Here is a closer look at all eight teams:
No. 16 Alabama State vs. No. 16 Saint Francis (Pa.)., 6:40 p.m. Tuesday
Saint Francis (16-17) made March Madness after winning the Northeast Conference Tournament.
The Red Flash, a fourth place finisher in the NEC regular season standings, last made the NCAA Tournament in 1991, its only appearance. They lost to Arizona in the first round after winning a play-in game against Fordham that does not officially count as an NCAA Tournament game.
Juan Cranford Jr., a 6-foot-3, 205-pound freshman from Wayne High School, started 21 games for SFU and averages 10 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. He was named the NEC Newcomer of the Year for his efforts.
He is one of three Ohioans on the roster, joining K.J. Swain Jr. a junior guard from Hamilton who attended Cincinnati Christian, and Zachary Jones, a freshman guard from Cincinnati Indian Hill.
Their leading scorer is Riley Parker, a 6-2 junior guard from Australia who averages 13.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He also handed out 111 assists.
SFU is in its 13th year under head coach Rob Krimmel, who was a star player for the Red Flash and has posted a record of 171-227 with three winning seasons.
The Red Flash began playing basketball in 1918 and have played in Dayton several times over the years, including an exhibition game at UD Arena won by the Flyers 87-57 on Nov. 4 to begin the season. They also lost 70-56 to Dayton at UD Arena in November 2013.
The best-known SFU basketball alumnus is probably Maurice Stokes, the 1956 NBA Rookie of the Year. He scored 43 points in a losing effort against Dayton in the 1955 NIT semifinals.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Alabama State (19-15) also finished fourth in its league then won the Southwest Athletic Conference Tournament.
Tony Madlock is 40-57 in three seasons as head coach in Montgomery.
His son, TJ, is a senior guard for ASU who was named to the All-SWAC second team while averaging 12.6 points per game.
Amarr Knox, a 6-3 senior, made the All-SWAC first team and averages 14.3 points per game while classmate CJ Hines averages 14.4 points per game and was named MVP of the SWAC tournament.
The Hornets played in Ohio in November, losing at Cincinnati 77-59 on the night before Thanksgiving.
They have never won a national postseason game, including an 0-3 mark in the First Four and 0-1 in the NCAA Tournament play-in game that preceded the First Four.
No. 11 San Diego State vs. No. 11 North Carolina, 9:10 p.m. Tuesday
San Diego State (21-9) received an at-large bid after tying for fourth in the Mountain West regular season standings.
The Aztecs are in the First Four for the first time but are making their fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. They went to the Sweet 16 last season after making the final in 2023 and losing to Connecticut.
Guards Nick Boyd and Miles Byrd both made the All-MWC second team while forward Magoon Gwath is the league’s Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
In his eighth season at SDUS, head coach Brian Dutcher is 197-66.
North Carolina (22-13) finished in a three-way tie for fourth in the drab ACC and is 1-8 against ranked teams this season.
Fifth-year senior guard R.J. Davis leads the Tar Heels at 17.3 points per game and made the All-ACC second team while Ian Jackson (12.4 points per game) made the All-Freshman team.
Head coach Hubert Davis is 100-44 in four season as head coach at his alma mater, including a run to the national championship game in his first year.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
The Tar Heels have won six national championships but are 1-2 at UD Arena in the NCAA Tournament.
They lost to Alabama there in the first round in 1976, won a first round game against Murray State in 2006 when were upset by George Mason in the second round as No. 3 seed two days later.
No. 16 American vs. No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s, 6:40 p.m. Wednesday
American (22-12) shared the regular season Patriot League title and won the league tournament to earn the fourth NCAA Tournament bid in school history.
The Eagles are a 16 seed for the first time after being a No. 15 seed in 2008 and ’14 and a 14 seed in 2009.
Matt Rogers, a 6-9 senior forward, leads the Eagles in scoring at 17 points per game while Elijah Stephens and Greg Jones also average double figures.
Duane Simpkins, who was a 1,000-point scorer at Maryland, is 38-28 in his second season as American head coach.
American is in Washington, D.C.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Mount St. Mary’s (22-12) finished fourth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and earned the NCAA Tournament bid by trouncing Iona in the MAAC Tournament final.
Junior forward Dola Adebayo was named second-team all-league and averages 13.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game while four other Mountaineers average at .east 9.5 points per game.
Dayton should be familiar for first-year MSMU coach Donny Lind, who is a New Knoxville native.
Formerly of the NEC, the Mountaineers have been a 16 seed in all seven of their NCAA Tournament appearances in Division I. They the play-in game in 2008 over Coppin State and are 1-2 in the First Four, beating New Orleans in 2017 and losing to Albany and Texas Southern in 2014 and ’17.
Located in Emmitsburg, Md., MSMU made the Final Four five times in Division II and won the national championship at that level in 1962.
They have played at Dayton three times, losing to the Flyers in UD Arena in 1991, ’99 and 2010.
No. 11 Xavier vs. No. 11 Texas, 9:10 p.m. Wednesday
Xavier (21-11) finished tied for fourth in the Big East and is 2-5 against ranked teams this season.
The Musketeers beat Dayton 98-74 in a charity game at UD Arena in October but last played a game that counts there in 2013, a 70-59 Flyers victory.
Xavier has played many games in the Gem City over the years, but the program is 0-2 in the NCAA Tournament, losing to Alcorn State in 1983 and North Carolina State in 2014.
Senior forward Zach Freemantle and junior guard Ryan Conwell both earned All-Big East recognition and lead Xavier with 17.3 and 16.8 points per game, respectively.
The Musketeers are 1-2 against Texas in the NCAA Tournament, including a loss in the Sweet 16 two years ago.
Sean Miller is 64-29 in his second stint as head coach of the Musketeers, whom he also coached from 2005-09.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Texas (19-15) finished tied for 14th in the SEC and are 5-8 against ranked teams this season.
The Longhorns have made the NCAA Tournament five years in a row and 39 times total.
Tre Jackson, a 6-6 guard from Garland, Texas, made the All-SEC second team and was named the conference’s Freshman of the Year. He averages 19.8 points and 3.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.
The Longhorns are 1-1 in the NCAA Tournament at UD Arena. As a No. 5 seed, they beat St. Peter’s in the first round in 1991 then lost to St. John’s two days later.
Rodney Terry is 62-36 in three seasons as the head coach at UT.
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