SOUTH: 8 Louisville vs. 9 Creighton

THURSDAY AT 12:15 PM on CBS (LOU -2.5)

This is a great matchup to kick off two days of round one madness, an ACC vs. Big East battle. Creighton pulled off a nine-point win over UConn in the Big East tournament before losing, 82-66, to red-hot St. John’s for what would’ve been Creighton’s first ever Big East tournament title. Instead, they lost their program’s fifth Big East title game. Creighton did beat St. John’s earlier in the year, in addition to wins over Kansas, Marquette and a regular season win at UConn. Louisville also went to their conference title game, losing to Duke, but beating tournament five-seed Clemson in the ACC semifinals. The Cardinals are top-30 in both offensive and defensive effeciancy, which is impressive for an eight-seed. Chucky Hepburn is their 6-2 guard, who scores 16.2 points per game, and adds 5.8 assist per game, which is top 25 in the country. He’s definitely a weapon in his first year at Louisville, after scoring 1,000+ points in three years at Wisconsin. Terrence Edwards Jr. adds 16.6 PPG for Louisville. This one could be a real thriller to kick off March Madness.

MIDWEST: 13 High Point vs. 4 Purdue

THURSDAY AT 12:40 PM on truTV (PUR -7.5)

Purdue has made the NCAA tournament every year since 2014-15, but it hasn’t been quite that simple. In 2023, they were the second team ever to be upset by a 16-seed, Fairleigh Dickinson. In 2021, they were upset by 13-seed, North Texas. In 2016: 12-seed Little Rock. They have not had the best of luck in these types of scenarios, and this is not going to be an easy game for the Boilermakers. High Point won the Big South regular season and tournament championship, and have really strong momentum going into this matchup. Purdue has had some really strong points of the season, most of all tournament two-seed Alabama early in the year. They’ve also lost to Penn State, Ohio State and Indiana, all in Big Ten play, and all teams that aren’t dancing this March. HPU hasn’t dropped a single game since January 16 to Longwood on the road. They beat Gardner-Webb, Radford and Winthrop en route to the Big South championship. There’s a lot to like about this being a potential 13 over 4 scenario in the first round.

EAST: 14 Montana vs 3 Wisconsin

THURSDAY AT 1:30 PM on TNT (WIS -16.5)

The Wisconsin Badgers lost by six points to Michigan in the Big Ten final. Down the stretch of the regular season, they dropped their final game to Penn State, but really proved themselves in the Big Ten tournament, beating Northwestern, UCLA, and tournament two-seed Michigan State by three points to play for a B10 championship. 6-5 Senior Guard John Tonje is the star, averaging 19.2 PPG at his third school. He spent his first four years at Colorado State, last year at Missouri before leaving for Madison. 6-11 Sophomore Nolan Winter provides a huge prescence down low, hauling in 5.9 rebounds a game which leads the Badgers, and 9.5 points a game. Montana has been to the tournament 12 times, most recently in 2019, as a 15-seed against 2-seed Michigan. But, the Grizzlies have not won since 2006, as a 12-seed over 5 Nevada. They lost on March 1, a 79-76 overtime loss to Portland State. They’ve won four straight since that, including three against Northern Arizona, Idaho and Northern Colorado to a Big Sky Conference title.

MIDWEST: 16 SIUE vs. 1 Houston

THURSDAY AT 2 on TBS (HOU -28.5)

Statistically, Houston is the second-best defensive team in the country. They are also top-ten in the offensive category. But, they played in the Big 12, which is not the SEC, and not nearly the same competition level. The Cougars dropped a couple games early in the season to Auburn, Alabama and San Diego State, all teams who heard their name called on Selection Sunday. But, Houston’s four total losses on the year have all been five points or less, and all but the Auburn loss were in overtime. I don’t expect overtime against SIUE, or Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, who turned a second-place finish in the Ohio Valley Conference into a conference tournament win. Southeast Missouri State beat SIUE twice in the regular season, but the SIUE Cougars got their revenge in the OVC final with a 69-48 win. Ray’Sean Taylor is the bucket-getter for SIUE, scoring 19.3 PPG, which is tied for 33rd in the nation. The only postseason the SIUE program has seen has been in NCAA Division II. The program became D-1 in 2008, and are in the dance for the first time ever, so this one means a good deal for the community in Southeast Illinois, win or lose.

SOUTH: 16 Alabama State vs. 1 Auburn

THURSDAY AT 2:50 PM on CBS (AUB -32.5

It takes just under an hour to get from Auburn University to Alabama State University in Birmingham, so these two institutions are plenty familiar with each other. While the game will take place in Lexington, Kentucky, the state of Alabama will be feeling the atmosphere between the two. That said, Auburn is obviously the much stronger team, and have experience on their side. The average of the Tigers? 23 years old. 22-year old Johni Broome is the centerpiece of the Tigers, the only competitor of Cooper Flagg’s for the Naismith Player of the Year. 25-year old Chad Baker-Mazara is the sidekick, but needs to control his emotions in tournament play to keep Auburn in the running to cut down the nets. He was ejected from the Tigers’ season finale against Alabama which it lost, similar to last year’s first-round Auburn loss to Yale, a 13 over 4 upset that is fueling a revenge run for Auburn. Alabama State created the first highlight of the tournament in the first four, a football style pass to defeat St. Francis (PA), 70-68, to earn their way into the bracket. Both teams were sloppy in that game, and Alabama State was out-rebounded 30-23. They will not be able to play as sloppy and only turn the ball over six times against a team like Auburn, if they intend to keep things close.

MIDWEST: 12 McNeese State vs. Clemson

THURSDAY AT 3:15 PM on truTV (CLEM -7.5)

McNeese, more specifically their viral manager Amir Khan, has already won the hearts over of a lot of people in the country. The Cowboys are coached well by Will Wade, who announced Wednesday that this is his last run with the team, he’ll be NC State’s coach next year. They kept an eight-point game with Alabama early in the year, a three-point game against Mississippi State, and won the Southland Conference regular season and tournament titles. They are in a great spot, except they’re still dealing with a major issue that proved costly for them last year: their matchup. The Cowboys were seeded 12th in last year’s bracket, but couldn’t compete with five-seed Gonzaga in the first round. It’s reasonable to expect the same thing this year against Clemson, because the Tigers are good. The ACC was unusually weak this year, but Clemson proved themself with a win against Duke on February 8, the only loss for Duke in ACC regular season play this year. Clemson’s only two really good out-of-conference matchups were Kentucky and Memphis, beating KU and losing to Memphis earlier in the year. I, along with seemingly everyone outside of Clemson, SC, would love to see McNeese win their first-ever tournament game after 2024 heartbreak. Will they? It won’t be that simple.

EAST: 11 VCU vs. 6 BYU

THURSDAY AT 4:05 PM on TNT (BYU -2.5)

In 2011, current Marquette head coach Shaka Smart took VCU to the Final Four. The Rams have been back in the bracket nine times since then, and are ready for another miracle run through the big dance, but they’ve got a really tough team to beat in round one. BYU’s program is on the upward trajectory since the school’s move from the West Coast Conference to the Big 12. They will have the nation’s top recruit, AJ Dybantsa, next year after forking over around $7 million in NIL revenue. For now, their top scorer is Richie Saunders, a sharpshooter. VCU’s coach, Ryan Odom, was the head coach for the first-ever 16 seed to beat a one-seed, when 2016 UMBC beat Virginia handedly. He looks to pull off another upset of smaller portions on Thursday.

MIDWEST: 9 Georgia vs 8 Gonzaga

THURSDAY AT 4:35 PM on TBS (GONZ -6.5)

Georgia is one of 14 SEC teams in the bracket, the most teams from any conference into the tournament ever. Because of that, Oklahoma had a top 15 strength of schedule in the country, and are going to play yet another tough team for their first-round matchup. Gonzaga has built a stereotype on themself that they can’t pull through in March. They’ve come in with some really incredible teams, but they’ve never won a NCAA championship in program history, and it didn’t seem this was going to be the year. It would still be a longshot for them to win the championship, but coming into their West Coast Conference tournament as a two-seed behind St. Mary’s was not a great starting spot. The Zags took over that WCC bracket, and won by eight over St. Mary’s to take home the trophy. Towering Drew Timme is long gone, but a new giant, 6-9 Graham Ike, is filling in nicely. Ike scores 17.1 points a game, and adds 7.5 rebounds per game. Ryan Nembhard is one of the country’s top guards for Gonzaga, scoring 10.8 PPG, and adding 9.8 assists per game, which leads the nation. Georgia finished 9th in the SEC regular season standings, beating St. John’s, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Florida, Texas, and Vanderbilt, who are all in the field.

MIDWEST: 15 Wofford vs. 2 Tennessee

THURSDAY AT 6:50 PM on TNT (TENN -18.5)

Electric is the best way to describe Wofford’s conference tournament championship against Furman. The Terriers had just lost to Furman nine days earlier to conclude regular season play, and won the SoCon title game, 92-85, to enter into the field. Wofford was the sixth of ten seeds in the SoCon tournament, but got a few strokes of luck with matchups, and only had to beat conference three, seven and five seeds en route to the conference title. They may have a bit of imposter syndrome after a 19-15 record this year, playing on national TV, and that could be costly against a Tennessee team that is anything but undeserving. The Vols beat tournament one-seed Auburn in the SEC semifinals and lost to another tournament one-seed Florida in that game. Tennessee played 22 games from New Year’s Eve up to this point. 21 of their opponents are in the field. They are 15-6 in those games. That’s a tough schedule.

WEST: 10 Arkansas vs. 7 Kansas

THURSDAY AT 7:10 PM on CBS (KU -4.5)

This is a coaching battle between Bill Self and John Calipari, 1,709 wins between the two. Furthermore, the treat is probably going to be another coaching giant in Rick Pitino if his Johnnies can beat 15-seed Omaha. Arkansas is led by two guys that followed Calipari after he left Kentucky following last season, Adou Thiero and DJ Wagner. Thiero averages 15.6 points a game, and adds six rebounds a game. DJ Wagner puts up 3.5 assists a game, leading the Razorbacks, in addition to 11.1 PPG. Kansas is led by veteran center Hunter Dickinson, who scores 17.6 points per game and is 11th in the nation in rebounding with his ten rebounds a game. Dickinson has had double-digit points every year of his career, which includes three at Michigan and the last two at Kansas. Dickinson has played in seven tournament games in his career, but has never made a final four. They’ll have a tough one to start with this 10-7 matchup.

SOUTH: 13 Yale vs. 4 Texas A&M

THURSDAY AT 7:25 PM on TBS (TA&M -7.5)

This has been a commonly picked 13 over 4 upset for many, and I absolutely see why. Yale was in this same situation last season, just having four-seed Auburn on the other end rather than the Aggies. Texas A&M has been given a lot of credit all year, capped off by a potentially high four seed for them from the selection committee. They dropped four in a row in mid-February to Mississippi State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Florida, all tournament teams. The Aggies bounced back in the fifth game, beating (at the time) top team in the country, Auburn, followed by a win at LSU. The roller coaster continued with an SEC tournament loss to Texas, a bubble team at the time. Yale, on the other end, has been better this year than last year’s team. They beat Princeton in a thrilling Ivy League semifinal by two, 59-57. The next day, Selection Sunday, they beat Cornell, 90-84, for a second-straight Ivy League trophy. Yale Guard John Poulakidas is top-35 in the country in scoring, and he’s sunk 83 three-pointers both this year and last year. The upset potential is mighty in this one.

WEST: 11 Drake vs. 6 Missouri

THURSDAY AT 7:35 PM on truTV (MIZ -6.5)

Drake is another team on the train of potential upsets, after a tremendous season capped off by a Missouri Valley Conference tournament win, or ‘Arch Madness’, hosted in St. Louis. Missouri is another SEC gauntlet survivor. This game has all the makings to be a really strong matchup. It’s easy to pat an SEC team on the back for surviving their schedule, and it’s fair, but Missouri is still 32nd in strength in schedule, the second lowest on that list for SEC squads, as Vanderbilt trails them just one spot below. Drake does not have star forward Robbie Avila from last season, who stole the show in the tournament, but they do have 6-4 junior Bennett Stirtz, who scores 19.1 points a game, top 45 in the nation. Stirtz shoots nearly 50% from the field, and almost 80% at the line. Definitely a team to keep an eye on for a run in March.

MIDWEST: 10 Utah State vs. 7 UCLA

THURSDAY AT 9:25 PM on TNT (UCLA -4.5)

It’s the third game in a row tomorrow night that seem like they could pull off a win over a power five school. The Aggies finished third in the Mountain West regular season, and went on to see Colorado State in the MW Championship game, which it lost, 83-72. There is definite reason to question teams from the Mountain West after a 95-68 smackdown of San Diego State from UNC on Tuesday’s first four game. It’s less-so that Utah State is really good, and more-so that UCLA is not the UCLA of the past right now under the leadership of Mick Cronin. Cronin has dealt with many issues this year, including the intense travel for a team in Los Angeles to travel consistently to the Mid-West, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland this season in the revamped Big Ten. He’s dealt with lack of energy and effort out of his players. He’s being rumored in job openings at Villanova. His team ran head first into Wisconsin in their first Big Ten tournament game, a 16-point loss for the Bruins. It does not seem like UCLA has any momentum coming into this meeting, and Utah State might be able to walk right through the door into round two.

MIDWEST: 15 Omaha vs. 2 St. John’s

THURSDAY AT 9:45 PM on CBS (SJU -18.5)

By now, everyone has heard the stat. Rick Pitino is the only coach in college basketball history to lead six different schools to the NCAA tournament. It’s as impressive as it sounds, but when you dive in, you may see some similarities. Pitino’s 2011-12 Louisville team shot only 31.8% from three, but made the Final Four. His team next season, 2012-13, shot 33.3% from three, but won the national championship. This St. John’s team shoots 30.4% from deep, but they have the best defense in the nation. Omaha finished as the top team in the Summit League, and were the first team to qualify for the tournament. They punched their ticket to the dance after their win in the Summit League semifinals, because their championship game opponent, St. Thomas, is in the D-2 to D-1 transition, ruling them ineligible for postseason play. Omaha beat St. Thomas anyways, and we don’t have a what could’ve been scenario here. The Mavericks’ postgame celebration involves beating up a trashcan, but I see all trashcans staying intact after this 15-2 matchup.

MIDWEST: 12 UC-San Diego vs. 5 Michigan

THURSDAY AT 10 PM on TBS (MICH -2.5)

Some see an upset. But, Michigan is riding high with new head coach Dusty May after three straight wins in the Big Ten tournament to win the championship and earn an auto-bid on Selection Sunday. It was a nice rebound for the Wolverines after dropping three straight to conclude the regular season, falling to Illinois, Maryland and Michigan State, all tournament teams. It’s Dusty May’s first season in power five basketball, but he knows how to win in March, as he did in 2023, taking a nine-seed in Florida Atlantic University to wins over Memphis, Fairleigh Dickinson, Tennessee and Kansas State before losing to San Diego State in the Final Four. UCSD did not have a strong strength of schedule, only seeing two tournament teams, San Diego State and Utah State, all year. But, the Tritons do have one of the best mascots and logos in the field.

MIDWEST: 14 UNC-Wilmington vs. 3 Texas Tech

THURSDAY AT 10:10 PM on truTV (TTU -14.5)

UNCW were the dreamstoppers in the CAA tournament, beating Delaware in the Coastal Athletic Association championship. The Blue Hens were the 12th and last seed and had a chance to make the tournament, allbeit as a 16-seed, and shock their conference. Now, the Seahawks have a chance to be the spoilers for Texas Tech, and I must say, I don’t hate their chances. The Red Raiders are 6th in offensive effeciancy, but their defense is lacking and their strength of schedule is nowhere close to the likes of anyone in SEC basketball. Tech took a loss to Arizona in the Big 12 semifinals, missing the opportunity to get a third crack at tournament one seed Houston, after splitting the pair of games with UH this season. Their February 1 overtime win over Houston, is definitely their shining spot of the season. UNCW finished the year on a six-game heater, and they look to make it seven in what would be a shocker in Wichita. After all, they’ll be in the land of the Wichita State “Shockers”.

ACC

The Favorite: Duke

Duke is ranked as the top team in the country after Auburn, the previous longstanding top team, lost to rival Alabama in a Saturday thriller. Cooper Flagg has exceeded all of the expectations as a freshman and a possible JohnWooden Award winner for the best player in the country, contending only with Johni Broome of Auburn. Duke dug themselves out of trouble at North Carolina, pulling away late for an 82-69 win. Kon Knueppel led the way in scoring, with 17, and he’s been the Robin to Flagg’s Batman all season, averaging just over 13 PPG through the year. Duke will receive a bye through the first and second rounds and will face the winner between Georgia Tech and Virginia on Thursday at noon. Duke’s only loss in the ACC was an early February visit to Clemson, and they’ve beaten Auburn and Arizona among other notables. Plus, they showed off in a neutral site game against Illinois at Madison Square Garden on February 22, a 110-67 win that headlined the back part of their season. - LB

Sleeper: Clemson

The Tigers enter the ACC Tournament as a three-seed, but they have shown they can beat anyone in the conference. Sixth-year senior guard Chase Hunter has been a key piece for Clemson over the past couple of years, however after P.J. Hall graduated following last season he took a jump and became the Tigers' main offensive weapon in 2025. In addition to Hunter, former Cincinnati transfer Viktor Lakhin has become one of the ACC’s most impactful players. Lakhin averages over eleven points and six rebounds along with a block and a steal per game. Senior forward Ian Schieffelin has shown he can break out for twenty points on any given night as well, helping give Clemson a great balance of offensive and defensive skill. The Tigers' best win came about a month ago when they upset then #2 Duke at home. Since that win, Clemson has not lost a game since. The Tigers head into the postseason riding an eight-game win streak and have their eyes set on a top-three seed on Selection Sunday. - MK

Luke’s Pick: Duke over Clemson

Mason’s Pick: Clemson over Duke

SEC

The Favorite: Auburn

The Tigers have been the clear number-one team throughout most of conference play. Fifth-year forward Johni Broome leads the charge for the nation’s number one offense. Auburn is scoring 85 points a game and has one of the best resumes in the sport. Road wins over Alabama and Kentucky and a neutral site win over Houston highlights the Tigers' impressive track record. Auburn travels to Nashville following a crushing home overtime loss to Alabama, leaving the Tigers with a chip on their shoulder. Senior guard Chad Baker-Mazara will be the x-factor for Auburn in the postseason. Baker-Mazara averages 13 points per game, shooting 40% from beyond the arc, however, he has let his emotions get the best of him multiple times in crucial moments. In the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year, Baker-Mazara was ejected from the game after receiving a Flagrant 2 foul three minutes into the contest. This past Saturday against the Tide, Baker-Mazara was ejected again after receiving another Flagrant 2 foul with ten minutes left in regulation. Auburn ended up falling in both games. The Tigers have the talent on their roster to run the table the rest of the way, however, they must control themselves in the biggest moments. - MK

Sleeper: Missouri

The Tigers ended the season with three straight losses to Vanderbilt, Oklahoma and Kentucky. They enter as the seventh seed in the SEC tournament and play the winner between Wednesday’s meeting between Mississippi State and LSU. The SEC bracket will be the hardest by far of any conference in the country, and it seems perfectly reasonable that a team will add some spice to the mix. Plus, Alabama and Florida are certainly a stretch to be “sleepers.” The top four teams, who all received double-byes, will be difficult, but Florida seems to be the most vulnerable of the four, especially against the Tigers. Mizzou beat the Gators on January 14, 83-82. Caleb Grill scored 22 points off the bench in that meeting for Missouri, and he’s led a strong season for the Tigers up to this point, scoring 14.2 PPG. Eight-seed Ole Miss is a solid contender to give Auburn a good game in the quarterfinal, but Missouri has the most probable road to making the SEC Championship. - LB

Luke’s Pick: Alabama over Auburn

Mason’s Pick: Tennessee over Missouri

BIG EAST

The Favorite: St. John’s

It’s hard to overstate the season St. John’s has had under second-year head coach Rick Pitino. Pitino has been coaching since 1974, and he has rejuvenated the program into the esteem they haven’t had since the late great Louie Carnesseca. They are most recently coming off a signature win on a buzzer-beater in overtime against Marquette. Their four losses this season have come against Baylor, Georgia, Creighton, and Villanova. The Red Storm beat UConn twice, the second time being a dominating 89-75 win at Madison Square Garden. They turned around and lost, 73-71, at Villanova’s Finneran Pavilion. The ‘Johnnies’ are the third-best team in the country in defensive efficiency, allowing just 89.1 points per 100 defensive possessions, just behind Tennessee and Houston and better than top-ranked Duke. Pitino’s teams are always some of the most well-conditioned teams in the country, and this year is no different, which has led them to be the team to beat in the Big East. - LB

Sleeper: Villanova

It has been a roller coaster ride for Wildcats fans this season. Villanova started the year 3-4 with losses that included Columbia and Saint Joe’s. However, they won eight of their next nine including wins over then #14 ranked Cincinnati and #9 Connecticut. Those wins have not aged well for Kyle Neptune’s crew and the team has been mediocre in Big East play, but the wins the Cats have had are against the conference’s top teams. Villanova has beaten top-ranked St. Johns along with Marquette in the last month. Eric Dixon is the nation’s leading scorer averaging over 23 points per night. When Dixon does not get any help offensively, the Cats look like one of the worst power conference teams in the country, however, players like Wooga Poplar and Jordan Longino have picked it up in recent weeks. Poplar has scored 12 or more points in eight of his last ten games and Longino is averaging 15.5 points in his last two. Dixon won’t want his illustrious college career to end in “The College Basketball Crown”. If Villanova gets hot, they can compete with any team in the Big East and make a run at an NCAA Tournament auto bid. -MK

Luke’s Pick: St. John’s over UConn

Mason’s Pick: St. John’s over Creighton

BIG 12

The Favorite: Houston

Every year it seems like Kelvin Sampson has his squad in the top five when March rolls around and it’s no different this year for the Cougars. Once more, Houston has one of the top-ranked defenses in the country led by Terrance Arceneaux and Joseph Tuglar, two of the best defenders in the country according to EvanMiya. It was pure dominance in Big 12 play for Houston, going 19-1 with their only loss being by one point in overtime to Texas Tech on February 1. The Big 12 might not have been as strong as in previous years, but it still has been an impressive regular season for the Cougars. Houston’s path to winning the Big 12 Tournament is very winnable. The Cougars' senior guards can score against anyone and if their suffocating full-court defense can continue, Houston will leave Kansas City with a trophy and a guaranteed one-seed in hand. - MK

Sleeper: Baylor

Baylor competed with one of the top teams in the country, Houston, on Saturday in their last game of the regular season. 15-seed Arizona State or 10-seed Kansas State will see the Bears in the first round, a particularly light matchup for Baylor. Texas Tech is not the hardest team to beat, but they will be tough. If Baylor can play the game they played against Houston, it won’t be an issue to beat the Red Raiders in the quarterfinals. Houston is far and away the top team in the conference tournament, but Baylor isn’t that far off if Baylor can continue to compete. - LB

Luke’s Pick: Houston over Arizona

Mason’s Pick: Houston over Texas Tech

BIG TEN

The Favorite: Michigan State

Michigan State’s path to the Big Ten final is favorable, as they’ll see either Indiana or Oregon in their first game, the quarterfinal round. They get to avoid Maryland and Michigan, as both teams got placed in the bottom half of the bracket. Tom Izzo has done a tremendous job with this squad, headlined by Jaden Akins and Jase Richardson. Besides Duke in the ACC, I think the Spartans are the most favorable of the conference's top seeds to get the job done and earn an auto-bid. - LB

Sleeper: Indiana

“Maybe I’m leaving too soon, I don’t know”. That’s what outgoing Indiana head coach Mike Woodson said after his team clinched a bye in the Big Ten tournament last Saturday. The turnover for the Hoosiers has been fun to watch over the past month. Once Mike Woodson announced he would be stepping down as Indiana’s head coach in early February, the Hoosiers upset Michigan State in East Lansing and Purdue at home. Even though the Hoosiers have ultimately underperformed this season, Indiana has enough talent on the roster to make a run. Indiana will have a tough matchup against Oregon to begin the Big Ten tournament, but a win against the Ducks sets them up for a win-and-your-in matchup against top-ranked Michigan State. As a bubble team, Indiana will have to make some noise in their conference tournament to feel confident when watching the bracket reveal show on Selection Sunday. - MK

Luke’s Pick: Michigan State over Maryland

Mason’s Pick: Purdue over Michigan State

LITTLE MAN WATCH

Drake - Missouri Valley

The Bulldogs have put together a 30-3 season, capped off with a win in the Missouri Valley Conference final on Sunday in St. Louis. They scheduled tough this season, beating Miami, FAU, Vanderbilt and Kansas State among other notables. They competed in a close game against Belmont in the MVC semifinals but put on the high heat against Bradley in the final on Sunday afternoon. Bennett Stirtz scored 24 points, 15 from three-point land in the final, headlining the group that is currently looking at a nine seed in the tournament. At this point, they are borderline “little man”, but look to take them in a good number of 8/9 matchups if that’s how the bracket shakes out. - LB

McNeese State - Southland

The Cowboys lost by only eight points to a number-two Alabama team in the third game of their season. They are an absolutely legit team with a 25-6 record, and they haven’t even begun conference play yet. They’ll take on the winner between #5 Texas A&M Corpus-Christi and Northwestern State on Tuesday at 6 PM. As of now, the Cowboys are most likely #13 seeds, which would place them up against a #4 seed. Don’t count them out against anyone in the tournament, if they can secure the conference title first. - LB

Omaha - Summit

Omaha secured an 85-75 win over St. Thomas (MN) on Sunday night for the Summit League conference championship, but they were heading to the dance either way as St. Thomas goes through the D-2 to D-1 transition period, ruling them ineligible for the tournament. It capped off a dominant performance in the conference tournament for Omaha, which involved a 100-75 win over South Dakota in the semifinals. The Mavericks beat up a trash can after every win, and that’s happened 22 times this season. The team went through a 2-9 stretch earlier in the year, but have played well when it mattered most, and they’ll look to keep that going. The Mavs are a likely 15 seed, but they could make a close game come down to the wire with any two-seed in their path. - LB

UC San Diego - Big West

The Tritons are having a dream year under head coach Eric Olen in 2025. UCSD is not your average mid-major team. The Tritons are currently 39th in KenPom above some bubble teams like Xavier and Indiana. UCSD enters the Big West Tournament as the top-ranked seed with a chance at a top twelve seed on Selection Sunday. Aniwaniwa Tai-Jones is averaging almost twenty points per game leading the way for the Tritons. Assuming UCSD wins the Big West tourney, expect them to give a higher seed some trouble in the first round. - MK

High Point - Big South

Alan Huss has done an incredible job over the last couple of years after taking the High Point job before the 2023-24 season. Huss is the Big South’s back-to-back Coach of the Year and for good reason. After a major collapse in the Big South tournament last year, the Panthers got their revenge, pulling off a comeback victory over Winthrop. Former Kansas and Eastern Carolina guard Bobby Pettiford exploded for 17 points off the bench in the championship game yesterday. This High Point team is having fun and playing some very good basketball at the most important time of the year. - MK

Yale - Ivy

The Ivy League only has two rounds in their conference tournament making it one of the most unique tournaments in the sport. Yale has been the top team all season long and even though they lost star forward Danny Wolf, yet the Bulldogs haven’t missed a beat. Yale has only lost one game in the year 2025 and is led by senior guard John Paulakidas. The Bulldogs are averaging over 80 points offensively and should cruise through the Ivy League Tournament later in the week. Yale entered the national tournament as a 13 seed last season and was able to upset the red-hot Auburn Tigers in the first round. Yale has a chance to make some more noise here in 2025. - MK

Yet, none of that seemed to stand in the way for Rutgers in their recruiting of the 2024 class, ranking fourth on 247Sports, just behind Duke, Alabama and Arkansas, and seven spots ahead of back-to-back national champion UConn.

Most of that high ranking comes from the landing of the second and third best players in the country, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper. Bailey could be making an impact on the top team in the nation, Kansas among 15 Division-I offers. Harper could have teamed up with the 2024 class’ top player, Cooper Flagg, at Duke, or gone to Kansas as well among seven other schools.

They both chose Piscataway, New Jersey and a Rutgers team trying to turn the corner. The question is: Why?

Read more

At Lebanon Valley College, Flannery won an NCAA championship in 1993-94, a team built with Pennsylvania talent, including Mike Rhoades, who was a star for the team, and now the head coach of Penn State basketball.

In our conversation, Flannery dives into his current role at Penn State, serving as the general manager of “More to Give,” Penn State’s basketball-specific NIL initiative through Happy Valley United.

In 2004, Flannery was at the helm of the Bucknell basketball program, who won the Patriot League title, earning a spot on the March Madness bracket, a 14-seed playing three-seeded Kansas, a 14 over 3 upset that Flannery’s Bison pulled off.

The next year, Bucknell won the Patriot League again and were seeded ninth, and upset eight-seeded Arkansas to win two straight first round games in back to back seasons.

In our chat, Flannery takes us inside the locker room of an underdog in March Madness, before and after the game, and on Selection Sunday.

Perhaps his most interesting insight is on the current state of college athletics and where it’s heading, with perspectives as a former college basketball player, coach and consultant.