After taking a year off because of the pandemic, the NCAA Tournament made a triumphant and historic return Thursday by getting off to a very Black start after two teams from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) swept their play-in games to advance to the coveted field of 64 teams.
The Texas Southern Tigers beat the Mountaineers from Mt. St. Mary’s University and the Norfolk State Spartans edged Appalachian State University to sweep their two “First Four” games played at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana.
It was the first time in NCAA Tournament history that a team from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and a team from the Southwest Athletic Conference (SWAC) won games in the same tournament. Both MEAC and the SWAC are comprised entirely of HBCUs and there are no other HBCU teams in this year’s tournament.
For the first time in history, a MEAC school and a SWAC school have won a game in the same tournament.
Everyone who went to an HBCU:
— Benjamin Bullock (@BenBulljive) March 19, 2021
Texas Southern’s 60-52 victory also gave the Tigers the historic distinction of being the only team with multiple wins in the “First Four,” a term referring to the number of teams playing on the NCAA Tournament’s opening night for the chance to join the field of other teams. The Tigers have now won twice in the “First Four,” accounting for both of the school’s NCAA victories. Its previous victory was in 2018 over North Carolina Central University, an HBCU in the MEAC.
Texas Southern secures the first win of the Men’s #NCAATournament with a comeback win over Mount St. Mary’s.
The HBCU becomes the first school to have multiple First Four wins pic.twitter.com/kJrW0Spo3o
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 18, 2021
Wichita State played Drake and Michigan State went up against UCLA in the other two “First Four” games played Thursday.
John Walker III, a forward for Texas Southern who finished the game with 19 points and 9 rebounds, said during the post-game press conference that Thursday night’s win made him feel “like I’m on top of the world.”
Forward John Walker III on @TXSOTigers beating Mt St Mary’s in the NCAA Tournament: “I feel like I’m on top of the world. I ain’t gonna lie. The feeling all the work FINALLY paying off.” (On celebrating with his team) “That’s the best part of it,doing with it people that u love” pic.twitter.com/gVUj8vVvG0
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) March 19, 2021
Norfolk State, which played in the later game, eked by Appalachian State by a score of 54-53 after squandering an 18-point lead.
NORFOLK STATE HOLDS OFF APP STATE
The Spartans will meet No. 1 seed Gonzaga in the first round. @marchmadness pic.twitter.com/3vcWscfxrK
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 19, 2021
In classic NCAA Tournament fashion, none of the so-called experts expressed much confidence in the HBCU teams ahead of their games Thursday night.
Typically, HBCUs serve as also-ran formalities for more talented teams from predominately white universities that are favored to win. Thursday was no exception to that rule, as oddsmakers described the Texas Southern-Mt. St. Mary’s game as a toss-up and had Norfolk State as a three-point underdog to Appalachian State.
They were wrong.
However, it doesn’t get any easier from here.
Texas Southern will face off Saturday against the University of Michigan, a team that has hovered in the top 5 all season long. Norfolk State squeaked past Appalachian State for the right to play Gonzaga University, an undefeated team that has been No. 1 for the entire season.
With that said, HBCUs are not exempt from March Madness in the truest sense of the term. Norfolk State also made history in dramatic fashion last time it was in the NCAA Tournament when the 15th seeded Spartans, led by current NBA player Kyle O’Quinn, upset the heavily favored University of Missouri.
Norfolk State advances to face Gonzaga in the Round of 64.
The last time @NSUSpartans was in the Men’s NCAA Tournament, the Spartans upset 2 seed Missouri as a 21.5-point underdog, the biggest upset since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. pic.twitter.com/e8R1lKH9y6
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 19, 2021
And in 2001, 15 seed Hampton University upset 2 seed Iowa State to advance to the round of 32 in a moment this Hampton University alumni writer will never forget.
That means anything can happen on Saturday.
SEE ALSO:
Howard University Men’s Basketball Team Cancels Remainder Of Season Due To COVID-19
Ex-Hoops Coach Claims His Idea For HBCU All-Star Game Was Stolen For Deal With NCAA, CBS
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and show up only to get blown out by their opponents. But this year
CBS Sports, the main network televising NCAA games
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