COLLEGE PARK, Md. — It's mid-March, which means there's only one thing on most sports fans' minds right now: madness, baby! The first day of the NCAA tournament brought numerous upsets, wiping out all but a few perfect brackets.
Virginia's own Richmond Spiders men's team was one of the cinderella stories Thursday, as the No. 12 seed beat No. 5 Iowa. The Virginia Tech Hokies men's team is hoping to follow in the Spiders' shoes Friday as the No. 11 seed takes on No. 6 Texas Longhorns.
The Howard Bisons' women's team made history Wednesday, defeating the University of Incarnate Word to get a bid to their first NCAA tournament. They'll take on the No. 1 seed, South Carolina Gamecocks Friday afternoon.
"It definitely tells a young woman that decided to come to an HBCU, especially Howard, that you can win," Head Coach Ty Grace said. "You can win at this level, you can win on this stage."
Here's when you can watch all of our local stars playing in the men and women's tournaments Friday and Saturday.
Howard Bisons (#16) vs. South Carolina Gamecocks (#1)
NCAA Women's Division I Tournament
- First Round - Friday 3/18
- Tipoff: 2:00 p.m.
- Location: Colonial Life Arena - Columbia, SC
- Watch on: ESPN streaming
- Notes: The Howard Lady Bisons recently won their first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 21 years. After that, they achieved another major accomplishment Wednesday. The team defeated the University of Incarnate Word to get its first NCAA Tournament win ever.
Virginia Tech Hokies (#5) vs. Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (#12)
NCAA women's Division I Tournament
- First Round - Friday 3/18
- Tipoff: 2:30 p.m.
- Location: Xfinity Center - College Park, MD
- Watch on: ESPNU
- Notes: The VT Hokie's women's team is a strong contender in this year's tournament as they start with a near-home crowd playing in neighboring Maryland. The team is 'centered' around star junior and ACC player of the year Elizabeth Kitley, who stands an imposing 6'6 in the low post.
Virginia Tech Hokies (#11) vs. Texas Longhorns (#6)
NCAA Men's Division I Tournament
- First Round - Friday 3/18
- Tipoff: 4:30 p.m.
- Location: Fiserv Forum - Milwaukee, WI
- Watch on: TBS
- Notes: The Hokies look to start their tournament off with an upset win against the Longhorns after finishing strong to end the season. VT beat UNC and Duke in the ACC tournament en route to a championship and a punched ticket to the Madness.
Maryland Terrapins (#4) vs. Delaware Blue Hens (#13)
NCAA Women's Division I Tournament
- First Round - Friday 3/18
- Tipoff: 5:00 p.m.
- Location: Xfinity Center - College Park, MD
- Watch on: ESPN
- Notes: The Terrapins women's team feels rested and ready to make a splash after their Big Ten tournament defeat to Indiana one week ago. They will be led by top scorer and rebounder Angel Reese in their true home game at Xfinity Center.
American Eagles (#14) vs. Michigan Wolverines (#3)
NCAA Women's Division I Tournament
- First Round - Saturday 3/19
- Tipoff: 3:30 p.m.
- Location: Crisler Center - Ann Arbor, MI
- Watch on: ESPN
- Notes: The Eagles women's team is making their third trip ever to the NCAA tournament and starts with a big matchup against the high-ranked Michigan Wolverines.
Richmond Spiders (#12) vs. Providence Friars (#4)
NCAA Men's Division I Tournament
- Second Round - Saturday 3/19
- Tipoff: 6:10 p.m.
- Location: KeyBank Center - Buffalo, NY
- Watch on: TNT
- Notes: The Richmond University Spiders were one of the big surprise upsets of day one of March Madness when they upset the Iowa Hawkeyes (#5), beating them 67-63.