• Fun quirk for the second game tonight.

UNC will wear blue uniforms tonight for the first time ever in its first game of an NCAA Tournament because the Tar Heels have never been the lower seed in a game to start an NCAAT

— Tar Heel Illustrated (@HeelIllustrated) March 18, 2025

Great start for Saint Francis freshman Juan Cranford Jr., the Dayton native: already has three 3-pointers and game-highs for points (10) and rebounds (6) late in the first half. Quite a homecoming so far.

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) March 18, 2025

• Saint Francis still leads 32-26 with 3:26 left in the first half. Juan Cranford Jr. has joined Valentino Pinedo with double-digit points, but eight turnovers have stopped the Red Flash from really taking over.
• After a cold shooting start, Alabama State is 5-of-11 on 3-pointers. Saint Francis still leads, though, as Valentino Pinedo and a perimeter-focused attack are giving the Hornets problems on defense.
• We’ve had a burst of scoring, with Saint Francis leading 17-12 with 11:45 remaining in the first half. They’re shooting 7-of-11 from the field, with seven points from Valentino Pinedo.
• It’s 6-4 Saint Francis at the first timeout, Alabama State is shooting 2-of-7 from the field and some shots have been way off.
• Our first match-up is St. Francis vs. Alabama State, Nos. 67 and 68 on those 1-68 rankings. St. Francis is the rare, but not unprecedented, team below .500 to make March Madness after a surprise win in the Northeast Conference tournament (the score of the final: 46-43). It’s the Red Flash’s first berth since 1991.
• Alabama State finished fifth in the SWAC but beat Jackson State in a thriller to punch its ticket in the final.
• Winner gets overall No. 1 Auburn.
• With the bracket officially set, March Madness can finally begin. The field of 68 was determined by the Selection Committee on Sunday, and while some of its choices invited controversy, the show must go on.
• But before that can happen, the field needs to be whittled down to 64 teams. The opening set of games — called the First Four — will take place Tuesday and Wednesday. The winners of those games will advance to the First Round of the event.
• On Tuesday, St. Francis and Alabama State will square off to determine which team will become the No. 16 seed in the South. After that, North Carolina and San Diego will battle to see which team will be the No. 11 seed in the South.
• The final two games of the First Four will take place Wednesday. The winner of Mount St. Mary’s and American will slot into the No. 16 seed in the East, and Xavier and Texas will play for the No. 11 seed in the Midwest.
• Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch the First Four.