First Official NCAA Tournament Team Is Making School's First Appearance In Big Dance

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We officially have our first team qualified for the 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament! Southern Illinois-Edwardsville became the first school to officially reach the Big Dance by capturing the Ohio Valley Tournament Championship over Southeast Missouri State. 

SEMO entered the tournament as the top seed after going 15-5 in conference play. But they couldn't overcome the second-seeded SIUE, which dominated the final en route to a 69-48 victory. 

SIU Edwardsville became the first school to officially reach the 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament with an Ohio Valley Conference Championship victory over Southeastern Missouri.

SIU Edwardsville became the first school to officially reach the 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament with an Ohio Valley Conference Championship victory over Southeastern Missouri. 

(Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

SIU Edwardsville had never previously reached the NCAA Tournament in school history. In fact, the school has only been a Division-I basketball school for 17 years, and only joined the Ohio Valley Conference in 2011. 

They had never won double-digit conference games in a season, but everything changed this year. 

SIUE went 13-7 in OVC play to earn the #2 seed and then made its way to the tournament final by defeating Tennessee State in a nail-biter in the semifinals. 

SIUE head coach Brian Barone took the job six years ago and said he put a pair of scissors in a case when he was hired, only to be taken out when the Cougars finally cut down the nets to reach the NCAA Tournament. 

Well, the scissors are out of Barone's case. 

March Madness really is the best. Sure, the big-name schools get all the attention, but it's awesome that every conference championship across Division I gets a chance to compete in the postseason. 

Sure, SIUE isn't likely to make much noise during the NCAA Tournament. Then again, you never know. And that's exactly what makes March Madness special and, for my money, the best postseason in all of American sports. 

Selection Sunday is now just one week away, and we are less than two weeks away from the start of the Big Dance. Bring it on! 

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to OutKick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named "Brady" because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.