It’s Arizona basketball vs Akron in March Madness to open the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Here’s what to know about the Round of 64 first-round men's game.

The No. 4 seed Arizona Wildcats (22-12) will try to defeat the No. 13 seed Akron Zips (28-6) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday at Climate Pledge Arena. Watch this contest at 7:35

The finals, between Houston and Arizona, will take place March 15 at 6:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. CT. Notably, this is Arizona’s first year as a member of the Big 12 conference, following the numerous shakeups in the conferences. This will mark Houston’s return to the finals after falling to Iowa in 2024 in their first year in the Big 12.

The Crown, developed by Fox Sports as a rival to the longstanding NIT, will be hosted in Las Vegas from March 31 to April 6.