Biggest Must-Watch March Madness Tournament Game for Round One

Cinderella could return quickly in the NCAA Tournament with many questions surrounding its future

Mar 5, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; South Florida Bulls head coach Bryan Hodgson talks to forward Izaiyah Nelson (35) during the first half against the Memphis Tigers at FedExForum. / Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

Cinderella was mostly absent from last year’s NCAA Tournament, but it might not take long for a double-digit seed to captivate the nation’s attention this year when the madness officially begins on Thursday.

In fact, the opening window of the tournament could have the most compelling game of the Round of 64 when the No. 11 seed South Florida Bulls, the champions of the AAC, battle the No. 6 Louisville Cardinals.

How to Watch South Florida Bulls vs Lousivlle

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There will be no shortage of storylines entering the matchup. The biggest was announced on Wednesday morning when Louisville freshman Mikel Brown Jr. was ruled out against the Bulls. Brown (back) will remain out even if the Cardinals advance to the Round of 32. He last played on February 28 against Clemson.

Brown was the leader of a Louisville team that relies on its backcourt to be the biggest difference maker in the absence of dominant bigs on the roster. It’ll leave things up to Ryan Conwell, J’Vonne Hadley, and Isaac McKneely to try to advance the Cardinals into the Round of 32.

On the other side is a team already creating headlines, primarily because its head coach, Bryan Hodgson, is the hottest name on the coaching market.

Hodgson is reportedly down to either a return to USF or accepting the job at Providence after turning down Syracuse. He became very emotional on Selection Sunday when he learned his team would be traveling to Buffalo, New York for the opening weekend of the tournament.

Hodgson was born in Olean, New York, about an hour and a half drive from Buffalo, and spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the University of Buffalo on Nate Oats’ staff before following him to Alabama.

Lousville on Upset Alert?

In just his third season as a head coach, the previous two at Arkansas State, this will be Hodgson’s first NCAA Tournament appearance. He enters with a dynamite team that plays a fun style of basketball, averaging 87.7 points per game.

Wes Enis, Izaiysh Selson, Joseph Pinion, and Josh Omojafo are all double-digit scorers for the Bulls. They've won 11 straight games and are looking for their first NCAA Tournament win since 2012. That year, they were seeded 12th and upset Temple in the first round.

There will likely be no shortage of offense when Louisville and South Florida meet at 1:30 p.m. ET (TNT) on Thursday afternoon. It very well just might be the best game in the Round of 64 while giving the nation its first upset of the tournament.