Championship Fever Takes Center Stage in March Madness: Get Your Finals Fix Now!

KNOXVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 20: Tennessee State Tigers guard Travis Harper II (2) controls the ball against Tennessee Volunteers guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie (0) during the men's college basketball game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Tennessee State Tigers on November 20, 2025, at Food City Center in Knoxville, TN. (Photo by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The Obvious Ones Miami University I think everyone saw this coming. The RedHawks are in despite their first-round exit in the MAC tournament to UMass, and the MAC has two teams in the field of 68.

The main issue with that, though, is that one of them is headed to Dayton, and it’s not Akron. Travis Steele’s squad is heading to UD Arena this week to take on an SMU team that has seen better days. The Mustangs lost their last four regular-season games heading into the ACC tournament before falling to Louisville in a four-point loss.

Led by two former mid-major standouts in Boopie Miller (Central Michigan) and Jaron Pierre Jr. (Jacksonville State), it’ll be interesting to see how the RedHawks face off against their first power-conference opponent of the season. South Florida Brian Hodgson’s team has all the makings of a power-conference team that is hungry to make a run in the Big Dance.

Led by American Conference Player of the Year Izaiyah Nelson, the Bulls have the size and scoring ability to matchup with any team in the nation. Meanwhile, you look at Louisville. This Cardinal team led by Pat Kelsey has had some peaks this season, most notably their 11-2 start to the season behind the scoring ability of Mikel Brown, who not sits questionable for the first round of the NCAA Tournament.