It’s a cougar on cougar matchup to kick off March Madness as the No. 1-seeded Houston Cougars and No. 16-seeded SIU Edwardsville cougars go head-to-head on Thursday night. Houston earned a No. 1 seed after a 30-4 season, finishing first in the Big 12. SIUE finished second in the Ohio Valley conference with a 22-11 overall record.

The first day of March Madness brought upsets, blowouts and an action-packed 13 hours of college basketball. Below is your guide to all 16 first-round games from Day 1 of the men's 2025 NCAA tournament, complete with analysis from on-site reporters of how each game was won, and our experts' takes on each winner's chances to advance to the Sweet 16.