The first round of March Madness begins on Thursday and there's a lot to take in.
The first 16 games of the tournament will tip off just after noon and run through the late-night hours. Expect buzzer beaters, close games and maybe even an upset or two.
Here are four things you need to know going into Thursday's slate of games and see the full schedule below.
McNeese's Amir "Aura" Khan is back
Whether you watched last year's tournament or just saw social media highlights, chances are you noticed McNeese student manager, Amir "Aura" Khan.
He's back, thanks to McNeese's upset of Stephen F. Austin in the Southland conference championship game, which earned the Cowboys a March Madness bid.
Khan went viral last March after posting a video of himself ushering the McNeese men's basketball squad through the pregame tunnel with a boombox around his neck.
Backed by Khan, the 12th-seeded Cowboys made a quintessential Cinderella run last year, defeating No. 5 seed Clemson 69-67 for McNeese's first-ever NCAA tournament win. They were eliminated by Purdue in the second round, but Khan's spotlight didn't fade.
Over the course of the tournament, Khan signed more than 20 brand endorsement deals with companies including Buffalo Wild Wings, TurboTax, Insomnia Cookies and Topps. He is believed to be the only student manager to benefit from NIL deals.
After McNeese's former head coach Will Wade moved to NC State, Khan followed, but credit transfer snafus delayed his enrollment and he later returned to McNeese.
The No. 12 seed Cowboys will face No. 5 Vanderbilt at 3:15 p.m. ET.
Bench players and underdogs are everything
Everybody loves an unsung hero – and March Madness is full of them.
Players who usually sit on the bench or come from smaller programs can quickly become pivotal.
Michigan rookie Trey McKenney has been an asset for the Wolverines in their efforts to replace L.J. Cason, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear in February.
McKenney averages 9.6 points per game, but was a consistent contributor to Michigan's offense during the Big Ten tournament. If the one-seeded Wolverines need scoring depth against No. 16 seed Howard, McKenney could be their guy.
As for the smaller programs, Siena's Gavin Doty has been a force to be reckoned with.
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Doty averaged 21.7 points and 6.7 rebounds during the Saints' Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship run. He's referred to as "a psycho" by head coach Gerry McNamara.
At 6-foot-4, Doty has six double-doubles and has scored at least 20 points in 14 games this season. He's a defender, too, averaging 5.5 defensive rebounds per game.
No. 16 seed Siena will face off against one-seed Duke at 2:50 p.m. ET.
Nebraska has never won a March Madness game
With an 0-8 all-time NCAA Tournament record, Nebraska is the only power conference team to never win a March Madness matchup. Now, after a 15-0 season start, the fourth-seeded Cornhuskers are looking to break their drought.
Head coach Fred Hoiberg, who was named the 2026 Big Ten Coach of the Year, led Nebraska to a school-record 24-game win streak and 15 conference victories.
Prior to his job at the Huskers' helm, the former NBA star was the head coach of the Chicago Bulls and Iowa State.
"We know what's out there," Hoiberg said ahead of the tournament. "We know what's at stake. Our guys have done a lot of really good things this year, some things that have never been done in the history of the program."
The Cornhuskers will face off against No. 13 seed Troy at 12:40 p.m. ET.
Texas survived the First Four to earn Cougars tilt
Texas gave March Madness fans a taste of tournament chaos Tuesday night.
The Longhorns snatched a narrow 68-66 win over NC State during the tournament's First Four bout, salvaging their postseason run thanks to sixth-year senior Tramon Mark's last-second shot.
Now, No. 11 seed Texas plays No. 6 seed BYU at 7:25 p.m. ET.
BYU, which lost to No. 6 Houston in the Big 12 tournament, is backed by one of the best scorers in the country – AJ Dybantsa. The freshman forward averages 25.3 points per game.
On the flip side, Texas plays a gritty defensive scheme. The Longhorns dominated the glass in its First Four game, nabbing 45 total rebounds. BYU has been weary defensively, averaging 32.5 rebounds per game over their last 10 matchups.
At least one No. 11 seed has won a first-round game every postseason since 2005, with 11 seeds winning approximately 40% of their matchups against No. 6 seeded teams.
So, can the Longhorns pull it off? Let the Madness begin.
Here are all the games for Thursday
No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 9 TCU at 12:15 p.m. ET on Thursday in Greenville (CBS)
No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 13 Troy at 12:40 p.m. ET on Thursday in Oklahoma City (truTV)
No. 6 Louisville vs. No. 11 South Florida at 1:30 p.m. ET on Thursday in Buffalo, New York (TNT)
No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 12 High Point at 1:50 p.m. ET on Thursday in Portland, Oregon (TBS)
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 Siena at 2:50 p.m. ET on Thursday in Greenville, South Carolina. (CBS)
No. 5 Vanderbilt vs. No. 12 McNeese at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday in Oklahoma City (truTV)
No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 14 North Dakota State at 4:05 p.m. ET on Thursday in Buffalo (TNT)
No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 13 Hawaii at 4:25 p.m. ET on Thursday in Portland (TBS)
No. 6 North Carolina vs. No. 11 VCU 6:50 p.m. ET on Thursday in Greenville (TNT)
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 16 Howard on Thursday in Buffalo (CBS)
No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 Texas 7:25 p.m. ET on Thursday in Portland (TBS)
No. 7 Saint Mary's vs. No. 10 Texas A&M 7:35 p.m. ET on Thursday in Oklahoma City (truTV)
No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 14 University of Pennsylvania 9:25 p.m. ET on Thursday in Greenville (TNT)
No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 9 Saint Louis at 9:45 p.m. ET on Thursday in Buffalo (CBS)
No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 14 Kennesaw State 10 p.m. ET on Thursday in Portland (TBS)
No. 2 Houston vs. No. 15 Idaho at 10:10 p.m. ET on Thursday in Oklahoma City (truTV)
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