Minnesota at Louisville 12:15 PM ET
Seventh-seeded Louisville is back in the NCAA Tournament after a one-year absence and will face No. 10 seed Minnesota in the first round of the East Region on Thursday in Des Moines, Iowa. The Cardinals won seven of their first eight games in ACC play to set the tone for the season before cooling off down the stretch, but exceeded expectations in an ultra-competitive conference to lock down a berth in Chris Mack's first year with the program.
Yale at Louisiana State 12:40 PM ET
Off-court issues have unfortunately taken the steam out of a great season for LSU, as the Tigers were an early exit from the SEC Tournament this past weekend after winning the regular-season title. The third-seeded Tigers will try to put the distractions behind them when they face No. 14 seed Yale in a first-round NCAA Tournament East Region game played at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. on Thursday.
New Mexico St. at Auburn 1:30 PM ET
There are few teams entering the NCAA Tournament with more momentum than Auburn, which reeled off four victories in four days to capture the SEC Tournament title and earn the fifth seed in the Midwest Region entering Thursday’s first-round matchup with 12th-seed New Mexico State in Salt Lake City. The Tigers slayed Tennessee 84-64 in the SEC final Sunday, pushing their winning streak to eight games and knocking off the Volunteers for the second time in nine days.
Vermont at Florida State 2:00 PM ET
Vermont is returning to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years after taking down UMBC in the America East Championship Game. The Catamounts come in as the 13th seed and they will face No. 4 Florida State in the first round of the West Region on Thursday in Hartford, Conn.
Bradley at Michigan St 2:45 PM ET
Michigan State begins its quest for a national title when it takes on Bradley in a first-round NCAA Tournament East Region contest in Des Moines, Iowa, Thursday. The second-seeded Spartans have won five straight, earning the Big Ten Tournament title with a 65-60 win over Michigan Sunday, while the 15th-seeded Braves are in the Big Dance for the first time since 2006 after winning the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
Belmont at Maryland 3:10 PM ET
Belmont picked up its first NCAA Tournament victory in its eighth try Tuesday by knocking off Temple in a First Four game at Dayton, Ohio. The 11th-seeded Bruins will try to extend their run when they take on six seed Maryland in the first round of the East Region on Thursday in Jacksonville, Fla.
Northeastern at Kansas 4:00 PM ET
Kansas enters the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 15 seasons without being able to call itself a Big 12 champion, but the team's success in anything but true road games bodes well for its chances to play late into March. The fourth-seeded Jayhawks begin that journey in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Thursday when they square off against No. 13 seed Northeastern in the first round of the Midwest Region.
Murray St. at Marquette 4:30 PM ET
Two of the top scorers in the nation will go toe-to-toe Thursday when fifth-seeded Marquette meets No. 12 seed Murray State on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Hartford, Conn. Markus Howard, the No. 6 scorer in the country, will lead the Golden Eagles against No. 8 scorer Ja Morant and the Racers in the West Region.
Florida at Nevada 6:50 PM ET
Nevada’s record-setting season has encountered
some speed bumps down the stretch with three losses in its last eight games. As
a result, the Wolf Pack drew a seventh seed for the NCAA Tournament and tip off
play Thursday in the first round with a West Region game against 10th-seeded
Florida in Des Moines, Iowa.
Abilene Christian at Kentucky 7:10 PM ET
Second seed Kentucky begins its pursuit of a ninth NCAA Tournament title when it meets No. 15 seed Abilene Christian on Thursday in the first round of the Midwest Region at Jacksonville, Fla., in a battle of Wildcats. Kentucky coach John Calipari, whose team lost to Tennessee in the SEC quarterfinals 82-78 on Saturday, has already taken a peek at the bracket.
St. Mary's at Villanova 7:20 PM ET
The defending NCAA Tournament champions are back in the Big Dance after winning the Big East regular-season and tournament titles. No. 6 seed Villanova aims for its third national championship in four years - a journey that will begin Thursday against No. 11 seed Saint Mary's in Hartford, Conn.
Fairleigh Dickinson at Gonzaga 7:27 PM ET
Despite being upset by Saint Mary's in the final of the West Coast Conference Tournament, Gonzaga garnered a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history. The Zags, making their 21st consecutive NCAA appearance, are the top seed in the West Region and will face Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round Thursday night in Salt Lake City after the Knights rallied to defeat Prairie View A&M in the First Four on Tuesday night,
Montana at Michigan 9:20 PM ET
Second-seeded Michigan looks to make another deep run in the NCAA Tournament when it faces No. 15 seed Montana in the first round of the West Region on Thursday in Des Moines, Iowa. The Wolverines beat the Grizzlies 61-47 in their tournament opener last year before catching lightning in a bottle to advance to the championship game where they dropped a 79-62 decision to Villanova, and they hope to begin another journey to the Final Four by moving on to the second round for the
Seton Hall at Wofford 9:40 PM ET
Despite owning the longest winning streak in the nation at 20 games and spending the past three weeks in the top 25, Wofford might earn a few wrinkled eyebrows as the No. 7 seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament. The Terriers will try to prove they’re worthy of that perch when they face 10th-seeded Seton Hall in the first round on Thursday in Jacksonville, Florida.
Old Dominion at Purdue 9:50 PM ET
Carsen Edwards is stuck in a prolonged shooting slump, so he'll likely make or break the NCAA Tournament for third-seeded Purdue, which will do battle with No. 14 seed Old Dominion on Thursday in the first round of the South Region at Hartford, Conn. Edwards, the leading scorer in the Big Ten, has struggled since the calendar turned to February but will look to turn it on against the Monarchs.
Baylor at Syracuse 9:57 PM ET
Syracuse hopes to start another surprising NCAA Tournament run Thursday when it faces Baylor in a West Region first-round contest in Salt Lake City. The eighth-seeded Orange have dropped five of their last seven contests and finished in a sixth-place tie in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while the ninth-seeded Bears have dropped four straight, including a quarterfinal loss to Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament.
