As the calendar shifts from February, all eyes turn to the NCAA tournament.
While each conference tournament in college basketball certainly has its share of madness, the round of 64 in the NCAA men’s and women’s tournaments has traditionally marked the true start of March Madness.
But with the recent expansion of both tournaments to 68 teams, the action now commences a couple of days earlier with the First Four. Here’s a look at how the First Four works in the NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments:
What is the First Four?
The First Four features four single-elimination games played to trim the number of teams in the field from 68 to 64 for the first round. For both the NCAA men’s and women’s tournaments, a committee selects the 68 competing teams, consisting of 31 automatic bids and 37 at-large selections. This will change back to 32 automatic bids and 36 at-large selections in 2026 when the Pac-12 returns.
When did the First Four begin?
When the NCAA men’s tournament expanded for the 2000-01 season, a game was added to determine who would advance to the round of 64 to make up for the uneven total number of teams. The tournament was expanded once again in 2011, adding three more games to bring the number of teams advancing to four.
In 2021, the women’s basketball tournament expanded to 68 teams as well. March 2022 was the first time both tournaments had the First Four.
Which First Four teams have had the most success in the NCAA tournament?
The 2011 VCU and 2021 UCLA teams, which were both No. 11 seeds, made it to the Final Four after starting in the men’s First Four. Both are the only two First Four teams — men’s or women’s — to reach either the Elite Eight or Final Four. Mississippi State in 2023 is the only First Four team to win a game in the round of 64 of the women’s tournament. The 11th-seeded Bulldogs toppled No. 6 Creighton after defeating Illinois in the First Four. Their run ended against No. 3 Notre Dame in the round of 32.
Check out the ESPN men’s college basketball hub page and ESPN women’s college basketball hub page for more.
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