 UMBC Retrievers |  Howard Bison |
 Texas Longhorns |  North Carolina State Wolfpack |
The First Four of the 2026 NCAA Tournament kicks off Tuesday night at 5:40 p.m. (CT) with the UMBC Retrievers against the Howard Bison followed by the Texas Longhorns versus the N.C. State Wolfpack. Take the jump to read about a memory that first comes to mind for each program's respective NCAA Tournament histories.
UMBC Retrievers - It Finally Happened!
Of course, UMBC became the first #16 seed to beat a #1 seed during the 2018 NCAA Tournament, shocking the Virginia Cavaliers. Ironically, UMBC was coached by Ryan Odom, who is now the head coach of Virginia, which is a three-seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. UMBC's victory against Virginia was no fluky upset but a thorough whipping by the Retrievers, which lost to Kansas State in the second round. Of course, Virginia would rebound the following season by winning the 2019 NCAA Tournament. I remember watching the second half of this game with great glee, chomping on a pizza from Lou Malnati's as the Retrievers seemingly couldn't miss from three and Virginia had no answers during the second half. Honestly, I was more excited about what this upset meant for Kansas State's chances to get to the Sweet Sixteen as the Wildcats were coached by former Illinois head coach Bruce Weber, whom I have always respected as a coach and person.
Howard Bison - Another First Four Appearance
Howard Basketball evokes initial memories of current Bison Head Coach Kenny Blakeny, who was a freshman on the Duke Blue Devils team that won the 1992 NCAA Tournament. Howard has never won an NCAA Tournament game in four appearances. Howard's last NCAA Tournament appearance was a 71-68 loss to Wagner during the First Four of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. While I always watch the First Four, these games tend to blend together, as is the case with this Wagner-Howard contest I surely watched or at least had on in the background.
Texas Longhorns - A Sweet Sixteen Dagger in 2006
While Texas made the Final Four during the 2003 NCAA Tournament, beating Michigan State in the Elite Eight before losing to Syracuse in the National Semifinals, the Longhorn game that first comes to mind is a 2006 Sweet Sixteen appearance against the West Virginia Mountaineers. LaMarcus Aldridge was an absolute beast this game while Kenton Paulino upstaged the heroics of Kevin Pittsnogle with a buzzer-beating three that broke my heart as I absolutely loved John Beilein's 2004-05 and 2005-06 Mountaineers' squads. At the time I was living in North Carolina, in the midst of moving from one apartment to another, disassembling a large wooden work station in my bedroom as I watched this game. I was hoping West Virginia would be able to make the Final Four following an Elite Eight appearance during the 2005 NCAA Tournament. Following LSU's upset of No. 1 seed Duke earlier that night in the Sweet Sixteen, West Virginia seemed to have as good of a shot as anyone of getting to the 2006 Final Four. After Pittsnoggle hit a tough three to tie the game, Texas rushed the ball up court and found Paulino, whose shot barely touched net, taking me from ecstasy to heartbreak in a matter of seconds.
North Carolina State Wolfpack - 1983's Miracle Run & Finish
While N.C. State won the 1974 NCAA Tournament and reached the Final Four two years ago during the 2024 NCAA Tournament, the Wolfpack's amazing run during the 1983 NCAA Tournament, capped off by Loreno Charles' shocking putback against the Houston Cougars, obviously first comes to mind as it is one of the most important plays in college basketball history. I was not even two years old at the time of this game, though it is one I would watch frequently on Classic Sports and ESPN Classic as a teenager during the late nineties and early 2000s. Of course, I first became familiar with this game during CBS's classic intro to college basketball games during the mid-nineties, with Jim Valvano running around the court looking for someone to hug him at New Mexico's The Pit.
More recently, my brother and I still haven't gotten over N.C. State's Sweet Sixteen upset of Marquette during the 2024 NCAA Tournament. I remember texting my brother after the first eight minutes of this game that Marquette was not ready for the moment and that they were going to lose, which proved to be the case. To N.C. State's credit, they would then beat Duke in the Elite Eight before losing to Purdue during the Final Four.
What NCAA Tournament moment first comes to mind when you consider these four college basketball programs?
Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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