article_snippet: The first Thursday of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is something of a national holiday for American sports fans, when office productivity plummets.
article_snippet: Also known as March Madness or the Big Dance, the second round of the tournament - which started today - features a hoops extravaganza: 16 games both today and tomorrow, from noon to midnight.
article_snippet: The fledgling ESPN cable network began broadcasting the tournament's oft-ignored early rounds in 1980.
article_snippet: Every game is now on TV and streaming online.
article_snippet: its first game just happens to be scheduled for prime-time on Friday night.
highlights_snippet: The second round of The first tournament has kicked off, with 16 games played both today and Friday .