Five things to watch Thursday during March Madness
March Madness is in full swing Thursday, with 16 first-round games scheduled in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament before the women’s first round tips off Friday.
Here is a quick snapshot of a few storylines to watch - in chronological order - as you navigate a full day and night of college hoops.
- - -
Duquesne is playing for its coach …
The 11th-seeded Dukes will make their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1977 when they face No. 6 seed BYU at 12:40 p.m. Eastern in Omaha. Duquesne Coach Keith Dambrot, 65, announced Monday that he will retire at the end of the season.
Dambrot has deep ties to the Pittsburgh school - his father played there in the 1950s - and his announcement adds some additional intrigue to the Atlantic 10 champion’s story.
Another fun fact: Dambrot coached LeBron James during the NBA star’s high school days at St. Vincent-St. Mary High in Akron, Ohio.
- - -
… and so is Long Beach State
The No. 15 seed Beach - which meets No. 2 seed Arizona at 2 p.m. Eastern in Salt Lake City - will also be looking for a new coach after its tournament run, but under very different circumstances.
Long Beach State fired longtime coach Dan Monson last week, effective at the end of the season, and then the team went on to win the Big West tournament to earn its first NCAA appearance since 2012.
The Beach will be heavy underdogs against Arizona, but the Wildcats lost their first-round game as a No. 2 seed just last season. So, who knows, maybe this oddball story will continue.
- - -
Can North Carolina live up to its No. 1 seed?
The Tar Heels are the only top seed in action Thursday, and they will meet No. 16 seed Wagner at approximately 2:45 p.m. in Charlotte.
This should be the biggest mismatch on the schedule, but crazier things have happened. Just last year, top-seeded Purdue lost its tournament opener to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson.
FDU represented the Northeast Conference and won an opening-round game against Texas Southern to earn its spot in the round of 64. Wagner comes from the same league, and it needed to fight off Howard in an opening-round game Tuesday to get into the main draw.
- - -
Will Gonzaga look like Gonzaga?
It has been an up-and-down season for the No. 5 seed Bulldogs, who play their first tournament game at 7:25 p.m. Eastern in Salt Lake City against No. 12 seed McNeese State.
As late as mid-January, Gonzaga was far from assured of reaching its 25th consecutive NCAA tournament. It then won 14 of its next 15 games before falling to Saint Mary’s in the West Coast Conference championship game last week.
McNeese State is not exactly an easy draw. The Cowboys have gone 30-3 in their first season under Coach Will Wade, who was exiled to the Southland Conference school after he was fired by LSU in 2022 for recruiting violations. Thursday will mark McNeese State’s first NCAA tournament appearance since 2002.
- - -
Washington State is a team to get behind
The No. 7 seed Cougars have the latest tip on the schedule - their game in Omaha against No. 10 seed Drake won’t start until approximately 10:05 p.m. Eastern time - but they certainly won’t mind the wait for their first NCAA tournament game since 2008.
Washington State (along with Oregon State) was abandoned by its Pac-12 Conference brethren in the latest round of realignment this past summer, and it faces an uncertain future beyond two years as an affiliate member of the WCC.
In the meantime, the Cougars were one of the nation’s biggest surprises this season after they were picked to finish 10th in the Pac-12. Their underdog story continues Thursday night.