The NCAA Tournament field is set, and some college basketball fans in the D.C. area will be paying close attention to the First Four games.
The First Four games in Dayton, Ohio, on Tuesday feature Howard, the District’s lone representative in the tournament, and Virginia.
No. 16 seed Howard will play Wagner. The 10-seed Virginia will open its run in the First Four against Colorado State. The Cavaliers hope to win their first tournament game since securing a national championship in 2019.
Despite boasting national championship banners at their home courts, former perennial powers Maryland and Georgetown will watch from home this year.
Without the more storied local programs, fans in the District will have to settle for Howard’s Cinderella hopes. If the Bison win their opening matchup against Wagner, they face a daunting task against blue blood and No. 1 seeded North Carolina on Thursday in Charlotte. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is just a two-hour drive from Charlotte and sure to be a pro-UNC crowd. North Carolina drew one of the NCAA Tournament’s top four seeds with UConn, Houston and Purdue.
Other regional rooting options include Longwood and James Madison, schools without the pedigree of the D.C. area’s more prestigious basketball powers.
Howard makes its second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament this year. Kansas blew out the Bison in the first round of last year’s tournament. Howard is 0-3 in its NCAA tournament history.
Longwood, located three hours south of the District in Farmville, Virginia, will make its second appearance in the Big Dance since joining Division I in 2004. The Lancers won the Big South tournament last week despite finishing just 6-10 in conference play. They face No. 1 seed Houston in the first round on Friday.
James Madison, another Virginia school, clinched its tournament berth after winning the Sun Belt Conference — this will be the program’s second NCAA tournament appearance since 1994. The No. 12 seed Dukes squares off against No. 5 seed Wisconsin in their first-round matchup Friday.
Virginia scraped into the tournament with one of the last at-large bids.
“This is my fifth year doing this — never have enjoyed Sat night because of how hard it is to select the final teams,” Jamie Pollard, Iowa State athletic director and a selection committee member, said on social media. “This year is harder than all my previous years combined. Just gut wrenching knowing some very good teams will unfortunately not be dancing.”
This year’s tournament, with an array of high-quality teams and seemingly unpredictable outcomes, will put a bow on a college basketball season marked by parity. Defending champion UConn enters the tournament as slim favorites according to sportsbooks, followed by fellow No. 1 seeds Houston, Purdue and North Carolina.
Purdue, led by back-to-back National Player of the Year Zach Edey, is looking for redemption in this year’s Big Dance. The Boilermakers earned a No. 1 seed in 2023 but fell to lowly Fairleigh Dickinson in one of the largest upsets in tournament history.
“We’re focused on now. That’s in the past,” Purdue guard Braden Smith told reporters on Saturday. “I don’t think it will happen again. We’re all super excited and ready for this next upcoming week.”
No. 11 seed North Carolina State enters this year’s tournament as one of the hottest teams in the field. The 22-14 Wolfpack stole a postseason berth after going on an ACC tournament run that included wins against Duke, North Carolina, and Virginia.
“Winning five games in five nights is a miracle,” N.C. State coach Kevin Keatts said after winning the ACC championship. “We’ve got to get some rest because, guess what, we’re going to the NCAA tournament.”
The NCAA Tournament begins Tuesday with the First Four games. It begins in earnest with 32 first-round games on Thursday and Friday.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.