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After the weirdest season in college basketball history, the weirdest NCAA Tournament is about to begin. All 68 teams have descended upon Indianapolis, Indiana to attempt to pull off a crazed logistical feat in the face of a global pandemic the world has not been able to shake for over 12 months.
One year later, despite a rocky season full of COVID pauses, one team will theoretically cut down the nets, and it all begins today with the First Four. Normally, scheduled for the raucous crowds of Dayton, Ohio, this year’s first four still provides plenty of basketball intrigue for Gonzaga fans.
You will probably want to tune in to grasp a look at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament champs Norfolk State and Appalachian State, who turned a subpar 7-8 Sun Belt Conference record into a tourney appearance with their conference tournament win.
It is also a weird year for some of the standard household basketball names in college hoops, and that is perfectly represented by a play-in game featuring the likes of two titans, UCLA and Michigan State.
Here is the schedule for the First Four. All games can be streamed live on the March Madness Live app.
No. 16 Texas Southern vs. No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s, 2:10 pm PT, TRUTV
- Brad Nessler/Steve Lavin/Avery Johnson/Evan Washburn
No. 11 Drake vs. No. 11 Wichita State, 3:27 pm PT, TBS
- Brian Anderson/Jim Jackson/Allie LaForce
No. 16 Appalachian State vs. No. 16 Norfolk State, 5:40 pm PT, TRUTV
- Brad Nessler/Steve Lavin/Avery Johnson/Evan Washburn
No. 11 UCLA vs. No. 11 Michigan State, 6:57 pm PT, TBS
- Brian Anderson/Jim Jackson/Allie LaForce