas City Current, whose high-octane attack is led by reigning MVP Temwa Chawinga. Portland’s defense struggled throughout the start of 2024, and could be up against it on Saturday. — Jeff Reuter

🏃Track
NCAA Indoor Track Championships
Saturday, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+

Want to be the fan in 2028 who can say you’ve been following all the Olympic runners for years? Then watch the NCAA Indoor Track Championships this weekend. Remember the name Ethan Strand: He’s the NCAA mile record holder and will be racing the 3,000m Saturday night, less than 24 hours after anchoring UNC’s distance medley relay on Friday. — Mark Puleo

🏎️F1
Australian Grand Prix
Sunday, Midnight ET on ESPN

I mean, I don’t know what to tell you. I get it, it’s on at midnight for the East Coast. That’s tough. I feel for you. But it’s the first race of what should be the most exciting Formula One season in years. It’s Lewis Hamilton’s debut race with Ferrari. Five rookies will make their full-season debuts. It’s supposed to rain, which should cause delicious fun. In 2023, the Australian GP ended with wrecks and drama. In 2024, it was won by a guy who just had an appendectomy. Have I convinced you to take a long Saturday afternoon nap yet? — Patrick Iversen

🎾Tennis
2025 BNP Paribas Open Tennis
WTA Singles Final
Sunday, 2 p.m. ET on Tennis Channel
ATP Singles Finals
Sunday, 5 p.m. ET on Tennis Channel

Indian Wells has always drawn great fields and who can blame the players, given the gorgeous climate and big crowds? We’ve already seen some upsets on both sides, but as of this writing, a delectable women’s final between Aryna Sabalenka versus Iga Swiatek is still on course. — Richard Deitsch

⚽MLS
Inter Miami at Atlanta United
Sunday, 7 p.m. ET on Apple TV (MLS Season Pass)

Atlanta United has followed an expensive offseason overhaul with a middling start to the MLS season. They’ll hope to notch a statement win against Inter Miami after eliminating Lionel Messi’s club last postseason. We’ll see if Messi plays, though, as Miami has been managing his minutes. — Jeff Reuter

(Illustration: Will Tullos / The Athletic; Photos: George Hitchens, Joe Buglewicz, Alex Slitz / Getty Images)