March Madness’ top mid-major and Cinderella teams
For the men’s NCAA tournament, The Coloradoan’s Kevin Lytle shares his top-3 mid-major teams and his Cinderella pick for a deep March Madness run.
Kevin Lytle and Michelle Martinelli
Take a breath, college basketball fans. You’ve made it. The 2025 men’s NCAA Tournament is here, starting with Tuesday’s slate of First Four games.
The first of Tuesday’s games will pit 16 seeds Alabama State and Saint Francis — champions of the SWAC and NEC, respectively — against each other. The winner of that game will advance into the final 64-team field, and will play Auburn, the top overall seed, for their troubles.
The headliner of Tuesday’s doubleheader, of course, comes after the Hornets and Red Flash’s game finishes. It will see No. 11 seeds San Diego State and North Carolina face off, with the winner advancing to face No. 6 seed Ole Miss. The Tar Heels’ entry into the tournament has been widely controversial, especially considering teams such as West Virginia and Indiana were snubbed for the last team in.
Whether Hubert Davis can prove his team belongs in the field remains to be seen against the Aztecs.
With that, follow along for live updates, scores and highlights from Tuesday’s First Four games:
First Four score updates
This section will be updated when First Four games begin.
| TEAMS | 1H | 2H | F |
| Alabama State | 34 | — | — |
| Saint Francis | 39 | — | — |
Saint Francis led for the majority of the first half and enters halftime with a 39-32 lead over Alabama State. Juan Cranford Jr. leads all scorers with 13 points and four 3-pointers for the Red Flash. Valentino Pinedo has 11. D’Ante Bass has eight points to lead all scorers for the Hornets.
The Red Flash shot 13 of 22 from the field and 6 of 12 from 3-point range. The six turnovers prevented a bigger lead. The Hornets did not shoot a free throw in the first half and shot 42% from the field.
Saint Francis leads at the final media timeout of the half, 32-26 with 3:26 left. The Hornets have gone cold from the field with a scoring drought spanning 2:44 and shooting 1 for their last seven from the field.
We’ve arrived at the under-8-minute media timeout, and Saint Francis continues to lead, 26-23, with 7:12 left in the first half. The Red Flash is shooting 9 of 14 from the field but has turned it over six times. Alabama State has 12 of its 23 points off turnovers.
Right before the media timeout, the Hornets picked up their seventh team foul of the half. Saint Francis will shoot free throws if fouled again for the rest of the half.
Saint Francis and Alabama State are beginning to find the basket after a sluggish offensive start for both teams. The Red Flash is on a 10-2 run heading into the second media timeout and leads 17-12 with 11:46 left in the half. Valentino Pinedo leads all scorers with seven points for Saint Francis. CJ Hines has five points to lead Alabama State.
Heading into the first media timeout, Saint Francis holds a slim 6-4 lead with 15:40 left in the first half. The Red Flash is shooting 50% from the field but already has two turnovers. Alabama State is shooting 2 for 7 to start.
Much has been made of NET rankings and who is in the NCAA Tournament and who isn’t. Alabama State enters the First Four with a NET ranking of 274, while Saint Francis has a NET ranking of 297. The Hornets won the SWAC tournament, while the Red Flash won the NEC. Read here to learn more about NET rankings.
With the tipoff of the 2025 men’s NCAA Tournament closing in, here’s a look at the starters for Alabama State-Saint Francis in tonight’s First Four game:
Alabama State:
- G: Amarr Knox
- G: CJ Hines
- G: Micah Octave
- G: TJ Madlock
- F: Jasteven Walker
Saint Francis:
- G: Chris Moncrief
- G: Juan Cranford Jr.
- G: Riley Parker
- F: Daemar Kelly
- F: Valentino Pinedo
Tuesday and Wednesday’s First Four games of the men’s NCAA Tournament will be broadcast on truTV. It is one of several channels owned by TV channels owned by Turner Sports. In all, the channel will showcase 21 games over the next week during the tournament. For more, read John Leuzzi’s story here.
First Four times today
- Game 1: (16) Alabama State vs. (16) Saint Francis | 6:40 p.m. ET
- Game 2: (11) San Diego State vs. (11) North Carolina, 9:10 p.m. ET
- Location: UD Arena (Dayton, Ohio)
Tuesday’s First Four games are scheduled to tip off at 6:40 p.m. ET between 16 seeds Alabama State and Saint Francis. The second game of the night, between 11 seeds San Diego State and North Carolina, is scheduled to tip off at 9:10 p.m. ET, though it could be pushed back depending on how late the first game runs.
The entirety of the men’s First Four will take place at UD Arena on the campus of the University of Dayton in Ohio.
Watch First Four games live with truTV
What channel are First Four games on today?
- TV channel: truTV
- Streaming: March Madness Live | Sling TV
Both of Tuesday’s First Four games will air live on truTV. Streaming options for both games include March Madness Live, which requires a valid cable login. Another option is Sling TV, which carries truTV and the TBS family of networks.
Alabama State vs Saint Francis history
This will be Alabama State and Saint Francis’ first meeting in both programs’ respective histories.
North Carolina vs San Diego State history
- Series record: North Carolina leads 2-0
- North Carolina’s last win: Nov. 24, 1990 (99-63)
- San Diego State’s last win: N/A
This will be the Tar Heels and Aztecs’ third all-time meeting, with UNC winning both prior matchups, according to a North Carolina preview of the game. North Carolina first beat San Diego State on Dec. 29, 1988 by a score of 103-92 in San Diego. Two years later, UNC beat the Aztecs 99-63 in Chapel Hill on Nov. 24, 1990.
Curiously, North Carolina coach Hubert Davis played in both games for the Tar Heels.
First Four predictions
Alabama State vs. Saint Francis
North Carolina vs. San Diego State
First Four injury updates
- Alabama State: N/A
- Saint Francis: N/A
- North Carolina: N/A
- San Diego State: Magoon Gwath (knee)
The only notable player injury update for Tuesday’s First Four games is Magoon Gwath of San Diego State, who is set to return from an injury suffered in late February.
The 7-foot center both the Mountain West’s freshman and defensive player of the year in 2024-25, averaging 8.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. He leads the Aztecs in both rebounds and blocks per game, despite not playing since Feb. 22.
Alabama State basketball schedule 2024-25
Below are the five most recent results for Alabama State. To see the Hornets’ full schedule, click here.
- Thursday, March 6: at Southern (W, 66-65)
- Saturday, March 8: at Grambling (W, 59-47)
- Thursday, March 13: vs. Texas Southern (W, 84-79) (SWAC tournament)
- Friday, March 14: vs. Grambling (W, 64-62) (SWAC tournament)
- Saturday, March 15: vs. Jackson State (W, 60-56) (SWAC tournament)
Saint Francis basketball schedule 2024-25
Below are the five most recent results for Alabama State. To see the Red Flash’s full schedule, click here.
- Saturday, Feb. 22: vs. Fairleigh Dickinson (W, 85-80)
- Saturday, March 1: vs. Chicago State (W, 80-71)
- Wednesday, March 5: vs. Wagner (W, 58-55) (NEC tournament)
- Saturday, March 8: vs. LIU (W, 71-68) (NEC tournament)
- Tuesday, March 11: vs. CCSU (W, 46-43) (NEC tournament)
North Carolina basketball schedule 2024-25
Below are the five most recent results for Alabama State. To see the Tar Heels’ full schedule, click here.
- Tuesday, March 4: at Virginia Tech (W, 91-59)
- Saturday, March 8: vs. Duke (L, 82-69)
- Wednesday, March 12: vs. Notre Dame (W, 76-56)
- Thursday, March 13: vs. Wake Forest (W, 68-59)
- Friday, March 14: vs. Duke (L, 74-71)
San Diego State basketball schedule 2024-25
Below are the five most recent results for Alabama State. To see the Aztecs’ full schedule, click here.
- Tuesday, Feb. 25: vs. New Mexico (W, 73-65)
- Saturday, March 1: at Wyoming (W, 72-69)
- Tuesday, March 4: at UNLV (L, 74-67)
- Saturday, March 8: vs. Nevada (W, 80-61) (MWC tournament)
- Thursday, March 13: vs. Boise State (L, 62-52) (MWC tournament)
