NCAA Tournament 2016: Bracket, schedule and scores

It's the most wonderful time of the year. Get all your scores, schedules, and seedings here.

Basketball Christmas is finally here. Over the next week, 52 games will provide the shotgun start to one team's journey to a national championship.

The action officially tips off on Tuesday when the opening pair of First Four games takes place in Dayton, Ohio. Two more Wednesday games will prime us for the greatest four days of college basketball -- a 48-game bonanza that spills onto four different channels and makes something called truTV relevant for 96 fleeting hours. Cinderellas will rise, Goliaths will fall, and a field of 68 will be whittled down to 16 worthy competitors.

The NCAA Tournament field is more wide open than it has ever been. While Kansas is the top overall seed, there's no juggernaut favorite to dominate the top line of our nation's office bracket pools. The No. 1 Jayhawks only have four losses this season, but that includes a 19-point defeat to a 12-20 Oklahoma State team. The tournament's other three No. 1 seeds all have six losses or more. Everyone is vulnerable.

As usual, this year's field combines a mix of old money hardwood powerhouses and emerging college basketball teams. Sweet 16 mainstays like North Carolina and Kentucky sill in action. So will rising programs like Utah, Virginia, Iowa State, Oregon, Miami, and Xavier. Outside the NCAA's major conferences, teams like Chattanooga, and Green Bay are waiting for the chance to write their own legacy as March winds into April.

The format

The NCAA Tournament is a 68-team, single-elimination tournament that's split into four regions. The first set of games is the First Four, four play-in games whose winners move on to the main field of 64. The Final Four will take place at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX.

The Teams

Midwest Region

1. Virginia
2. Michigan State
3. Utah
4. Iowa State
5. Purdue
6. Seton Hall
7. Dayton
8. Texas Tech
9. Butler
10. Syracuse
11. Gonzaga
12. Arkansas-Little Rock
13. Iona
14. Fresno State
15. Middle Tennessee State
16. Hampton

West Region

1. Oregon
2. Oklahoma
3. Texas A&M
4. Duke
5. Baylor
6. Texas
7. Oregon State
8. Saint Joseph's
9. Cincinnati
10. VCU
11. Northern Iowa
12. Yale
13. UNC-Wilmington
14. Green Bay
15. Cal-State Bakersfield
16. Holy Cross (beat Southern in First Four)

East Region

1. North Carolina
2. Xavier
3. West Virginia
4. Kentucky
5. Indiana
6. Notre Dame
7. Wisconsin
8. USC
9. Providence
10. Pittsburgh
11. Michigan (beat Tulsa in First Four)
12. Chattanooga
13. Stony Brook
14. Stephen F. Austin
15. Weber State
16. Florida Gulf Coast (beat Fairleigh Dickinson in First Four)

South Region

1. Kansas
2. Villanova
3. Miami (FL)
4. California
5. Maryland
6. Arizona
7. Iowa
8. Colorado
9. Connecticut
10. Temple
11. Wichita State (beat Vanderbilt in First Four)
12. South Dakota State
13. Hawaii
14. Buffalo
15. UNC Asheville
16. Austin Peay

Bracket

Pick up your very own printable bracket here.

Schedule and results (all times Eastern)

Tuesday, March 15 (First Four)

No. 16 Florida Gulf Coast 96, No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson 65
No. 11 Wichita State 70, No. 11 Vanderbilt 50

Wednesday, March 16 (First Four)

No. 16 Holy Cross 59, No. 16 Southern 55
No. 11 Michigan 67, No. 11 Tulsa 62

Thursday, March 17 (First Round)

No. 4 Duke def. No. 13 UNC Wilmington, 93-85
No. 9 Butler def. No. 8 Texas Tech, 71-61
No. 9 Connecticut def. No. 8 Colorado, 74-67
No. 4 Iowa State 94, No. 13 Iona 81
No. 12 Yale 79, No. 5 Baylor 75
No. 1 Virginia 81, No. 16 Hampton 45
No. 1 Kansas 105, No. 16 Austin Peay 79
No. 12 Arkansas-Little Rock 85, No. 5 Purdue 83 (2 OT)
No. 3 Miami 79, No. 14 Buffalo 72
No. 5 Indiana 99, No. 12 Chattanooga 74
No. 1 North Carolina 83, No. 16 Florida Gulf Coast 67 
No. 3 Utah 80, No. 14 Fresno State 69
No. 11 Wichita State 65, No. 6 Arizona 55
No. 4 Kentucky 85, No. 13 Stony Brook 57
No. 9 Providence 70, No. 8 USC 69
No. 11 Gonzaga 68, No. 6 Seton Hall 52

Friday, March 18 (First Round)

No. 10 Syracuse 70, No. 7 Dayton 51
No. 2 Villanova 86, No. 15 UNC Asheville 56
No. 10 VCU 75, No. 7 Oregon State 67
No. 13 Hawaii 77, No. 4 California 66
No. 15 Middle Tennessee 90, No. 2 Michigan State 81
No. 7 Iowa 72, No. 10 Temple 70 (OT)
No. 2 Oklahoma 82, No. 15 CSU Bakersfield 68
No. 5 Maryland 79, No. 12 South Dakota State 74
No. 7 Wisconsin 47, No. 10 Pittsburgh 43
No. 14 Stephen F. Austin 70, No. 3 West Virginia 56
No. 3 Texas A&M 92, No. 14 Green Bay 65
No. 1 Oregon 91, No. 16 Holy Cross 52
No. 2 Xavier 71, No. 12 Weber State 53
No. 6 Notre Dame 70, No. 11 Michigan 63
No. 11 Northern Iowa 75, No. 6 Texas 72
No. 8 Saint Joseph's 78, No. 9 Cincinnati 76

Saturday, March 19 (Second Round)

No. 3 Miami vs. No. 11 Wichita State, 12:10 p.m. (CBS)
No. 4 Duke vs. No. 12 Yale, 2:40 p.m. (CBS)
No. 4 Kentucky vs. No. 5 Indiana, 5:15 p.m. (CBS)
No. 4 Iowa State vs. No. 12 Little Rock, 6:10 p.m. (TNT)
No. 1 Virginia vs. No. 9 Butler, 7:10 p.m. (TBS)
No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 9 Connecticut, 7:45 p.m. (CBS)
No. 3 Utah vs. Gonzaga, 8:40 p.m. (TNT)
No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 9 Providence, 9:40 p.m. (TBS)

Sunday, March 20 (Second Round)

No. 2 Villanova vs. No. 7 Iowa, 12:10 p.m. (CBS)
No. 6 Notre Dame vs. No. 14 Stephen F. Austin, 2:40 p.m. (CBS)
No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 10 VCU, 5:15 p.m. (CBS)
No. 10 Syracuse vs. No. 15 Middle Tennessee, 6:10 p.m. (TNT)
No. 5 Maryland vs. No. 13 Hawaii, 7:10 p.m. (TBS)
No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 11 Northern Iowa, 7:45 p.m. (truTV)
No. 2 Xavier vs. No. 7 Wisconsin, 8:40 p.m. (TNT)
No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 8 St. Joseph's, 9:40 p.m. (TBS)

* * *

Potential Cinderella: Northern Iowa is cruising after remarkable turnaround

Be sure to subscribe to SB Nation's YouTube channel for highlight videos, features, analysis and more