The UCF Knights will face the VCU Rams in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, with a potential matchup with top overall seed Duke on the horizon in the second round if they win.

  • UCF earned a 9-seed in the NCAA Tournament for its first berth in the Tournament since 2005
  • The Knights will play VCU in the first round and potentially Duke in the second round
  • Florida and Florida State also earned berths in the Tournament

The Knights drew a nine seed in the NCAA Tournament and will face the Atlantic 10’s VCU in the first round in Columbia, South Carolina.

UCF won a school-record 23 games in the regular season, topping NCAA Tournament teams Houston, Cincinnati and Temple in the process.

The selection marks the first ever at-large berth in the tournament for UCF. The Knights last played in the NCAA Tournament in 2005. UCF lost to UCONN 77-71 as a 15-seed that year.

It is UCF’s fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the Knights are 0-4 all-time.

The Florida State Seminoles earned a 4-seed in the West Region to play America East champion Vermont in Hartford, Conn., on Thursday. If the Seminoles win, they would face the winner of Marquette and Murray State, a game that features top scorers Markus Howard of Marquette and Ja Morant of Murray State.

Florida State surged late in the season by winning 12 of their final 13 regular season games. The Seminoles beat Virginia Tech and Virginia before losing to Duke in the ACC Championship Game.

FSU advanced to the Elite Eight last season.

The Florida Gators were one of the last teams in the NCAA Tournament, earning a 10-seed in the West Region. They will face the Nevada Wolfpack in Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday.

Florida, which lost its final three regular season games, was considered a bubble team until a dramatic 76-73 win over LSU in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament.

Duke, Virginia, North Carolina and Gonzaga earned the top seeds in the NCAA Tournament brackets. LSU, Wofford and Kentucky highlight the teams who will play in Jacksonville on Thursday and Saturday.

The NCAA Tournament’s Final Four will take place at Minneapolis on April 6.