The college basketball postseason excitement continues Wednesday evening as the 2026 NCAA men’s tournament wraps up its First Four stage. These final two matchups will decide which programs advance to join the tournament’s first-round bracket this Friday.

No. 16 Lehigh vs. No. 16 Prairie View A&M

The Lehigh Mountain Hawks are making their first tournament appearance since 2012, a year famously remembered for their upset of Duke. After struggling earlier in the season, Lehigh surged late, winning six consecutive games to secure the Patriot League title. Junior guard Nasir Whitlock has been a pivotal force, averaging 21 points while maintaining an impressive 45% success rate from long range.

Standing in their way is Prairie View A&M, the lowest-ranked team in the field according to KenPom metrics. Despite their ranking, the Panthers enter the game with momentum, having finished their regular season with three consecutive victories followed by a four-game winning streak in the SWAC tournament. Their backcourt duo, Dontae Horne and Tai’reon Joseph, leads the offense, though the team generally relies less on perimeter shooting compared to their counterparts.

No. 11 SMU vs. No. 11 Miami (Ohio)

In the night's second game, SMU faces Miami (Ohio) in a contest expected to be high-scoring, given that both teams rank among the top 25 nationally in points per game. SMU enters the tournament after a challenging end to their ACC campaign, dropping four straight regular-season games before a mixed performance in the conference tournament.

Conversely, Miami (Ohio) arrives as one of the most intriguing stories of the year. The RedHawks boasted an undefeated regular season and currently stand as the second-highest-scoring team in the nation, averaging 90.2 points per game. Their only loss came in the MAC tournament against UMass. While they missed out on an automatic bid, their strong performance earned them an at-large spot. As the team prepares for this matchup, they rely on a balanced scoring attack:

  • Six players average double-digit points per game.
  • Senior guard Peter Suder leads the squad with 14.6 points per contest.
  • The team maintains a collective 39% shooting efficiency from behind the arc.

The victors of Wednesday's games will move on to face No. 1 Florida and No. 6 Tennessee, respectively.