The SMU Mustangs (23-10, No. 1 seed) host the Northern Iowa Panthers (20-12) in the opening round of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) on Wednesday night in Dallas, Texas. Despite falling short of an NCAA Tournament bid, SMU remains a dangerous postseason contender, finishing with its highest win total since 2021-22 and boasting one of the nation’s most efficient offenses. Meanwhile, Northern Iowa enters the matchup hungry for an upset, returning to the NIT for the third time in program history after falling in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament quarterfinals. First-year Mustangs head coach Andy Enfield has led his team to at least 22 wins in five of the last six seasons, continuing his track record of success. “It’s been

The Texas Longhorns (19-15, No. 11 seed) and Xavier Musketeers (21-11, No. 11 seed) square off in the First Four on Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio, with the winner advancing to face No. 6 Illinois on Friday in Milwaukee. Texas, representing the Southeastern Conference (SEC), is the first of a record 14 SEC teams to begin March Madness action. Meanwhile, Xavier, whose campus is less than 50 miles from the University of Dayton Arena, will have a major home-court advantage in this high-stakes matchup. Xavier earned an at-large bid after closing the Big East regular season on a seven-game winning streak. However, a tough 89-87 loss to Marquette in the Big East quarterfinals left them on the bubble until Selection Sunday,

The No. 16 American Eagles (22-12) and No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers (22-12) will meet in a First Four showdown on Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio, with the winner advancing to face No. 1 seed Duke in the East Region first round on Friday in Raleigh, N.C. Both teams punched their ticket to March Madness by winning their conference tournaments, setting up an intriguing matchup between two rising programs. This game features a coaching chess match between two familiar head coaches: The two coaches texted each other after winning their conference titles, acknowledging their familiarity with each other’s programs. “You’re not thrilled to play someone who knows you so well,” Lind admitted. “One of the fun parts of the tournament

The Houston Cougars (30-4, No. 1 seed) enter the Midwest Region first round on a 13-game winning streak, but head coach Kelvin Sampson isn’t taking 16th-seeded SIU Edwardsville (22-11) lightly. With only two No. 16 seeds ever upsetting a No. 1—UMBC over Virginia (2018) and Fairleigh Dickinson over Purdue (2023)—Sampson is making sure his team treats this one-game season with full focus. “Some people may like looking ahead, but that’s not for us,” Sampson said. “The only game I care about is the one we’re playing.” With College Basketball Championship Odds favoring Houston, the Cougars look to continue their recent tournament dominance, which includes a Final Four (2021), an Elite Eight (2022), and three Sweet 16s over the last five