North Carolina A&T and Southern broke NCAA tournament ground when they made the first appearance by an HBCU in the DI men’s basketball tournament’s round of 64 in 1985, the first year of the expanded bracket. Since then, a total of 19 HBCU men’s basketball programs have played in the first round of the March Madness bracket.
Let’s dive in to the past performance of the HBCU programs during the first round.
Texas Southern has the most round of 64 appearances of any HBCU men’s basketball program, but has yet to win a game. The Tigers last appeared in the round of 64 in 2022. Grambling State became the latest HBCU to make its debut appearance in the round of 64 during the 2024 season.
Here’s a look at the appearance of HBCUs in the round of 64: (see read more link)