Meet the 4 teams that just made the NCAA men's tournament for the first time
Most often, we see the biggest brands sitting in their meeting rooms, patiently awaiting their matchup with no real hint of concern.
Thats why it's always such a joy when the Selection Sunday broadcast cuts to a small, relatively unknown program as it makes the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. It looks like an absolute event. Packed gyms, fans going crazy and players hollering right beside them. That's what March is all about.
SURVIVOR POOL: Free to enter. $2,500 to win. Can you survive the madness?
Sunday saw four schools officially make the men's tournament for the first time ever and it'll be hard not to root for them this week.
Let's get to know them.
It's been a long time coming This game will go down as one of the best games in program history 🤞#GoHPU x #OnTheProwl pic.twitter.com/xx6kcyVK5g
— HPU Men's Basketball (@HPUMBB) March 14, 2025
High Point moved to Division I in 1999 but never had enough success to go to the big dance. That finally changed this week as the Panthers came back from down 15 points in the Big South tournament title game to lock up an automatic bid.
Head coach Alan Huss has this program rolling with a 56-14 record over his first two years. And the fan support has been electric. Check out the scenes on Sunday.
The fans showed out for Selection Show Sunday 🤩#GoHPU x #OnTheProwl pic.twitter.com/874XVBOwSL
— HPU Men's Basketball (@HPUMBB) March 16, 2025
Omaha hadn't experienced a winning season since 2018-19. In Year 3 of the Chris Crutchfield Era, the Mavericks not only got over .500 (22-12), they're headed to their first NCAA tournament. The No. 15 seed has a tough draw in the Round of 64 against No. 2 St. John's, but it's not an upset we haven't seen before.
The Summit League champs are led by forward Marquel Sutton, who averages 19.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.
The moment Omaha hears its name - Mavs ready to dance @OmahaMBB @KETV pic.twitter.com/PatssJwrrd
— Andy Kendeigh (@AKendeighKETV) March 16, 2025
Time to dance.🕺 See you in Wichita!#RollCougs | #FindAWay pic.twitter.com/PBAHe1Rdrb
— SIUE Hoops (@SIUEMBB) March 16, 2025
That's Southern Illinois University Edwardsville from just outside St.Louis.
The Cougars will face another clan of Cougars in the Round of 64, thanks to their matchup with No. 1 Houston, but SIUE has a lot to celebrate before then. The program only moved to Division I in 2008 and didn't have a winning season at the NCAA's top level until 2022-23. Now the Cougars are dancing after wining the Ohio Valley Conference tournament.
Watch out for guard Ray'Sean Taylor and his 19.3 points per game.
Here's the reaction from @UCSDmbb when they heard their name called for their 1st ever NCAA Tournament bid. pic.twitter.com/KLdZbjbiEk
— Todd Strain (@TODDSTRAINNBCSD) March 16, 2025
Two decades ago, UCSD was playing in Division III. Five years ago, the Tritons were in Division II. On Sunday they officially earned a berth in the NCAA tournament by winning the Big West tournament. What an epic rise for head coach Eric Olen, who has led the Tritons since 2013 and compiled a 210-114 record in the process.
Get used to hearing the name Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, by the way. The senior guard from New Zealand is averaging 19.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 57.6 percent from the field.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: 4 teams (including Omaha!) making their NCAA tournament debut in 2025
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Kirk Herbstreit Issues 'Warning' To Entire College Football World
Kirk Herbstreit Issues 'Warning' To Entire College Football World originally appeared on The Spun. ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit has issued a "warning" to the rest of the college football world. Herbstreit, a top analyst for ESPN, believes that locker rooms could collapse if something isn't done about the future of college football. Too many players are transferring, too many players are making decisions based on strictly money and too many programs are seeing a ton of turnover every year. The ESPN college football analyst believes that at some point, locker rooms could collapse, if something isn't done to stabilize the sport moving forward. He's probably not wrong about that, either. Many college football coaches seem to agree with Herbstreit, too. 'I hate to say, I don't have faith because you have to have faith for anything to work. So, I have a lot of faith going in, but I'll let you know in a year. You know, the NCAA couldn't control it in the past. There's no control right now. So it's got to be better than nothing, right?' Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi said. Many head coaches are just pushing for more consistency across the sport when it comes to controlling what's happening. Wake Forest head coach Jake Dickert is part of that group, too. 'We've got to decide if we want Major League Baseball or if we want the NFL. Major League Baseball has some teams with $250 million [payrolls] and some teams playing Moneyball at $40 million,' Dickert said. 'Or do we want a hard salary cap like the NFL, and who's doing the best with their resources? You know, the NFL doesn't have GoFundMe for free agents, right? They don't; they play with a certain set of rules.' College football is working on solutions, following the NCAA vs. House settlement, but time will tell if it's enough. Kirk Herbstreit Issues 'Warning' To Entire College Football World first appeared on The Spun on Jul 27, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
CBS Sports: Wisconsin projected to have one of college basketball's top offenses in 2025
With roughly three months remaining until the 2025-26 college basketball regular season, the Wisconsin Badgers received high praise on Friday. In CBS Sports' recent article, titled '101 Days Out: College basketball stars, new faces, contenders, storylines ahead of 2025-26 season', analyst Isaac Trotter outlined several lookahead themes for the 2025-26 slate. Among those themes, Trotter looked at which programs roster the best projected offensive units. Wisconsin, which finished the 2024-25 season with a 27-10 mark and No. 3 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, was listed as one of the outlet's top 10 projected offensive programs this fall alongside the UConn Huskies, Purdue Boilermakers, Louisville Cardinals, Florida Gators, Kentucky Wildcats, Illinois Fighting Illini, BYU Cougars, Texas Tech Red Raiders and Duke Blue Devils. Here's what Trotter shared regarding the Badgers' offensive outlook this season: "The Badgers have three guards who can play on or off the ball in John Blackwell, Andrew Rohde and Nick Boyd, surrounding two sweet-shooting forwards (Austin Rapp and Nolan Winter). That's a dangerous combination offensively. Losing John Tonje stings, but Blackwell is the total package and has All-America upside as the go-to alpha." Yes, Wisconsin's roster is revamped with all sorts of talent, but projecting the program to recreate its 2024-25 offensive success is a difficult task. Wisconsin boasted KenPom's No. 13 offensive unit this past season, a threshold traditional Badger ensembles rarely reach. Backed by All-American wing John Tonje, who now a member of the NBA's Utah Jazz, UW averaged 80.1 points per game off 45.4% shooting from the field, 34.8% from 3-point range and 82.6% from the charity stripe. Notably, Gard's group finished with at least 80 points in 19 contests -- the most by any Badger bunch in years. UW now welcomes the aforementioned Rhode, Boyd and Rapp into its starting unit, three more-than-capable offensive contributors. In a loaded Big Ten, the starting unit shapes up well against almost any program. That lineup's first exhibition test is slated for Oct. 24 against the Oklahoma Sooners in Milwaukee. Contact/Follow on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin basketball 2025 preview CBSSports offense projection
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Wisconsin women's basketball top 2026 target lists Badgers as a finalist
Wisconsin women's basketball top-ranked class of 2026 target, power forward Jayda Porter, included the Badgers in her list of finalists on Friday. The younger sister of NBA champion Michael Porter Jr., Jayda Porter narrowed her list to eight suitors. In addition to Wisconsin, that list includes Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Oregon, North Carolina, Nebraska, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. She is slated to officially visit Madison the weekend of Oct. 18. 247Sports considers the 6-foot-3 forward the No. 28 overall recruit in the class of 2026, the No. 9 power forward and the No. 2 player from her home state of Missouri. Here's what Brandon Clay, the outlet's director of scouting for women's basketball, wrote about Porter's basketball repertoire: "Porter has the size and skill to be a major factor on the interior. Her brothers, Jontay and Michael Jr., both made it to the NBA. Jayda has the bloodline coupled with the touch on offense to be a consistent shot maker from beyond the arc or in the post. That skill set keeps opposing defenders off balance and guessing. Porter's ability to rebound and protect the rim will also be a huge asset for her future college coach. Her game is already diversified at a young age." While both 247Sports and On3/Rivals have yet to note an offer from Wisconsin, the Badgers would certainly be thrilled to welcome the high-four-star recruit to Madison for her collegiate tenure. UW's 2026 offer sheet currently features seven undecided athletes with at least a four-star profile. While still early, On3/Rivals' recruiting prediction machine has yet to identify a clear frontrunner. As of July 26, Kansas, which was not named a finalist, boasts the highest likelihood to land Porter's commitment at 30%. The Jayhawks are followed by Nebraska (25.6%) and Oklahoma State (21.9%). A commitment from Porter would immediately emerge as first-year head coach Robin Pingeton's most significant recruiting victory during her brief tenure as the Badgers' leader. First, UW will need to tackle its 2025-26 slate with a revamped roster. Contact/Follow on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin women's basketball recruiting target Jayda Porter finalists