2 Days following the selection Sunday Show, every year, 2 games are played in a play-in to compete to be heavy underdogs on Thursday or Friday. The 2 games on Tuesday this year are UMBC Vs Howard, and NC State vs. Texas. Here is my Breakdown of each game.
Do the words “UMBC Makes History” give you chills? It should. Back in 2018, UMBC beat the 1-seed Virginia, the first to ever do so in history. However, Howard does not have that luck. They have never won a March Madness game. 0-5, with the most recent being a 3-point loss to Wagner in 2024. I don’t have stats to tell you about this game, but the eye test tells me that UMBC to make it back to the 1-seed V 16-seed.
Now, the game that I truly care about and will be watching. NC State faces off against Texas, not common to see 2 power conference teams in this spot, but this season the committee decided that State and Texas had not done enough to be one of the teams in the non-playin teams.
The 2 teams played each other in November during the Maui Invitational. NC State fell in that game 102-97 in a high-scoring affair. I think NC State has a chance to win this game. I actually have the winner of this game beating BYU in the 6 and 11 upset. Here are my thoughts on this game.
NC State has a top 3 point guard in the country, in my opinion. Qaadir Copeland was elite through ACC play and in Game 1 of NC State’s ACC Tournament. As well as the most efficient player in the nation at center, Ven Allen Lubin.
Texas is led by forward Dailyn Swain (17.8 PPG) and Oregon State transfer Jordan Pope; the Longhorns can score from anywhere. They also rank 4th in the country in free throws made, meaning they are aggressive at attacking the rim.
I cannot wait for tip-off tonight. Can NC State pull off the revenge win? I say yes—and I’m doubling down by putting them in my Sweet 16. One thing is certain: we are standing at the doorstep of the greatest tournament in sports history. Let the madness begin.
