Category: NCAA Basketball

Auburn basketball earned the No. 1 overall NCAA Tournament seed. Its prize? A path full of March Madness landmines to reach the 2025 Final Four.

The Southeastern Conference shattered the record for most teams selected for the men’s NCAA tournament field on Sunday, with 14 of 16 schools going dancing. Why are we surprised? The SEC has been a slumbering basketball behemoth for most of the century. In 2016, it saw just three teams make the tournament, with Vanderbilt eliminated …

Northern Iowa Panthers (20-12, 14-7 MVC) at SMU Mustangs (23-10, 14-8 ACC) Dallas; Wednesday, 9 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: SMU and Northern Iowa meet in the National Invitation Tournament. The Mustangs' record in ACC play is 14-8, and their record is 9-2 against non-conference opponents.

George Mason's average of 6.9 made 3-pointers per game is 1.7 fewer made shots on average than the 8.6 per game Samford allows. Samford averages 10.8 made 3-pointers per game this season, 3.1 more made shots on average than the 7.7 per game George Mason gives up. TOP PERFORMERS: Haynes is scoring 14.1 points per game with 7.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists for the Patriots.

Dayton Flyers (22-10, 12-7 A-10) at Florida Atlantic Owls (18-15, 11-9 AAC) Boca Raton, Florida; Wednesday, 7 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: Florida Atlantic takes on Dayton in the National Invitation Tournament. The Owls' record in AAC games is 11-9, and their record is 7-6 in non-conference games.

North Carolina Tar Heels (22-13, 15-8 ACC) vs. San Diego State Aztecs (21-9, 14-7 MWC) Dayton, Ohio; Tuesday, 9:10 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Tar Heels -4.5; over/under is 142.5 BOTTOM LINE: San Diego State faces North Carolina in the First Four round of the NCAA Tournament. The Aztecs are 14-7 against MWC opponents and 7-2 in non-conference play.

With versatile point guard Mark Sears and mustachioed forward Grant Nelson, Alabama has two of the more recognizable players in the NCAA Tournament. The duo led the Crimson Tide to the Final Four last year and returned to school in hopes of delivering the program’s first national title. The second-seeded Tide (25-8) open NCAA play against No. 15 seed Robert Morris in Cleveland on Friday, giving Nelson an extra day to recover from an injury sustained in the first half of a loss to Florida in the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Saturday.

The top two players selected in last year’s NBA draft and four of the top five picks in 2023 had never played in an NCAA Tournament before beginning their pro careers. Flagg sprained his ankle in Duke’s opening game at the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament and didn’t play the rest of the week. Duke has indicated Flagg will be available for March Madness.

Porter Moser spent three seasons in the Big 12 before shepherding Oklahoma to the Southeastern Conference, making the longtime coach uniquely suited to compare the erstwhile best conference in America to the current king of college hoops. “The things is, there is no bottom,” Moser explained. The expanded SEC landed a record 14 teams in the 68-team bracket, populating it with the overall No. 1 seed (Auburn), another No. 1 seed (Florida) and four more among the top four seeds in their respective regions.

The North Carolina men's basketball team's arrival to Dayton, Ohio, for the First Four was delayed by what the NCAA called "travel issues"

North Carolina was a controversial selection for the NCAA Tournament, but the Tar Heels can silence some skeptics with a win over San Diego State on Tuesday night at the First Four. The Tar Heels (22-13) seemed a long shot to make the tournament with a 1-12 record in Quadrant 1 games, but were chosen Sunday thanks to a strong nonconference schedule and other metrics. “I didn’t listen to bracketology,” North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said Monday.

The 32-team field is set for the 2025 WBIT, the top postseason option for teams that didn't make the women's NCAA Tournament. Here's what to know.

The NCAA tournament is a solid-gold goose, one that the Powers That Be in college sports appear hell bent on melting down to cash in.

Even amid the backdrop of college basketball’s chaotic postseason, what happened to South Alabama was “avoidable” and “unfortunate,” the school’s athletic director said Monday. The Jaguars received an invitation to the NCAA-affiliated National Invitation Tournament following the reveal of the NCAA Tournament bracket Sunday and immediately accepted. An hour later, the NIT called back and rescinded the offer because it had overbooked the bracket.

Tom Izzo had a line for all time Monday on the Pat McAfee show ahead of March Madness, when discussing the Michigan State Michigan basketball rivalry.