The Big Dance is off to a Great Start

March 19, 2026

The first couple of days of the NCAA Tournament were very entertaining. All four games were very competitive. Congratulations to Howard’s Kenny Blakeney and Prairie View’s Byron Smith who coached their teams to the first-ever NCAA tourney wins for their respective programs. As Robert Jones pointed out in his column, both teams were able to “showcase” their teams on the biggest stage.  

Coach Jones did a great job of outlining the benefits of being a part of the first two days of the tournament.  Playing in the FIRST FOUR is special because you get to be a part of kicking off the greatest sporting event in the world. Participating in any part of March Madness is incredibly prestigious, but being on stage to kick off the tournament is special.  

Even though it was my App State that he defeated in the FIRST FOUR in 2021, I would suggest you take a few minutes to read Coach Jones column. 

The FIRST FOUR was also big for Sean Miller and Texas, which got a last-second game-winner from Tramon Mark to get past NC State. Some people didn’t think the Longhorns deserved to be in the tournament, but Coach Miller’s team proved they belonged in the Dance. Texas vs BYU should be a heck of game on Thursday.

It was also great to see Miami bounce back after falling in their first game of the Mid-American Conference Tournament. It was crazy to hear some people suggest that the RedHawks didn’t deserve a bid, based on their strength of schedule. Good to average teams don’t start a season 31-0. Coach Travis Steele’s team showed a nationally televised audience that they are a really good basketball team. Miami vs Tennessee should also be an entertaining game on Friday afternoon.

GAMES TO WATCH

The Selection Committee did an excellent job putting together the brackets. There are a lot of outstanding matchups. Here are three games that I am looking forward to watching.

8 Ohio State (21-12) vs 9 TCU (22-11)
Ohio State is playing well at the right time of the year.  It seems like they have shortened their rotation and found a rhythm as a team, especially offensively.  They have an elite point guard in Bruce Thornton who is older and experienced and that will help on the big stage.  Thornton is also one of the top scorers (20.2 ppg) in the nation. The Buckeyes have the size and skill to keep advancing. TCU Head Coach Jamie Dixon has turned in another outstanding season. This is his fifth trip to the Dance in nine years. The Horned Frogs made just two NCAA Tournament appearances in the 30 years before Coach Dixon was hired. This should be a good one. It’s the first game on Thursday.

13 Troy (22-11) vs 4 Nebraska (26-6)
Troy has been battle-tested all season.  Scott Cross’ team played five overtime games this season, including 4 during a four-week stretch early in the season. According to ‘Google AI,’ Bucknell holds the NCAA record with 9 OT games last season, but five is still above the norm. Those five games helped prepare them for what was a wild Sun Belt Conference race.  The Trojans are well coached and well prepared.  They will not be intimidated by Nebraska.  “If” Troy can hang around, and this is a close game late, I wouldn't be surprised if they pull off the upset. They have experienced every situation this year and found ways to win. All that said, Nebraska started the season 20-0 and finished tied for 2nd place in the Big Ten. 

12 High Point (30-4) vs 5 Wisconsin (24-10)
High Point has the depth and shooting to make things dangerous for Wisconsin. The Panthers, who spent most of the season ranked in the Top 10 of the Mid-Major Top 25®, reached 30 wins for the first time in program history. You don't do that by accident.  Flynn Clayman’s team is going to play fast and up tempo.  I think this game comes down to the free throw line and how many points each team can accumulate from the FT line will be the separator. Wisconsin has a slight advantage on paper, shooting 78.6%, while High Point is 74.3% from the charity stripe. The Badgers also have an outstanding backcourt with John Blackwell and Nick Boyd.