March Madness is back—and so is DC-area basketball. With six schools on the men’s side and seven on the women’s side, local and regional schools showed up big on Selection Sunday for this year’s NCAA basketball tournaments. Here are the teams to watch this week as the games begin with “First Four” action on Tuesday night.
Men’s Bracket
American University Eagles
Record: 22-12, 13-5 (Patriot League).
Seed: No. 16, East region.
Next Opponent: Mount St. Mary’s (No. 16) in East First Four matchup on Wednesday at 6:40 PM (truTV). Winner to play Duke (No. 1) on Friday at 2:50 PM (CBS).
The AU Eagles won the Patriot League Championship Tournament last week, earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in over a decade. Their best player is 6-9 forward Matt Rogers, who has played for the Eagles for all five years.
Fun Fact: Head Coach Duane Simpkins—who is only in his second year on the job at AU—is DMV through and through. He went to DeMatha Catholic High School, played in the NCAA tournament for the University of Maryland, and coached locally at George Mason University, St. Albans School, Sidwell Friends School, and Bishop O’Connell High School.
Experts Say: American faces a tough test in Mount St. Mary’s, but with their style of play a win isn’t totally out of the question, says Rob Dauster of Field of 68 for The Athletic. “The Eagles grind the pace down to a halt, ignore the offensive glass to prevent transition opportunities and are a disciplined, well-coached defense built around positioning and cleaning the glass. Combine that with the fact that they shoot a lot of 3-pointers, and shoot them well, crazier things have happened,” Dauster says.
Liberty University Flames
Record: 28-6, 13-5 (Conference USA).
Seed: No. 12, East region.
Next Opponent: Oregon (No. 5) on Friday at 10:10 PM.
The Liberty Flames rank sixth overall in effective field goal percentage this year at 49.42 percent, with great shooters like Kaden Metheny and Taelon Peter. If you’re looking for a classic 12-5 upset pick for your bracket, this might be it.
Fun Fact: This is Head Coach Ritchie McKay’s second go-around at the helm of the Flames. He first coached the school from 2007 to 2009, left Lynchburg for Charlottesville to be an assistant coach for Tony Bennett at UVA, then returned to Liberty in 2015.
Experts Say: “The Flames run really good offense and a disciplined pack-line defense that does not give up fast break points or second chance opportunities. They control tempo and they can rip off 15 3s in any game they play. If they get hot, watch out,” Dauster says for The Athletic.
Norfolk State University Spartans
Record: 24-10, 11-3 (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)
Seed: No. 16, West region.
Next Opponent: Florida (No. 1) on Friday at 6:50 PM (TNT).
Norfolk State has one of the toughest matchups they could have asked for in the first round against the Florida Gators. Despite their tough draw, the Spartans have a strong squad with players like Brian Moore Jr., who won the MEAC tournament’s most outstanding player award, and a head coach in Robert Jones, who Dauster calls, “the most underrated coach in the mid-major ranks.”
Fun Fact: Jones is not only a great coach, but a great dancer, too.
Experts Say: Even though Norfolk State struggles with their three-point shooting, “they make up for it with plenty of players who have good touch from the midrange, the best of them being 6-8 senior Jalen Myers, who is a 60% shooter from 2-point range,” Matt Norlander says for CBS Sports.
Maryland Terrapins
Record: 25-8, 14-6 (Big Ten).
Seed: No. 4, West region.
Next Opponent: Grand Canyon University (No. 13).
“If you’re looking for a Final Four sleeper, you’ve found one,” Myron Medcalf says about Maryland for ESPN. This team is packed with talent, especially in Baltimore-native center Derik Queen. Queen is the first player in UMD men’s basketball history to be selected to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team.
Fun Fact: Julian Reese, a star forward for the Terps, is WNBA icon Angel Reese’s brother.
Experts Say: “Kevin Willard’s group is among the strongest on defense you’ll find; I think the Terps are underrated in this regard. This is Maryland’s best seed in a decade, and I can’t wait to watch them play,” Norlander says for CBS Sports, ranking the Terps 10th on his overall list of tournament teams.
Mount Saint Mary’s Mountaineers
Record: 22-12, 12-8 (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference).
Seed: No. 16, East region.
Next Opponent: American University (No. 16) in East First Four matchup on Wednesday at 6:40 PM (truTV). Winner to play Duke (No. 1) on Friday at 2:50 PM (CBS).
Not many people expected the Mountaineers to be here—but thanks to their solid defense, they are.
Fun Fact: A graduate of Loyola University Maryland, head coach Donny Lind also has ties to the DMV, coaching previously at Radford University and VCU.
Experts Say: “If the Mountaineers are going to pull off an upset, it will come down to the play of Dallas Hobbs at the point. They rank 359th out of 364 teams in turnover rate. That will not work in March,” Dauster says for The Athletic.
Virginia Commonwealth University Rams
Record: 28-6, 15-3 (Atlantic 10 Conference).
Seed: No. 11, East region.
Next Opponent: BYU (No. 6) on Thursday at 4:05 PM (TNT).
The VCU Rams had an incredibly successful season and won the A-10 tournament behind an experienced and effective guard trio of Max Shulga, Phillip Russell and Joe Bamisile.
Fun Fact: The Rams secured their spot in the tournament with a nail-biting 68-63 A-10 title game victory over George Mason at Capitol One Arena.
Experts Say: “VCU may have the best guard group in the entire country. Shulga, Russell, and Bamisile are a three-headed monster, and Zeb Jackson comes off the bench as a double-figure scorer as well. Guards win ballgames in March, and the Rams have four seniors they can rely on. That’s scary,” Sam Lance writes for The Athletic.
Women’s Bracket
George Mason University Patriots
Record: 27-5, 14-4 (Atlantic 10 Conference).
Seed: No. 11, Regional 1.
Next Opponent: Florida State (No. 6) on Friday at 7:45 PM (ESPN2).
George Mason has played solid basketball this whole season, culminating in the school’s first-ever Atlantic 10 Tournament trophy and first-ever NCAA tournament sport. Stars Zahirah Walton and Paula Suárez led the way.
Fun Fact: Over half of the Patriots’ roster hails from the DMV.
Experts Say: “It’s a sneaky pick for pulling off a first-round upset with its hot 3-point shooting and elite defense, Michael Waterloo writes for The Athletic.
Liberty University Lady Flames
Record: 26-6, 16-2 (Conference USA).
Seed: No. 13, Regional 4.
Next Opponent: Kentucky (No. 4) on Friday at 12 PM (ESPN).
According to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, the Flames have had success this season due to their deep line-up and successful three-point shooting.
Fun Fact: Liberty’s women’s and men’s teams both won their first CUSA Tournament championships this year.
Experts Say: The Flames struggle against top-ranked teams. “Five of the six losses the program had this year came against top-100 teams. All but one of those losses (toledo) were by at least 16 points,” Waterloo says for The Athletic.
Maryland Terrapins
Record: 23-7, 13-5 (Big Ten).
Seed: No. 4, Regional 2.
Next Opponent: Norfolk State (No. 13) on Saturday at 4 PM (ESPN).
Legendary coach Brenda Frese’s squad has the second highest scoring offense in the Big Ten, according to Alexa Philippou. Maryland has battled injuries this season, but hopes to show up big in their first-round DMV match up against Norfolk State.
Fun Fact: Frese has coached Maryland for over twenty seasons, since 2002.
Experts Say: “Besides Big Ten wins over No. 21 Iowa and No. 19 Ohio State, Maryland’s only other big win was against No 11 Duke in November by five points. The Terrapins have a nice makeup and their advantage at the line can help in close games, but how will they show up against high-level teams in March? A first-weekend exit wouldn’t be surprising,” Waterloo says for The Athletic.
Norfolk State Spartans
Record: 30-4, 14-0 (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference).
Seed: No. 13, Regional 2.
Next Opponent: Maryland (No. 4) on Saturday at 4 PM (ESPN).
Norfolk State has had a great year, breaking their franchise record for most wins in a season as a Division I program with 28 wins. Star player Diamond Johnson is outstanding for the Spartans and secured her title as conference Player of the Year this year.
Fun Fact: Coach Larry Vickers played center for Norfolk State’s Men’s team during his undergraduate years.
Experts Say: “The steals, blocks and depth are there. Norfolk State can go eight-deep,” Waterloo says for The Athletic.
University of Richmond Spiders
Record: 27-6, 17-1 (Atlantic 10 Conference)
Seed: No. 8, Regional 1.
Next Opponent: Georgia Tech (No. 9) on Friday at 7:30 PM (ESPNews).
The Spiders have obtained their second-highest tournament seeding in program history. Maggie Doogan leads the team, shooting 54.9% from the floor and averaging 6.9 rebounds a game.
Fun Fact: The Spiders had a 17-game winning streak this season, breaking the previous school record of 15.
Experts Say: If the Spiders advance past the first round, they will have their work cut out for them. According to The Athletic’s Waterloo, “every aspect of every game has to go right to beat top-tier opponents.”
West Virginia University Mountaineers
Record: 24-7, 13-5 (Big 12 Conference)
Seed: No. 6, Regional 2.
Next Opponent: Winner of First Four match up between Columbia (No. 11) vs. Washington (No. 11) on Saturday at 2 PM (ESPNews).
Defense is the name of the game for the Mountaineers. They finished fifth in the Big 12 during the regular season, and fell to the eventual winner of the conference tournament TCU in the semifinals.
Fun Fact: Standout guard JJ Quinerly is the team’s only player from the extended DC-area, hailing from Norfolk, VA.
Experts Say: “The 24-7 Mountaineers are no fun to face. They specialize in disrupting opposing offenses, creating 23.7 turnovers per game with a turnover margin of 8.26—both ranking first among Power 4 conference teams,” Michael Voepel says for ESPN.
William & Mary Tribe
Record: 15-18, 8-10 (Coastal Athletic Association)
Seed: No. 16, Regional 3.
Next Opponent: High Point University (No. 16) in First Four on Thursday at 9 PM (ESPN2). Winner to play Texas (No. 1) on Saturday at 9:45 PM (ESPN2).
With a losing record and an ecstatic team who made history on Sunday, the Tribe has nothing to lose. They’ll take on High Point University after a miraculous CAA tournament championship win as the conference tournament’s ninth seed.
Fun Fact: This is William and Mary’s first ever school appearance in the men’s or women’s NCAA tournament.
Experts Say: Philippou calls the Tribe’s journey this season, “the greatest Cinderella storyline this Champ Week.” Waterloo says, “It’s the school’s first NCAA tournament ever. Just let them have this enjoyment.”
