The NCAA Tournament kicks off in Dayton Tuesday night with the First Four, including an intriguing matchup between No. 11 seeds Belmont and Temple.
After getting a lot of grief the past few years, the NCAA Selection Committee finally got it right. Instead of rewarding mediocre power conference teams with a ton of losses and a few good wins, the committee tapped some teams from smaller leagues to help round out the field of 68.
Two of those squads will hit the floor tonight in Dayton as Belmont and Temple square off in the First Four. Belmont’s inclusion was a nice surprise after the Bruins went 26-5 but lost in the finals of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament to Murray State.
The Bruins are led by senior guard Dylan Windler, who averages 21.4 ppg and 10.7 rpg, and will go as far as he can take them. Belmont also went 2-1 in Quadrant 1 games this year, proving that they are capable of taking advantage of the opportunities they were given.
On the other side of the floor will be the Temple Owls, the fourth team the committee chose out of the American Athletic Conference. Temple put together a strong 23-9 season, but their bid was likely earned on the strength of a win over Houston back in January, one of only three losses the Cougars suffered all season.
The player to watch for the Owls is senior guard Shizz Alston Jr, who leads the team in scoring with 19.7 ppg. The winner of this matchup will take on the East Region’s No. 6 seed, Maryland, in first round action on Thursday.
How to watch Belmont vs. Temple
- Date: Tuesday, March 19
- Time: Approximately 9:10 p.m. ET (about 30 minutes after the conclusion of Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Prairie View)
- Location: Dayton, OH
- Venue: University of Dayton Arena
- TV: TruTV
- Live Stream: TruTV.com