March Madness is here — that time of the year when people perform their best Nostradamus impression as they fill out their brackets for the men’s and women’s NCAA Division I basketball tournaments.
If you’re unsure of whom to place your allegiance to, or misguided hope in winning it all, the Gulf South has a dozen schools — seven men’s teams and five women’s teams — playing for a chance at their one shining moment.
Here are the teams to watch once the tournament tips off.
No. 16 Grambling State University (Grambling, Louisiana)
While March Madness officially began Tuesday, action in the Gulf South doesn’t start until Wednesday evening when Grambling State University takes on Montana State University in a First Four matchup at 5:40 p.m. on TruTV.
The Tigers beat Texas Southern in the Southwestern Atlantic Conference Championship on March 16, 75-66.
If Grambling wins its opener, the Tigers will be a 16-seed and face the No. 1 overall seed Purdue Boilermakers on Friday.
No. 8 Mississippi State University (Starkville, Mississippi)
Thursday is the day of the dogs, starting with the 8-seed Mississippi State Bulldogs going head-to-head with the 9-seed Michigan State Spartans at 11:45 a.m. on CBS.
Mississippi State’s regular season ended with a loss to Auburn in the Southeastern Conference championship game. Despite having the higher seed, there are predictions that the Bulldogs will fall to the Spartans because of Michigan State’s tournament experience.
No. 12 McNeese State University (Lake Charles, Louisiana)
Later on Thursday, the 12-seed McNeese State Cowboys get on the hardwood with the 5-seed Gonzaga Bulldogs. Gonzaga is the heavy favorite in the matchup, so the Cowboys are looking for an upset victory. That game tips off at 6:25 p.m. on TBS
Making it to the tournament holds a different weight for McNeese, as it’s the first time in 22 years the school has received a bid, after its 92-76 victory over Nicholls State University in the Southland Conference championship.
The bid also means a lot to head coach Will Wade. It’s his chance to win on the big stage again.
In 2022, Wade was fired from Louisiana State University after LSU received a notice of allegations from the NCAA that detailed significant misconduct, including alleged bribes made to athletes.
No. 13 Samford University (Birmingham, Alabama)
Also on Thursday night, the 13-seed Samford University Bulldogs go up against the 4-seed Kansas Jayhawks, starting at 8:55 p.m. on TBS.
Samford comes into this game hot with a 29-5 overall record and the Southern Conference championship.
This is the first time Samford has been in the tournament since 2000 and they hope to pull away with an upset over the Jayhawks.
The Bulldogs' bid in the tournament is also special for Bucky McMillan, who is in his fourth season as head coach.
McMillan is a Birmingham native and decorated athlete who played at both Mountain Brook High School and Birmingham-Southern College. After his collegiate career, he would return to Mountain Brook High as head coach of the basketball program, where he coached the team to five state championships.
No. 12 University of Alabama at Birmingham (Birmingham, Alabama)
Another Birmingham-based team continues the action on Friday, as the 12-seed UAB Blazers go up against the 5-seed San Diego State Aztecs. The game is set for a 12:45 p.m. tip-off on TNT.
UAB goes into this game following a dominant 85-69 win against Temple University in the American Athletic Conference championship.
This season marks the second time the Blazers have made the tournament under head coach Andy Kennedy, who is in his fourth season at UAB.
No. 4 Auburn University (Auburn, Alabama)
Later Friday, the 4-seed Auburn Tigers go head-to-head with the 13-seed Yale Bulldogs at 3:15 p.m. on TNT.
Auburn is heading into the tournament on a hot streak after an 86-67 win over Florida in the SEC championship.
No. 4 University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
Friday night, the 4-seed University of Alabama will match up against the 13-seed College of Charleston at 6:35 p.m. on TruTV.
The Crimson Tide goes into the tournament after a lopsided 88-102 loss to Florida in the SEC tournament. They maintained an overall record of 21-11 during the regular season.
No. 11 Auburn University (Auburn, Alabama)
The women’s tournament tips off on Thursday, starting with Auburn taking on Arizona in a First Four matchup at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.
Auburn ended its regular season with a 20-11 record and looks to bounce back after a crushing loss to LSU in the SEC tournament.
If the Tigers prevail, they’ll earn their spot as an 11-seed and will face 6-seed Syracuse University on Saturday afternoon.
No. 3 Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
On Friday, the 3-seed LSU Tigers take on the 14-seed Rice University Owls at 3 p.m. on ESPN.
LSU is the defending national champion — earning the title last year after beating Caitlin Clark and Iowa in what has, so far, been the most-watched women's basketball game in history.
Head coach Kim Mulkey retained most of her key players from last year's team, but the Tigers have had a rougher go of it this year — finishing the regular season 28-5 and losing to undefeated South Carolina in the SEC championship.
No. 8 University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
The 8-seed Alabama Crimson Tide is set to play the 9-seed Florida State Seminoles on Friday at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
Alabama ended its regular season with an overall record of 23-9 after a loss to Tennessee in the SEC tournament.
No. 14 Jackson State University (Jackson, Mississippi)
The 14-seed Jackson State Tigers look to upset the powerhouse UConn Huskies, a 3-seed, in their Saturday afternoon matchup — airing at noon on ABC.
Jackson State’s head coach Tomekia Reed said in a recent article from HBCU Legends that coming into the tournament as a 14-seed is “truly an honor” and that she and her team look forward to going head-to-head with the Huskies.
Jackson State heads to the “Big Dance” after winning the SWAC Championship against Alcorn State.
No. 7 University of Mississippi (Oxford, Mississippi)
The final opening round game for the region features the 7-seed University of Mississippi Rebels taking on the 10-seed Marquette Golden Eagles on Saturday at 3:45 p.m. on ESPNU.
This year marks the third year in-a-row that the Rebels have made the NCAA Tournament under head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. Ole Miss recorded 12-wins in SEC play this season, a new program best, to finish third in the conference — its highest finish since the 1991-92 season.
Ole Miss’ last game played was a 75-67 loss to LSU in the SEC semifinals.
NCAA Division I Men’s Opening Games
Wednesday, March 20
Grambling State vs. Montana State | 5:40 p.m. CDT | TruTV
Thursday, March 21
Mississippi State vs. Michigan State | 11:45 a.m. CDT | CBS
Gonzaga vs. McNeese State | 6:25 p.m. CDT | TBS
Kansas vs. Samford | 8:55 p.m. CDT | TBS
Friday, March 22
UAB vs. San Diego State | 12:45 p.m. CDT | TNT
Auburn vs. Yale | 3:15 p.m. CDT | TNT
Purdue vs. Grambling State/Montana State | 6:25 p.m. CDT | TBS
Alabama vs. College of Charleston | 6:35 p.m. CDT | TruTV
NCAA Division 1 Women’s Opening Games
Thursday, March 21
Auburn vs. Arizona | 6:00 p.m. CDT | ESPN2
Friday, March 22
LSU vs. Rice | 3:00 CDT | ESPN
Alabama vs. Florida State | 4:30 p.m. CDT | ESPN2
Saturday, March 23
Jackson State vs. UConn| 12:00 p.m. CDT | ABC
Syracuse vs. Auburn/Arizona | 2:30 p.m. CDT | ESPN2
Marquette vs. Mississippi | 3:45 p.m. CDT | ESPNU
How to watch
Men’s games
TV: Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery’s TV networks will broadcast every men’s game across CBS, TNT, TBS and TruTV. Check your local listings for your channel lineup.
Stream: You can stream every game in the men’s tournament using the March Madness Live app and logging in through your TV provider. Max will stream all TBS, TNT and TruTV games. Paramount+ will stream all CBS games.
Women’s games
TV: The Walt Disney Company will host every women’s game across ABC, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNU and ESPNews. ESPN will air the Final Four and ABC will air the championship game.
Stream: You can stream every game in the women’s tournament using the Watch ESPN app.
This story was produced by the Gulf States Newsroom, a collaboration between Mississippi Public Broadcasting, WBHM in Alabama, WWNO and WRKF in Louisiana and NPR.
