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Alabama State is one of two HBCU men’s teams in this year’s field for the NCAA Tournament. The Hornets played in the very first game of the tournament on Tuesday night versus Saint Francis (PA) in the NCAA First Four, with the Hornets winning 70-68. The win was the first NCAA Tournament win for the Montgomery, Alabama HBCU.

Madness bracket is off and running with the 68-team field that comprised 2025 NCAA Tournament already down to 64 teams as North Carolina, Alabama State, Mount Saint Mary's and Xavier have advanced out of the First Four and into the first round.

The final matchup of the First Four belongs to Xavier and Texas, who take the court at 9:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 19. It’s the second time the two teams have met in the tournament. In 2023, Texas and Xavier met in the Sweet 16, and the Longhorns delivered a 83-71 victory to improve to the Elite Eight.

Marcus Foster scores 22 points and Zach Freemantle adds 15 despite foul trouble as Xavier erases a 13-point deficit for its biggest comeback win of the season, 86-80. The 11th-seeded Musketeers

It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Xavier-Illinois prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Xavier-Illinois. The Xavier Musketeers played their way into this game. They won their First Four clash with Texas on Wednesday night.