Before the NCAA tournament begins play with a field of 64 teams, four games are played to determine the last four spots in the main bracket. These early matchups are known as the First Four.
What Is the First Four?
The NCAA tournament officially begins with the First Four—the four games that determine the final at-large berths of the 68-team fields for the championships in Division I men's basketball and Division I women's basketball.
The play-in games are held before the official first round at neutral sites to kickstart "March Madness." The four winners are added to the main bracket as double-digit seeds, even as low as No. 16.
The First Four begins the road to the Final Four, which is the dream destination for every NCAA tournament team.
The History of the First Four
The first play-in game of the NCAA men's tournament was introduced in 2001, after the Mountain West Conference became D-I and increased the number of automatic qualifiers to 31. Instead of cutting an at-large berth, the NCAA added a team and created its first-ever playoff to gain entry to the main bracket.
Single play-in games were contested from 2001 to 2010. When the NCAA men's tournament expanded to 68 teams in 2011, the First Four was created.
Every First Four game in the NCAA men's Tournament has been played at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio. The southwestern Ohio city continues to serve as the exclusive First Four site because of its rich college basketball history and advantageous geography. It also has been called "the best location to host all four games" because of its support with large crowds at UD Arena.
The NCAA women's tournament added First Four competition in 2022 when its field was expanded from 64 to 68 teams. The games are played on neutral sites on the home courts of four of the top-16 national seeds.
How the First Four Works
The NCAA tournament committees rank every team from No. 1 to No. 68. The eight squads that compete in First Four games are the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams. The subset of schools play each other (e.g. automatic qualifier vs. automatic qualifier) on neutral courts.
First Four winners gain entry to the NCAA tournament main bracket—the field of 64—as seeds between No. 16 and No. 10 in their respective regions.
To understand what a First Four team faces, let's revisit the journey of Arizona in the 2024 NCAA women's tournament.
Arizona—which finished seventh in the Pac-12 at 8-10 and had a 17-15 overall record—made the initial 68-team field as a No. 11 seed but had to play No. 11 Auburn in a First Four game in Storrs, Connecticut. The Wildcats defeated the Tigers 69-59 to advance to the first round, where they lost to No. 6 Syracuse 74-69.
Memorable Tournament Runs by First Four Teams
Two teams in the NCAA men's tournament have gone from First Four all the way to the Final Four.
In 2011, No. 11 Virginia Commonwealth beat No. 11 USC in the First Four and then knocked off No. 6 Georgetown, No. 3 Purdue, No. 10 Florida State and No. 1 Kansas to reach the Final Four. Shaka Smart's Rams had their miracle run halted in the national semifinals, where they fell to Brad Stevens' Butler Bulldogs in a 70-62 defeat.
In 2021, No. 11 UCLA overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to oust Michigan State in a First Four overtime victory. The Bruins then proceeded to beat No. 6 BYU, No. 14 Abilene Christian, No. 2 Alabama and No. 1 Michigan to advance to the Final Four.
Mick Cronin's UCLA squad battled No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga in a national semifinal classic. The Bruins took the unbeaten Bulldogs to overtime and appeared to have forced a second extra period on Johnny Juzang's layup with 3.3 seconds left. However, Jalen Suggs banked in a buzzer-beating three-pointer from just past half court to deal UCLA a heartbreaking 93-90 loss.
WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED.
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 4, 2021
GONZAGA STAYS UNDEFEATED AT THE BUZZER! pic.twitter.com/27I8a2A9DA
The game was called one of the greatest in NCAA men's tournament history. Cronin disagreed.
“I’d say no because we didn’t win,” Cronin told reporters afterward.
First Four teams in the men's tournament have reached the Round of 32 in all but one year (2019) since the addition of play-in games in 2011.
The NCAA women's tournament has yet to witness a magical run by a First Four team.
First Four squads are 1-11 in first-round games. The only team to defeat its first-round opponent is 2023 Mississippi State, a No. 11 seed that upset No. 6 Creighton 81-66 to reach the second round. The Bulldogs then lost 53-48 to No. 3 Notre Dame.
Read More About March Madness
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Explaining the History and Purpose of March Madness 'First Four'.
