KeyBank Center in Buffalo will see a Hall of Fame coach, a local homecoming, and several high-profile men's basketball programs take the court in the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament this week.
The March Madness bracket was unveiled Sunday, and Buffalo, which hosts games in both the first and second rounds, saw the East Regional 3-seed and 6-seed both drawn to play in Western New York in addition to the Midwest's 1-seed.
Thursday's matchups downtown will see Midwest 1-seed Michigan — which features Niagara Falls native and former Lewiston-Porter standout Roddy Gayle Jr. — take on the winner of the Tuesday play-in game between Howard and UMBC.
In the East Regional, 3-seed Michigan State, with a 25-7 record and coached by Naismith Hall of Fame inductee Tom Izzo, face off against North Dakota State (27-7). The other first-round matchup pits 6-seed Louisville (23-10), which has won this heralded tournament twice in its program's history, against 11-seed South Florida (25-8).
First-round action wraps up Thursday night when Midwest Region 8-seed Georgia faces 9-seed TCU.
The winners of each game will face off against one another in the second round, also in Buffalo, later this upcoming weekend.
The East Regional also features college basketball bluebloods in 1-seed Duke and 2-seed Connecticut, with all programs vying to reach the Final Four in Indianapolis.