Let the madness begin.
With this year’s First Four matchups in the books, the 2023 NCAA Tournament begins in earnest Thursday afternoon with a 16-game first-round frenzy. Three No. 1 seeds, including top-ranked Alabama, will be in action along with a number of blue bloods and Cinderella hopefuls eager to bust brackets on Day 1.
The Athletic has you covered from the opening tip. Here are the players and storylines to watch as March Madness officially gets underway.
Thursday’s Round of 64 games (all times ET)
No. 9 West Virginia vs. No. 8 Maryland | 12:15 p.m. | CBS
No. 13 Furman…
