March Madness First Four seeds, explained: Why 11 and 16 seeds are up for grabs in NCAA Tournament play-in games

It's the most wonderful time of the year for college basketball fans.

March Madness has arrived, and with it three weeks of drama, dejection and jubilation on the hardwood. With the NCAA Tournament set to tip off on Tuesday, 68 teams will begin their quest for the ultimate prize.

But for eight teams in the field, they'll have one extra hurdle to overcome. 

Before the first round gets underway in earnest on Thursday, the First Four must engage in a battle royale. The series of play-in games is a relatively new addition to the tournament format, only being introduced in 2011, but it has become an important part of the opening week of play.

MORE: Ultimate guide to March Madness 2023, including TV schedule, locations and odds

What is the First Four in March Madness?

You've probably noticed the First Four games before while filling out your bracket — there are four slots in the typical 64-team bracket that have two teams next to each other separated by a slash. For example, the 2023 bracket has Texas A&M-CC/Southeast MO St., Mississippi State/Pittsburgh, Texas Southern/FDU and Arizona St./Nevada.

THE BRACKET 🙌#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/HZYnwD3s3x

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 12, 2023

These represent the First Four matchups that take place to finalize the 64-team field. 

The system was introduced in 2001 due to the winner of the newly-formed Mountain West Conference being awarded an automatic bid. The NCAA didn't want to take away an at-large spot to make room for the extra team, so instead they opted to play one additional game before the first round between the two lowest-seeded teams in the field. That has expanded to four games over the years, where it remains today. 

How does the First Four work?

Before the tournament begins, the NCAA releases a full seeding list for each of the 68 teams that qualified for the tournament. It shows how they rank the field from top to bottom before play gets underway. 

The Selection Committee's official rankings of the 2023 #MarchMadness field! 👀 pic.twitter.com/oPjuTDcf0J

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 12, 2023

The First Four matchups are determined based on the four lowest-seeded teams that received automatic bids (Texas Southern, Texas A&M CC, Southeast MO St. and Fairleigh Dickinson in 2023) and the four lowest-seeded teams that received at-large bids (Mississippi St., Pittsburgh, Arizona St. and Nevada in 2023). 

The four lowest-seeded teams with automatic bids — by default the four lowest-seeded teams in the tournament — are matched up against one another to compete for a place in the field of 64. The two teams that win their First Four matchups move onto the first round as 16 seeds. 

The format works essentially the same for the four lowest-seeded at-large teams. The only difference is that instead of 16 seeds, the winners receive 11 seeds into the main part of the bracket. This is simply because the last four at-large teams to make it into the tournament are still seeded a couple dozen places higher on average than the lowest automatic bids. 

What's the farthest a First Four team has made it in the NCAA Tournament?

Teams that have played in the First Four have made it all the way to the Final Four on two occasions: VCU in 2011 and UCLA in 2021. Both lost in the Final Four to bring their incredible runs to an end. UCLA came agonizingly close to advancing to the National Championship in 2021, however, falling 93-90 to Gonzaga in the Final Four on a wild Jalen Suggs buzzer-beater. 

MORE: Where, when is the Final Four in 2023?

A First Four team has advanced into at least the second round in 10 out of the 11 years it has been contested. The only year no First Four teams made it to the second round was in 2019.

A 16 seed from the First Four has never upset a 1 seed in the first round. UMBC did not compete in the First Four when it upset Virginia in 2018. 

First Four 2023 teams, schedule

Tuesday, March 14

Wednesday, March 15