It's not quite the NCAA Tournament, but the First Four can be considered the unofficial start of March Madness — the greatest postseason in American sports.
For that reason alone, the eight teams who come to play in the First Four play-in games ahead of the tournament command the attention of college basketball fans everywhere. Whether they can advance to the tournament proper — and take advantage of their opportunity from there — remains to be seen.
But it's called March Madness for a reason, and anything can happen (as several First Four teams have demonstrated in previous years). That said, the First Four is only a recent addition to the NCAA Tournament, which was already considered robust enough at the time that the idea of adding additional games and teams was met with hesitance.
Several years in, and the First Four seems to have been a worthy and welcome addition to the tournament. For those unfamiliar with its beginnings or how the play-in games, work The Sporting News has everything you need to know:
MORE: Watch every First Four game live on Sling TV (free trial)
What is the First Four in March Madness?
The NCAA Tournament was not always 68 teams. It has a history of expansion: from eight to 16 in 1951, then to 32 1975 and 64 in 1985 — moves that have created one of the most popular and difficult postseasons in American sports. The tournament featured its smallest expansion in 2001 when the Mountain West tournament champion began receiving automatic bids to the tournament.
The NCAA — not wanting to reduce the number of at-large bids but also wanting to preserve the 64-team bracket — expanded the bracket by one, to 65, to accommodate the additional conference champion. That necessitated an "Opening Round" game between the two lowest-seeded automatic bids, with the winner advancing to the final 64-team field. The tournament held that format from 2001 to 2010.
The tournament featured another expansion in 2011, from 65 teams to 68. The addition of those three teams created the need for three additional play-in games. Hence the name, "First Four."
Who plays in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament?
The current iteration of the First Four features eight teams: The four lowest-seeded automatic bids and the four lowest-seed at-large bids. The four games featuring those teams include two games on the 16-seed line and two games, either on the 11- or 12-seed line. The winners of those games will advance to the tournament proper, facing either the 1-, 5- or 6-seed of their regions, respectively.
First Four 2022 schedule
Tuesday, March 15
| Game | Time (ET) | TV |
| Game 1: No. 16 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi vs. No. 16 Texas Southern | 6:40 p.m. | truTV, Sling TV |
| Game 2: No. 12 Indiana vs. No. 12 Wyoming | 9:10 p.m. | truTV, Sling TV |
Wednesday, March 16
| Game | Time (ET) | TV |
| Game 3: No. 16 Bryant vs. No. 16 Wright State | 6:40 p.m. | truTV, Sling TV |
| Game 4: No. 11 Notre Dame vs. No. 11 Rutgers | 9:10 p.m. | truTV, Sling TV |
The First Four will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, returning to its normal scheduling after the 2021 tournament saw every game play out over the course of a single day.
MORE MARCH MADNESS: TV schedule | Printable bracket | Odds
Where is the First Four played?
First Four games have been held at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio since the field expanded in 2011. The one exception was in 2021, when the NCAA Tournament was held entirely in the state of Indiana due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Purdue's Mackey Arena and Indiana's Assembly Hall hosted two games apiece that year.
Starting with the 2022 NCAA Tournament, First Four games will return to Dayton's UD Arena.
First Four results by year
| Year | Winner | Score | Loser |
| 2011 | UTSA | 70–61 | Alabama State |
| Clemson | 70–52 | UAB | |
| UNC-Asheville | 81-77 (OT) | Arkansas-Little Rock | |
| VCU | 59–46 | USC | |
| 2012 | South Florida | 65–54 | Cal |
| BYU | 78–72 | Iona | |
| Vermont | 71–59 | Lamar | |
| Western Kentucky | 59–58 | Mississippi Valley State | |
| 2013 | La Salle | 80–71 | Boise State |
| North Carolina A&T | 73–72 | Liberty | |
| James Madison | 68–55 | LIU-Brooklyn | |
| Saint Mary's | 67–54 | Middle Tennessee | |
| 2014 | Albany | 71–64 | Mount St. Mary's |
| Cal Poly | 81–69 | Texas Southern | |
| N.C. State | 74–59 | Xavier | |
| Tennessee | 78–65 (OT) | Iowa | |
| 2015 | Dayton | 56–55 | Boise State |
| Ole Miss | 94–90 | BYU | |
| Hampton | 74–64 | Manhattan | |
| Robert Morris | 81–77 | North Florida | |
| 2016 | Florida Gulf Coast | 96–65 | Fairleigh Dickinson |
| Holy Cross | 59–55 | Southern | |
| Michigan | 67–62 | Tulsa | |
| Wichita State | 70–50 | Vanderbilt | |
| 2017 | UC-Davis | 67–63 | North Carolina Central |
| Kansas State | 95–88 | Wake Forest | |
| Mount St. Mary's | 67–66 | New Orleans | |
| USC | 75–71 | Providence | |
| 2018 | Radford | 71–61 | LIU-Brooklyn |
| St. Bonaventure | 65–58 | UCLA | |
| Texas Southern | 64–46 | North Carolina Central | |
| Syracuse | 60–56 | Arizona State | |
| 2019 | North Dakota State | 78–74 | North Carolina Central |
| Belmont | 81–70 | Temple | |
| Fairleigh Dickinson | 82–76 | Prairie View A&M | |
| Arizona State | 74–65 | St. John's | |
| 2021 | Drake | 53-52 | Wichita State |
| UCLA | 86-80 (OT) | Michigan State | |
| Norfolk State | 54-53 | Appalachian State | |
| Texas Southern | 60-52 | Mount St. Mary's |
What's the farthest a First Four team has advanced in March Madness?
Two First Four teams have advanced as far as the Final Four: VCU in the inaugural First Four (2011), and UCLA in 2021.
The Rams beat 11-seed USC 59-36 in the First Four before advancing to beat 6-seed Georgetown 74-56 in the opening round; 3-seed Purdue 94-76 in the second round; 10-seed Florida State 72-71 (in overtime) in the Sweet 16; and 1-seed Kansas 81-71 in the Elite Eight. VCU's improbable run ended with a 70-62 defeat to 8-seed Butler in the Final Four.
The Bruins in 2021 beat 11-seed Michigan State 86-80 to advance to the tournament proper. From there, Mick Cronin's team beat 6-seed BYU 73-62 in the opening round; 14-seed Abilene Christian 67-47 in the second round; 2-seed Alabama 88-78 (in overtime) in the Sweet 16; and 1-seed Michigan 51-49 in the Elite Eight. UCLA's run ultimately fell in the Final Four to then-undefeated and top overall seed Gonzaga, which held off the Bruins for a 93-90 overtime victory.
Three other teams have advanced as far as the Sweet 16: 13-seed La Salle in 2013; 11-seed Tennessee in 2014; and 11-seed Syracuse in 2018. Four more have advanced as far as the second round: 12-seed South Florida in 2012; 11-seed Dayton in 2015; 11-seed Wichita State in 2016; and 11-seed USC in 2017.
Every other First Four team has lost in the first round.