First Four

First Four. The First Four is a series of college basketball games played as part of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, featuring teams from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), including the University of Kentucky, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and Duke University. These games are often watched by fans of March Madness, CBS Sports, and ESPN, and are played at venues like the University of Dayton Arena and the Quicken Loans Arena. The First Four has been broadcast by CBS, TNT, TBS, and truTV, with commentators like Jim Nantz, Verne Lundquist, and Bill Raftery.

Introduction

The First Four is a set of games that marks the beginning of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, with participating teams like the Syracuse Orange men's basketball team, the Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team, and the Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team. The games are typically played at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, and have been hosted by the University of Dayton since the introduction of the First Four format in 2011. The First Four features teams from conferences like the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), the Big 12 Conference, the Big Ten Conference, and the Pac-12 Conference, with winners advancing to the main bracket to face teams like the Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team, the Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, and the Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team. The First Four has been covered by media outlets like the New York Times, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated, with writers like Seth Davis and Jay Bilas.

History

The concept of the First Four was introduced in 2011, as part of a new NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship format, which expanded the tournament to 68 teams, including teams from the America East, the Atlantic 10 Conference, and the Colonial Athletic Association. The First Four replaced the traditional NIT Season Tip-Off and the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament play-in game, with the first games being played on March 15, 2011, at the University of Dayton Arena, featuring teams like the Texas San Antonio Roadrunners men's basketball team and the Alabama State Hornets men's basketball team. The introduction of the First Four was met with mixed reactions from fans and coaches, including Mike Krzyzewski of Duke University and John Calipari of the University of Kentucky. The First Four has since become a staple of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, with games broadcast by CBS Sports and Turner Sports, and featuring teams like the Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team, the Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team, and the Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team.

Format

The First Four features four games, each pitting two teams against each other, with the winners advancing to the main bracket to face teams like the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team, the UConn Huskies men's basketball team, and the Florida Gators men's basketball team. The games are typically played over two days, with the winners of each game advancing to the next round, and are broadcast by TNT, TBS, and truTV, with commentators like Marv Albert and Steve Kerr. The First Four is hosted by the University of Dayton, which has a long history of hosting NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship games, including the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and the NIT, and has featured teams from conferences like the Big East Conference, the Mountain West Conference, and the West Coast Conference. The format of the First Four has been praised by coaches like Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team and Mark Few of the Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team, who appreciate the opportunity for their teams to compete in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship.

Impact

The First Four has had a significant impact on the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, with teams like the VCU Rams men's basketball team and the George Mason Patriots men's basketball team using the First Four as a springboard to make deep runs in the tournament, including the Final Four and the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship game. The First Four has also provided a platform for smaller schools like the Lehigh Mountain Hawks men's basketball team and the Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team to gain national attention, with games broadcast by CBS Sports and ESPN, and featuring commentators like Dick Vitale and Jay Williams. The First Four has been covered by media outlets like the Washington Post, USA Today, and Fox Sports, with writers like Andy Katz and Pat Forde. The introduction of the First Four has also led to an increase in revenue for the NCAA, with the tournament generating millions of dollars in revenue each year, and has featured teams from conferences like the Atlantic 10 Conference, the Conference USA, and the Horizon League.

Notable_Editions

There have been several notable editions of the First Four, including the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, which featured the first-ever First Four games, and the 2018 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, which saw the UMBC Retrievers men's basketball team become the first 16 seed to defeat a 1 seed in the tournament, with games broadcast by CBS Sports and TNT, and featuring commentators like Jim Nantz and Bill Raftery. Other notable editions of the First Four include the 2013 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, which featured a matchup between the North Carolina A&T Aggies men's basketball team and the Liberty Flames men's basketball team, and the 2015 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, which saw the Hampton Pirates men's basketball team defeat the Manhattan Jaspers men's basketball team, with games played at venues like the Quicken Loans Arena and the PNC Arena. The First Four has also featured teams from conferences like the Big Sky Conference, the Northeast Conference, and the Patriot League, and has been covered by media outlets like the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and Boston Globe, with writers like Seth Davis and Jay Bilas. Category:College basketball