March Madness Kicks Off with First Four in Dayton

Miami (Ohio) and Texas-NC State matchup highlight opening games

Mar. 17, 2026 at 4:45am

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The 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament tips off with the First Four games in Dayton, Ohio. The matchup between Miami (Ohio) and SMU is one of the season's best stories, as the RedHawks are back in the tournament for the first time since 2007. In the other First Four game, Texas and NC State, led by former embattled coaches Sean Miller and Will Wade, face off with the winner advancing to play BYU.

Why it matters

The First Four games in Dayton traditionally kick off the excitement of March Madness, and this year's slate features several compelling storylines. Miami (Ohio)'s undefeated regular season and return to the tournament after a long drought, as well as the matchup between Miller and Wade, who were both embroiled in the 2017-19 FBI investigation into NCAA recruiting corruption, add intrigue to the opening round.

The details

Miami (Ohio) enters the tournament with a 31-1 record, the eighth unbeaten regular season in the past 50 years of college basketball. However, the RedHawks' weak schedule ranking of 339th nationally with no Quadrant 1 opponents put their tournament hopes in jeopardy until they were ultimately awarded an 11-seed. The winner of their game against fellow 11-seed SMU will face 6-seed Tennessee in the first round. In the other First Four matchup, Texas and NC State, led by coaches Sean Miller and Will Wade, will battle for the right to take on 6-seed BYU. Miller and Wade were both involved in the 2017-19 FBI investigation into NCAA recruiting corruption, though neither received serious sanctions.

  • The First Four games will tip off on Tuesday, March 18, 2026.
  • Miami (Ohio) and SMU will play on Wednesday, March 19, 2026.
  • Texas and NC State will play on Tuesday, March 18, 2026.

The players

Travis Steele

The head coach of the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks.

Eian Elmer

A forward for the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks.

Sean Miller

The head coach of the Texas Longhorns, previously the head coach at Xavier and Arizona.

Will Wade

The head coach of the NC State Wolfpack, previously the head coach at LSU and McNeese State.

Dailyn Swain

A guard for the Texas Longhorns, a transfer from Xavier.

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What they’re saying

“It's going to be a great environment. Hopefully the RedHawk nation will be showing up there on Wednesday night to support us. I'm sure they will (and) it will be a home game for us.”

— Travis Steele, Head Coach, Miami (Ohio) RedHawks

“I was very confident. I think it's hard to leave a team that's 31-0 in a regular season out. It just wouldn't look right for the sport, diminishing something like that, something that's very rarely done.”

— Eian Elmer, Forward, Miami (Ohio) RedHawks

“We didn't finish the season as strongly as we would like. We put ourselves in this position. We're excited to be in the tournament. We're excited to be in Dayton. It's a great basketball city, great basketball fans, great basketball arena, everything.”

— Will Wade, Head Coach, NC State Wolfpack

“My first few days at Texas, I kind of joked with (teammates) about how we beat them. I never let them forget. It's definitely a funny feeling, but like I said, I think it'll be a better result for the Longhorns this time.”

— Dailyn Swain, Guard, Texas Longhorns

What’s next

The winner of the Miami (Ohio)-SMU game will face 6-seed Tennessee in the first round in Philadelphia. The winner of the Texas-NC State game will face 6-seed BYU in the first round in Portland.

The takeaway

The First Four games in Dayton always provide an exciting start to March Madness, and this year's slate features several compelling storylines, including Miami (Ohio)'s undefeated regular season, the matchup between former embattled coaches Sean Miller and Will Wade, and the return of UMBC, the first 16-seed to ever beat a 1-seed.