March Madness this year comes at a time of great uncertainty in college sports. (AP video by Ted Shaffrey) (AP production by Javier Arciga)
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The first round of the 2024 NCAA March Madness tournament is underway, and there’s already been a few upsets. The women’s first round kicks off today at 11:30 a.m. EDT as Michigan State takes on the University of North Carolina.
Here’s what to know:
— Bracket busters: BYU lost to Duquesne, Michigan State triumphed over Mississippi State and Oakland’s Jack Gohlke pushed his team to victory over Kentucky.
— Score updates: For a big-picture look, follow the AP’s men’s and women’s brackets.
— Watch live: All of the men’s games are airing on CBS, TBS, TNT or TruTV and their digital platforms, including Paramount+. The women’s games are airing on ESPN’s networks and streaming services.
Numbers, not names
Nebraska has a real international flavor. Sure, there are a couple of Huskers from Lincoln, one from Omaha and another from Ashland.
The rest of the roster? There are Huskers from the Republic of Mali, Senegal, Japan and even the Netherlands. They come with unique spellings and unusual pronunciations that may not roll off the American tongue.
Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams has been studying Nebraska for Friday’s opener kept it simple. The native of Greenville, Texas, is sticking to numbers, saying he can’t pronounce all their names.
Tournament superstitions
Plenty of players have very specific pregame rituals. A certain playlist. A particular meal. How they put on their uniform.
“Shoeless” Jeff Woodward, a senior forward for No. 14 seeded Colgate, likes to walk the court pregame in just his socks.
Lehigh forward Bube Momah (23) is defended by Colgate forward Jeff Woodward (55) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game for the championship of the Patriot League tournament in Hamilton, N.Y., Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Woodward says that the idea started during COVID his freshman year, when he decided to walk on the court without his shoes to “just kind of get a feel.”
Colgate plays Baylor on Friday in the West Region.
March Madness is known for late-game winners
Nearly a year has passed since Lamont Butler hit a buzzer-beater that sent San Diego State to the NCAA championship game. He’s seen it so often on social media and TV that he never had to search it out himself.
“It’s kind of hard to miss it,” he said.
Last-second shots fuel the NCAA Tournament’s allure. They are split-second moments that live for decades in highlights and memories. Butler is among those who did it last year and could get another chance as the tournament begins this week.
FILE – San Diego State guard Lamont Butler, center, celebrates with teammates after he hit the winning basket against Florida Atlantic during the second half of a Final Four college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, April 1, 2023, in Houston. Butler is the only player in NCAA Tournament history to hit a winning shot in the Final Four with his team trailing at the time and with no time left. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez, File)
▶ Read more: Late-game winners
Players from one-bid leagues who could make NCAAs splash
FILE – James Madison guard Terrence Edwards Jr. (5) shoots against Georgia State forward Jay’Den Turner (10) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Harrisonburg, Va., Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (Daniel Lin/Daily News-Record via AP, File)
James Madison’s Terrence Edwards says his team has been dealing with pressure ever since it stunned the college basketball world with a season-opening upset of then-No. 4 Michigan State.
Edwards and the Dukes are hoping it enables them to make a similar impact on March Madness.
He’s one of several players from one-bid leagues who merit attention this week.
▶ Read more: Players from one-bid leagues
Who will reach the women’s Final Four? A bracket analysis
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, center, awaits her NCAA college basketball team’s seed reveal during a “Selection Sunday” watch party Sunday, March 17, 2024, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette via AP)
The women’s NCAA Tournament field is set and now the fun begins, with 64 teams trying to win the national championship.
The stars are out with Caitlin Clark trying to get Iowa its first national championship and Angel Reese looking to help LSU repeat as champion. The third-seeded Tigers ended a 10-year run of No. 1-seeded teams winning the title last year.
Look for that to be a one-year thing. Here is a look at what could happen over the next few weeks:
▶ Read More: Women’s bracket picks
Purdue faces March Madness ghost
Purdue has looked like a title contender all season and owns another 1-seed as the NCAAs begin this week. Yet one bad night at the worst possible time hangs over a program that has had multiple March Madness stumbles, including a loss to 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson a year ago.
Only one other program knows that ignominy: Virginia, which fell to UMBC in the first-ever 16-vs-1 upset in 2018. Yet those Cavaliers regrouped to win the national championship the following season, offering a roadmap for the Boilermakers’ potential path to redemption and proof it can be done.
“’They weren’t the first to do it, so it’s not the worst thing in the world — it’s the second-worst thing in the world,” said former Virginia star Ty Jerome, now with the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers. “To go through that together and bounce back together … it’s definitely going to make them stronger. I hope they’ve talked about it.
Purdue is back in March Madness with a No. 1 seed after last year’s shocking loss to 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson. Only one team has faced that challenge: Virginia, which followed its 2018 loss to UMBC by winning a title.
▶ Read more: Purdue’s March Madness ghost
Catch up on day 1 highlights
Every March Madness gets a breakout star or two. Without a doubt, Oakland’s Jack Gohlke was that guy on Day 1.
Oakland’s Jack Gohlke (3) reacts after hitting a 3-point shot against Kentucky during the second half of a college basketball game in the first round of the men’s NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
Gohlke — a five-year player at a Division II school before transferring this year to Oakland — hit 10 3-pointers as the 14th-seeded Grizzlies stunned third-seeded Kentucky 80-76.
He finished one 3 shy of the NCAA Tournament record and had 32 points. Just another night at the office for a player who appropriately wears No. 3 and had taken 335 shots from the field coming in, 327 of them from behind the 3-point line.
Some other highlights from the tournament’s first full day:
— No. 11 seed Duquesne knocked off BYU for the tourney’s first upset
— Oregon’s Jermaine Couisnard drop 40 points on his former school
— DaRon Holmes II and No. 7 Dayton rallied past Nevada
— N.C. State gave the 11 seeds another upset win vs Texas Tech
▶ Read more: Highlights from day 1 of March Madness.
And here’s the schedule for Friday’s men’s games:
— Northwestern vs. FAU, 12:15 p.m.
— Colgate vs. Baylor, 12:40 p.m.
— UAB vs. San Diego St., 1:45 p.m.
— W. Kentucky vs. Marquette, 2 p.m.
— Stetson vs. UConn, 2:45 p.m.
— New Mexico vs. Clemson, 3:10 p.m.
— Yale vs. Auburn, 4:15 p.m.
— Colorado vs. Florida, 4:30 p.m.
— Texas A&M vs. Nebraska, 6:50 p.m.
— Vermont vs. Duke, 7:10 p.m.
— Grambling St. vs. Purdue, 7:25 p.m.
— Coll. of Charleston, 7:35 p.m.
— Longwood vs. Houston, 9:20 p.m.
— James Madison vs. Wisconsin, 9:40 p.m.
— TCU vs. Utah St., 9:55 p.m.
— Grand Canyon vs. Saint Mary’s (Cal), 10:05 p.m.
Here’s the lineup for Friday’s women’s March Madness games:
— Michigan St. vs. North Carolina, 11:30 a.m.
— Maine at Ohio St., Noon
— MTSU vs. Louisville, 1:30 p.m.
— Presbyterian at South Carolina, 2 p.m.
— Richmond vs. Duke, 2:30 p.m.
— Drexel at Texas, 3 p.m.
— Marshall at Virginia Tech, 3:30 p.m.
— Rice at LSU, 4 p.m.
— Portland at Kansas St., 4:30 p.m.
— Florida St. vs. Alabama, 5:30 p.m.
— Vanderbilt vs. Baylor, 6 p.m.
— Drake vs. Colorado, 7 p.m.
— Maryland vs. Iowa St., 7:30 p.m.
— Eastern Washington at Oregon St., 8 p.m.
— Norfolk St. at Stanford, 10 p.m.
— Texas A&M vs. Nebraska, 10:30 p.m.
Where to find a livestream of today’s games
Dayton’s band shows support for their team during the first half of a first-round college basketball game against Nevada in the NCAA Tournament in Salt Lake City, Thursday, March 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
You can watch the men’s games either on CBS, TBS, TNT or TruTV and their digital platforms, including Paramount+. TBS will handle the Final Four and national title game this year.
Every game of the women’s tournament will be aired on ESPN’s networks and streaming services with select games on ABC. While ESPN will air the Final Four, the title game will be back on ABC, just like last season.
The NCAA is streaming games via its March Madness Live option.
▶ Read more: Everything you need to know about the men’s and women’s games.
March Madness star power this year is all about the women
FILE – UConn guard Paige Bueckers (5) wins the tip over Marquette during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the Big East Conference tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena, Sunday, March 10, 2024, in Uncasville, Conn. As March Madness is set to tip off, three of the most recognizable names in college basketball are in the women’s tournament: Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)
As March Madness is set to tip off, three of the most recognizable names in college basketball are in the women’s tournament: Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers.
“One thousand percent we’ve seen a shift in just the perception of women’s college basketball in general,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “It doesn’t have to be at the detriment of men’s college basketball. The increased coverage and star power these players have; they are legitimate, popcorn-worthy type of players.”
▶ Read more: Caitlin, Angel, Paige, JuJu and more