Explaining the Oft-Misunderstood First Four and How it All Works

For the first time in school history, Indiana is playing in the ''First Four'' in the NCAA Tournament. It was created in 2011 to allow four more teams the opportunity to play in the tournament. Indiana plays Wyoming in a No. 12 seed game, and the winner will then travel to Portland, Ore., to play No. 5 seed Saint Mary's.

Tom Brew | Mar 14, 2022

Explaining the Oft-Misunderstood First Four and How it All Works /

DAYTON, Ohio — Most teams in the NCAA Tournament field get to catch their breath for a day or two after Selection Sunday. But that's not the case for Indiana and the seven other teams that are part of the "First Four,'' an event that was created 11 years ago to allow a few more teams in to survive and advance.

The first rendition of ''play-in games'' above and beyond the traditional March Madness field of 64 actually started way back in 2001. It was called the ''Opening Round'' for 10 years, and involved just one game between the two lowest-rated No. 16 seeds.

It became the ''First Four'' in 2011 when the field was expanded to 68 teams. And because Indiana has never played in it and most fans are used to the traditional 64-team brackets, there are a lot of unknowns about this event.

Indiana plays on Tuesday night at about 9:10 p.m. ET, in a No. 12 seed game against the Wyoming Cowboys of the Mountain West Conference.

For many fans, they get a lot of facts wrong when it comes to the First Four. So now that I'm here in Dayton and looking forward to Monday night interviews with Indiana coach Mike Woodson and several players, I'll try to answer all of the questions that get asked about this Dayton event.

Why did the NCAA do this in the first place?

Back in 1998, several schools broke off from the Western Athletic Conference to start the Mountain West, which meant the NCAA had to add a 31st automatic qualifier to their conference champion. Not wanting to delete an at-large spot, they created the "Opening Round,'' where the two lowest-rated No. 16 seeds had to play an extra game to get in the field.

Losing the last at-large team wasn't something the power conferences wanted. Indiana is a good example of that this year. Without these four games, Indiana likely isn't in the field. But they are, and they will bring several hundred thousand eyeballs to the tournament on TV that wouldn't have been there before.

Why go from 65 to 68 then?

To no one's surprise, the move was all about money. During those first 10 years, none of those No. 16 play-in teams ever won their next game against a No. 1 behemoth a few days later, so the TV ratings weren't very good.

By adding three more games, they decided to play two No. 16 games, and then two more games for the four lowest-rated at-large selections, either in a No. 11 or No. 12 game. Bringing four ''name'' teams into the fold led to a dramatic boost in TV ratings.

Also, 2011 was the first year of CBS' massive 14-year, $10.8 billion TV rights deal, so the more content they had, the better. We're talking about a lot of money, for all involved.

Since 2011, several huge college basketball names have been a part of the "First Four.” Michigan, UCLA, Syracuse, NC State, Ole Miss, Kansas State and USC, among others, have all come to Dayton.

It's not really part of the NCAA Tournament

Yes it is, very much so.

These games count in the record books as NCAA Tournament games, so there are bragging rights that come along with a victory. The first year or two, they considered this the first round and renamed that traditional 16-game Thursday and Friday to open the tournament as the second round.

That was far too confusing, which is why they came up with the "First Four'' name, playing off the Final Four.

All statistics and records count as part of the NCAA Tournament. The money matters, too. Schools get a nice chunk of cash for every game they play in this tournament, and especially for those No. 16 seeds from low-revenue schools, that extra paycheck comes in handy.

Sure, all these teams have to play an extra game, but it is indeed still a part of the NCAA tournament.

Why Dayton every year?

Because the folks at Dayton do a great job with it every year. This is a big-time basketball town and the locals do a good job of buying tickets to support the event. It's also very well run by people who do it over and over every year.

Is there a better alternative?

There are plenty of people who argue that, mostly because of travel. There has been some discussion of playing them at the regional sites so teams don't have an extra road trip, but it's never gotten off the ground. After 20-plus years of hosting — outside of last year, when everything was in Indiana — it's become tradition to tip off the tournament here in Dayton every year.

Shouldn't the 16 seeds be in the play-in games instead of 11s or 12s?

No, and here's why. When they expanded to field to 68, they didn't think it was fair to do this with all of the 16 seeds. There was some cautious backlash with the 16s, because those games often include schools from historically blacks colleges (HBCUs). They didn't want a bad perception, intended or otherwise.

It made sense financially to have the four lowest at-large seeds play their way in, too. That's why one 11 seed game features the top two remaining at-large teams, and the 12-seed game features the last two teams to get invites.

Isn't it unfair to these teams to have to play an extra game?

Not really, when you consider the alternative. If the field had remained at 64, they wouldn't be in the field at all. It gives four teams the chance to prove it on the court that they belong instead of a selection committee determining their fate.

Do these play-in teams ever have success in the tournament?

Sure! The first year in 2011, VCU beat USC in the 11-seed game in Dayton, and then won four more games to reach the Final Four, beating powerhouses Georgetown, Purdue, Florida State and No. 1 seed Kansas along the way.

Last year, UCLA beat Michigan State in overtime, and then won four games themselves to reach the Final Four. They beat No. 2 seed Alabama and No. 1 seed Michigan to reach the Final Four, where they lost 93-90 in overtime to unbeaten Gonzaga in the national semifinals.

LaSalle (2013), Tennessee (2014) and Syracuse (2018) have made it as far as the Sweet 16.

What happens if Indiana wins?

The Hoosiers will fly straight to Portland, Ore., from here, where they will play No. 5 seed Saint Mary's at 7:20 p.m. ET on Thursday night.

Tuesday's night's "First Four'' game should start around 9:10 p.m. ET as the second part of the doubleheader. It is televised on truTV. The Hoosiers are a 4-point favorite, according to the FanDuel.com gambling website. For the latest on the point spread and what the two teams have done against the number all season, CLICK HERE

Anything I forgot? If you have another question, tag me on the social media post and I'll try to answer it.