The First Four has been the kickoff party to March Madness since 2011, when the NCAA decided to expand from 64 to 68 teams.

These games typically involve the four lowest-ranked conference champions and the four lowest-ranked at-large teams. The winners move on to the first round to make up the field of 64 for the NCAA Tournament.

While they're not usually games that count in bracket challenges, it cannot be overlooked that at least one First Four team has gone on to win at least one more tournament game in every season except 2019. There obviously was no tournament in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here is what you need to know about the men's teams in this year's First Four.

First Four teams for men's March Madness

  • Boise State (22-10): Finished sixth in the Mountain West and lost to New Mexico in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.
  • Colorado (24-10): Finished third in Pac-12 and lost to No. 4 seed Oregon in the conference championship game.
  • Colorado State (24-10): Finished fourth in the Mountain West. Lost in the Mountain West semifinal to New Mexico.
  • Grambling State (20-14): Won SWAC tournament as the conference's top seed by beating Texas Southern in the title game.
  • Howard (18-16): Won Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference by upsetting top-seeded Norfolk State in the semifinals and Delaware State in the title game.
  • Montana State (17-17): Won Big Sky conference tournament as a No. 6 seed by knocking off top-seeded Montana.
  • Virginia (23-10): Finished third in the ACC. Lost to N.C. State in overtime of the semifinals after the Wolfpack made a game-tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation.
  • Wagner (16-15): Won Northeast Conference tournament as a No. 6 seed by beating top-seeded Central Connecticut State.

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When is First Four for men?

The men's First Four will take place with two games on Tuesday, March 19 and two games on Wednesday, March 20.

First Four games for men

Tuesday, March 19

  • Wagner (16-15) vs. Howard (18-16), 6:40 p.m. ET. The winner will be the No. 16 seed in the West and face No. 1 North Carolina on Thursday, March 21.
  • Colorado State (24-10) vs. Virginia (23-10), 9:10 p.m. ET. The winner will be the No. 10 seed in the Midwest and face No. 7 Texas on Thursday, March 21.

Wednesday, March 20

  • Grambling State (20-14) vs. Montana State (17-17), 6:40 p.m. ET. The winner will be the No. 16 seed in the Midwest and face No. 1 Purdue on Friday, March 22.
  • Colorado (24-10) vs. Boise State (22-10), 9:10 p.m. ET. The winner will be the No. 10 seed in the South and face No. 7 Florida on Friday, March 22.

Where is First Four for men?

All four of the men's First Four games will be played at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio. Dayton has been the host for First Four games since its inception in 2001.

How to watch men's First Four

The men's First Four games are scheduled to tip off at 6:30 p.m. 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Wednesday.

They will be broadcast live on TruTV, with Spero Dedes handling the play-by-play, Jim Spanarkel handling the analysis and Jon Rothstein reporting.

Have any First Four teams won the men's national championship?

No, but two teams have made it to the Final Four.

Virginia Commonwealth made it to the national semifinals in 2011, the first year of the First Four, and UCLA followed suit a decade later in 2021.

USA TODAY Sports' Steve Gardner contributed to this report.

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