 Prairie View A & M Panthers |  Lehigh Mountain Hawks |
 Miami (Ohio) Redhawks |  SMU Mustangs |
The First Four of the 2026 NCAA Tournament continues Wednesday night with the Prairie View A&M Panthers versus the Lehigh Mountain Hawks followed by the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks against the SMU Mustangs. Follow the jump to read about a memory that first comes to mind for each program's respective NCAA Tournament histories.
Prairie View A & M - Another First Four Appearance?
I am not going to lie, nothing stands out about Prairie View A & M during the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers had to have played in the First Four before, which proves to be the case, though not as recently as I thought. Prairie View A & M lost to Fairleigh Dickinson during the First Four of the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Of course, when I hear Fairleigh Dickinson, I think of the first half scare they gave my Fighting Illini during the first round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament. Back to Prairie View A & M, the Panthers lost as a #16 seed to #1 seed Kansas during the first round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament. That amazing Kansas team of Paul Pierce and Raef Lafrentz was a favorite to win the 1998 NCAA Tournament before being upset in the second round by a Rhode Island team led by Cuttino Mobley and Tyson Wheeler.
Lehigh Mountain Hawks - C.J. and Company Down Duke!
Lehigh is making its 6th NCAA Tournament appearance, with its 2012 upset of #2 seed Duke the program's only victory in the Big Dance. Of course, this Round of 64 game introduced the world to Lehigh star C.J. McCollum, who is winding down a long NBA career, most notably with the Portland Trail Blazers. At the time of Lehigh's shocking upset of Duke, I was student teaching during my final semester in graduate school. I don't remember much from this game beyond Leigh's ugly brown uniforms. This Duke team starred Austin Rivers, who was supposed to be the second coming out of high school but really was underwhelming in my opinion. While I loved Duke as a kid, I came to hate the program during my own college years; thus, it was always satisfying to see the blueblood Blue Devils get upset. From what I remember, Lehigh seemed in control during the second half, with the 75-70 final seeming closer than the game really was. Naturally, upsetting Duke got everyone's attention on Lehigh, which would lose in the following round to Xavier.
Miami (Ohio): Wally World Comes to the 1999 NCAA Tourney
This year's 31-1 Miami (Ohio) team went undefeated in the regular season and earned a deserved at-large bid despite not winning the MAC Tournament (and having to listen to Bruce Pearl lobby for their exclusion weeks before the Selection Show). Of course, Miami (Ohio) went on a memorable run as an at-large during the 1999 NCAA Tournament, knocking off Washington behind star Wally Szczerbiak, who will be calling first- and second-round games during the 2026 NCAA Tournament. At the time, I was a junior in high school. I would always take off school for the first Thursday and/or Friday of the NCAA Tournament. Prior to when every tournament game was available on a separate television channel, CBS would provide Live Look-Ins. On this Friday, I remember CBS cutting to the end of the Miami (Ohio) - Washington game, with Jim Nantz and Billy Packer lauding Szczerbiak, who scored an amazing 43 of his team's 59 points. The Redhawks would then go on to upset #2 seed Utah in the second round. Utah was led by Andre Miller and coming off an appearance in the national title game during the 1998 NCAA Tournament. On this day, I missed (but recorded) the Miami (OH) - Utah game as I was playing pickup ball all day at the park with my buddies. I remember getting home and being shocked to learn that Miami (Ohio) won again. The dream run would end in the Sweet Sixteen as Michigan State would knock off Szczerbiak and his Redhawks in St. Louis.
SMU Mustangs - A Controversial Loss to U.C.L.A. in 2015
To me, SMU has always been a football rather than a basketball school, due to the Pony Express and Excess of the 1980s. Of course, basketball vagabond Larry Brown put SMU basketball back on the national landscape, with his team's loss to U.C.L.A. during the Round of 64 of the 2015 NCAA Tournament as bad of a last-second loss as I can remember. Watch the video below to relive this controversial goal-tending call. Apparently Steve Alford's NCAA Tournament magic as a player extended to his son Bryce on this day.
Of course, SMU is now led by Head Coach Andy Enfeld, who came to prominence with his Florida Gulf Coast University team dunking its way to the Sweet Sixteen during the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
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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