The First Four has been the kickoff party to March Madness since 2011, when the NCAA decided to expand from 64 to 68 teams.
These games typically involve the four lowest-ranked conference champions and the four lowest-ranked at-large teams. The winners move on to the first round to make up the field of 64 for the NCAA Tournament.
While they're not usually games that count in bracket challenges, it cannot be overlooked that at least one First Four team has gone on to win at least one more tournament game in every season except 2019. There obviously was no tournament in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here is what you need to know about the men's teams in this year's First Four.
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The men's First Four will take place with two games on Tuesday, March 19 and two games on Wednesday, March 20.
Tuesday, March 19
Wednesday, March 20
All four of the men's First Four games will be played at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio. Dayton has been the host for First Four games since its inception in 2001.
The men's First Four games are scheduled to tip off at 6:30 p.m. 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Wednesday.
They will be broadcast live on TruTV, with Spero Dedes handling the play-by-play, Jim Spanarkel handling the analysis and Jon Rothstein reporting.
No, but two teams have made it to the Final Four.
Virginia Commonwealth made it to the national semifinals in 2011, the first year of the First Four, and UCLA followed suit a decade later in 2021.
USA TODAY Sports' Steve Gardner contributed to this report.
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