NCAA Tournament First Four: Did The NC State Wolfpack Deserve Their Spot?

The NCAA First Four takes place this week and officially begins the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. The games are played on March 17 and March 18 at University of Dayton Arena and feature eight teams competing for four spots in the main 64-team bracket. On Tuesday, the Miami RedHawks men's basketball face the SMU Mustangs men's basketball, with the winner advancing to play the Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball in the next round. That same night, the UMBC Retrievers men's basketball play the Howard Bison men's basketball, and the winner will move on to face the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball. On Wednesday, the Texas Longhorns men's basketball take on the NC State Wolfpack men's basketball, while the Prairie View A&M Panthers men's basketball face the Lehigh Mountain Hawks men's basketball. The winners of these games will advance to the main tournament bracket and continue their March Madness run when the Round of 64 begins later in the week. Did NC State earn their positioning in the NCAA Tournament First Four? Should they have been a higher seed or missed the tournament altogether?