March 20, 2026
Bob Donnan/Imagn Images
2-seed UConn, which has two of the last three national championships, starts its chase for another this weekend in Philly.
This year's NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is woefully short on teams from the Delaware Valley, but there will be tournament games played locally in South Philly, starting today.
In the absence of more local teams to root for, at very least local college basketball fans will be treated to some college hoops blue bloods and iconic coaches coming to South Philly for the weekend.
Xfinity Mobile Arena will be the host site for first- and second-round matchups for both the Midwest and East regions. Here's the Friday first-round sked:
| Midwest Region | Time |
| No. 3 Virginia vs. No. 14 Wright State | 1:50 p.m. |
| No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 11 Miami (Ohio) | 4:25 p.m. |
| East Region | Time |
7-seed UCLA vs. No. 10 UCF | 7:25 p.m. |
| No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 Furman | 10 p.m. |
UCLA and UConn have combined for 17 national championships, so there's plenty of history and legacy on the floor this weekend.
UConn won its fifth and six titles as recently as 2023 and 2024, both coached by the notoriously grouchy Dan Hurley, one the game's true characters. All six of the school's titles have come since 1999 – that's one fewer title than the combined number of championships won by Duke, UNC and Kentucky since 1999 – making them the country's preeminent program.
Sit close and you'll hear every one of Hurley's expletives – and there will be many:
UConn coach Danny Hurley is irate on the sidelines as he receives a technical foul. pic.twitter.com/SH1EJshneq
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) March 14, 2026
UCLA's 11 nattys are the most in the sport's history, except they're like the Yankees in that only your grandparents can remember them. They've won just one title since 1975, and that came in 1995.
Being the 7-seed is actually disappointing for the Bruins. Like Hurley, UCLA coach Mick Cronin is always a fun watch. They lost to 2-seed Tennessee last year in the second round, which brings us to ...
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes is a college hoops fixture. You might recall him from his days at Providence, who he coached to a Big East title in 1994 or from when he coached Kevin Durant at Texas to a Final Four in 2003. His teams were once infamous for lulling opponents – and viewers – to sleep with an array of perimeter passes and backdoor cuts – the old Princeton offense – but his offense has since evolved into the 21st century.
Barnes has won more than 850 games and has 33 tournament wins. Tennessee is the fourth team he's coached into the dance. The Cavs will battle a Miami (Ohio) team that – get this – went 31-0 before losing in the MAC tournament – in the opening round!
The Virginia-Wright State game could be an upset special. The Cavs have just one win this season against a ranked opponent but two losses against unranked teams. Wright State is a bunch of gunners who play no defense, so they'll be fun to watch.
Wright State has scored more than 100 points three times and averages more than 80 per game. This is exactly the kind of team that can get hot and leave Philly with an upset or two. This is the school's fifth trip to the dance, first since 2022.
If you're into celebrity sightings, you could catch yourself in the same section or row as comedian Bill Murray, whose son Luke Murray is UConn's top assistant coach. Bill Murray – you'll just have to IMDB him if you're unfamiliar with his resume – is often seen sitting behind the UConn bench.
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