CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Queen City will host the top-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels and the Tennessee Volunteers in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
The full March Madness bracket was revealed on Sunday showcasing the 68 teams that will try to take this year's national title. Charlotte hosts four games at the Spectrum Center in the tournament's first round.
All four of Charlotte's games will be held on Thursday.
Mississippi State vs Michigan State
No. 8-seeded Mississippi State will face No. 9-seeded Michigan State in the first game of the first round on Thursday in Charlotte.
The Bulldogs reached the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference after upsetting Tennessee in the tournament's quarterfinals. Mississippi State finished the season with a 21-13 record, including a lackluster 8-10 conference record. The Bulldogs are the lowest SEC-finishing team to make the NCAA tournament.
Josh Hubbard is the team's leading scorer with over 17 points per game.
In 2023, Mississippi State lost a First Four game to Pittsburgh.
Michigan State lost in the second round of the Big Ten tournament to Minnesota after an up-and-down year left the Spartans seventh in the conference. The Spartans reached the Sweet 16 in last year's tournament before losing in overtime to Kansas State.
Tyson Walker is Michigan State's leading scorer with over 18 points per game. The Spartans are slight favorites to win, according to betting lines.
North Carolina vs Howard/Wagner
North Carolina was given a No. 1 seed for the tournament and will play Howard or Wagner in Charlotte on Thursday at 2:45 p.m. ET. Howard and Wagner face off in a First Four play-in game on Tuesday.
The Tar Heels were remarkably upset in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game against NC State on Saturday. North Carolina was ranked No. 4 in the last AP poll and finished the year on top of the ACC with a 17-3 conference record (27-7 overall). R.J. Davis leads the Tar Heels with over 21 points per game.
It's a big turnaround for North Carolina as the team failed to make the 2023 tournament. It's the 18th time that North Carolina has earned the No. 1 seed, an NCAA record.
Howard is making their second straight trip to the NCAA tournament. The Bison lost the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference to Delaware State.
Wagner qualified for the tournament for just the second time since joining Division I play. The Seahawks defeated Merrimack for the Northeast Conference title.
Tennessee vs St. Peter's
No. 2-seeded Tennessee will face off against No. 15-seeded St. Peter's. on Thursday.
The Volunteers lost in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament after entering the bracket with the top seed. Tennessee won the SEC regular season title with a 14-4 conference record (24-8 overall). Dalton Knecht leads the Vols with over 21 points per game.
Tennesse reached the Sweet 16 in 2023, losing to Florida Atlantic.
St. Peter's defeated Fairfield to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament. The Peacocks finished the season with a 19-13 record (12-8 conference).
The last time St. Peter's reached the NCAA tournament, the Peacocks pulled off an ultimate Cinderella run by reaching the Elite Eight as a No. 15 seed. St. Peter's knocked off Kentucky, Murray State, and Purdue before falling to North Carolina.
Texas vs Colorado State/Virginia
Colorado State will play against Virginia in a First Four game before facing No. 7-seeded Texas in Charlotte on Thursday.
The Texas Longhorns lost in the second round of the Big 12 tournament to Kansas State. Texas finished eighth in the Big 12 with a 9-9 conference record (20-12 overall). Max Abmas leads the Longhorns with over 17 points per game.
Texas reached the Elite Eight in the 2023 tournament before losing to Miami.
Colorado State lost in the semifinals of the Mountain West tournament to New Mexico.
Virginia reached the ACC tournament semifinals before losing to NC State.
What's next
The Spectrum Center will host two more games in the second round. The winner of the UNC/Howard/Wagner game will play the winner of the Mississippi State/Michigan State game and the winner of the Tennessee/St. Peter's game will play the winner of the Texas/Colorado/Boise State game.
The full schedule can be found here.