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Several colleges from the region are among the field of 68 who will be going dancing in the tournament, which kicks off on Tuesday, March 14 with the “First Four” set of games.
In total, 37 states, plus Washington, DC, are represented among the men’s field that will be vying for one of the most coveted in all of sports.
The University of Maryland is back in the “big dance” after notching 21 wins in coach Kevin Willard’s first season with the squad as an eight seed. They will square off against a familiar foe in ninth-seeded West Virginia University in the first round.
The Nittany Lions and Pitt University both landed in the Midwest bracket, with Penn State ranked 10th with a matchup against Texas A&M looming. The Panthers will face a more difficult run to the Final Four, having to start in the “First Four” in their first tournament appearance in seven years against Mississippi State.
Whichever team takes that matchup will then have to face sixth-seeded Iowa State University out of the Big 12 conference in the actual first round.
Virginia is also well-represented, with a pair of teams - VCU (12th seed) and the University of Virginia (four seed) - on opposite sides of the bracket. The veteran-laden UVA team will face 12th-seeded Furman, while the upstart Rams are facing a tough challenge in the St. Mary’s Gaels.
Representing the national’s capital will be Howard University, though the selection committee did them no favors. Making the tournament for the first time since 1992, the Bison are matched up against the defending national champion Kansas Jayhawks, who will be looking for revenge after getting knocked off by Texas in the Big 12 Championship and then getting an unfavorable draw for a top seed.
On the women's side, the region will be represented by the University of Maryland and James Madison University, with games starting this weekend.
The NCAA Tournament kicks off on Tuesday, March 14 and Wednesday, March 15 with the “First Four.” It then kicks into full gear later this week when the full field hits the court for a full weekend slate of games.
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