With the NCAA Tournament set to begin this week, there’s four play-in games before all the action can get started.
The first four play-in games, now called the “First Round” of the NCAA Tournament disturbing and confusing millions even in the fifth year the NCAA has been calling it that, will begin Tuesday beginning with a 16-seed play-in game between Hampton and Manhattan.
The play-in games have been in the NCAA Tournament on and off in its history of different formats. The tournament field expanded to 52 total teams in 1983 with four play-in games. In 1984, it was 53 teams with five play-in games. Then, 1985-2000 there were no play-in games with a 64-team field. 2001-2010 the play-in game returned when there were 65 teams and in 2011, the tournament expanded to four play-in games, called the first round of the tournament, leading the round of 64 to be coined the second round.
In the past four years of first four play, the 2011 VCU Rams have had the best run as a play-in game winner when they made it all the way to the Final Four after winning their 11-seed play-in game against USC, going on to beat 4-seed Georgetown, 3-seed Purdue, 10-seed Florida State and 1-seed Kansas in the Southwest Region, before losing to 8-seed Butler out of the Southeast Region in the Final Four.
In 2013, 13-seed play-in winner La Salle made it to the Sweet Sixteen before losing to Wichita State and in 2014, 11-seed play-in winner Tennessee made it to the Sweet Sixteen before losing to Michigan.
This year’s first four games include a 16-seed play-in between Manhattan and Hampton, a 11-seed play-in game between Dayton and Boise State, a 16-seed play-in between North Florida and Robert Morris and a 11-seed play-in between BYU and Ole Miss.
Without further ado, here are the First Four predictions.