The 16-team bracket for the College Basketball Crown is set!
The first-year postseason tournament, which will take place from March 31 to April 6 in Las Vegas and will air on FOX and FS1, features teams spread across the following seven conferences: Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, WCC, Mountain West, A-10 and AAC.
The teams participating in the single-elimination tournament are as follows:
Washington State Cougars
Conference: West Coast Conference
Record: 19-14 (8-10)
Bio: The Cougars feature a balanced offensive attack with five players averaging double-figures, led by junior guard Nate Calmese, who puts up 15.2 points per game. Dane Erikstrup and Ethan Price provide a solid presence inside, while forward LeJuan Watts leads the team in rebounds at 6.7 per game. Washington State finished 1-7 against Quad 1 opponents this season, with a victory over Boise State on Dec. 7.
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Georgetown Hoyas
Conference: Big East
Record: 17-15 (8-12)
Bio: The Hoyas suffered a major blow when freshman standout Thomas Sorber was lost for the season due to a left foot injury back on Feb. 15 against Butler. However, Ed Cooley's team does feature a talented backcourt duo in senior Micah Peavy and junior Jayden Epps. Peavy leads the team in scoring with 17.2 points per game, while Epps averages 12.8 points per contest. The Hoyas defeated a pair of NCAA Tournament teams earlier this season with wins over Creighton (81-57) and Xavier (69-63).
Boise State Broncos
Conference: Mountain West
Record: 24-10 (14-6)
Bio: The Broncos were considered a bubble team heading into Selection Sunday following a fourth-place finish in the MWC regular-season standings and a runner-up showing in the conference tournament. Senior forward Tyson Degenhart was one of the top players in the MWC this season, averaging 17.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. The Broncos' top wins this season came over Clemson, Saint Mary's, San Diego State and New Mexico.
George Washington Revolutionaries
Conference: A-10
Record: 12-12 (9-9)
Bio: George Washington had a strong finish to its season, winning three in a row, including a victory in the opening round of the A-10 Tournament, before falling to George Mason in the quarterfinals. The Revolutionaries are led by junior Rafael Castro, who averages 14.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-11 big man recorded 13 double-doubles this season, including a 22-point, 16-rebound outing in a win over La Salle earlier this month. George Washington's top wins this year came over A-10 foes Dayton and St. Bonaventure.
Oregon State Beavers
Conference: West Coast Conference
Record: 20-12 (10-8)
Bio: The Beavers had an up-and-down season in their first year playing in the WCC. They are led by a trio of upperclassmen in Michael Rataj, Parsa Fallah and Nate Kingz. Rataj leads the team in scoring, rebounding, steals, and blocks, while senior guard Demarco Minor dishes out a team-best 5.7 assists per game. The Beavers' top wins this season came over Gonzaga and fellow Crown participant Nebraska.
Villanova Wildcats
Conference: Big East
Record: 19-14 (11-9)
Bio: The Wildcats had plenty of impressive wins on their schedule this season, including victories over St. John's, Marquette, UConn and Xavier. They are led by the nation's leading scorer, Eric Dixon, who averages 23 points per game. Wooga Poplar, who spent his first three seasons in college at Miami, averages 14.5 points and a team-high 6.9 rebounds per game for the Wildcats.
USC Trojans
Conference: Big Ten
Record: 16-17 (17-13)
Bio: The Trojans have a pair of top-15 wins on their résumé, beating both Michigan State and Illinois. However, USC went just 3-13 in Quad 1 games this season. They are led by a talented trio of guards in Desmond Claude, Wesley Yates III and Chibuzo Agbo. Claude leads the team in points (16.7) and assists (4.3), while Yates puts up 14.1 points per contest while shooting 44% from 3-point range and Agbo adds 11.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
Arizona State Sun Devils
Conference: Big 12
Record: 13-19 (4-16)
Bio: Arizona State might be without freshman big man Jayden Quaintance due to an ankle injury, but senior guard Alston Mason has been on a tear, with nine double-digit scoring performances in his last 10 games. The Sun Devils' best win came in January, when they knocked off then-No. 23 West Virginia.
Cincinnati Bearcats
Conference: Big 12
Record: 18-15 (7-13)
Bio: Sophomore Jizzle James leads the way for the Bearcats with a team-high 12.8 points and 3.6 assists. Cincinnati started the season 10-1, with wins over in-state rivals Dayton and Xavier.
DePaul Blue Demons
Conference: Big East
Record: 14-19 (4-16)
Bio: It's been a roller coaster for DePaul in Chris Holtmann's first season. The Blue Demons have played in five overtime games, barely losing to NCAA Tournament teams like Marquette and Creighton. CJ Gunn has proven to be a threat on both ends of the court, averaging 12.8 points and 1.3 steals per contest.
Butler Bulldogs
Conference: Big East
Record: 14-9 (6-14)
Bio: Three players are averaging double-figures for the Bulldogs: Jahmyl Telfort, Pierre Brooks II and Iowa transfer Patrick McCaffery. Butler beat then-No. 25 Mississippi State early in the season, and later had UConn and St. John's on the ropes in close losses.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Conference: Big Ten
Record: 17-14 (7-13)
Bio: The Cornhuskers boast several impressive wins this season, including over Creighton, UCLA, Oregon and Illinois. Brice Williams is a bonafide star who averages 20 points per game; he put up a school-record 43 points in a double-OT loss to Ohio State earlier this month.
UCF Knights
Conference: Big 12
Record: 17-16 (7-13)
Bio: Keyshawn Hall does it all for the Knights, with 18.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. The junior guard scored 10 points in UCF's season-opening upset win over Texas A&M, and then recorded a double-double in a narrow OT loss to Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament.
Colorado Buffaloes
Conference: Big 12
Record: 14-20 (3-17)
Bio: Colorado was responsible for one of the biggest surprises early in the season when they topped reigning national champion UConn in the Maui Invitational. The senior duo of Julian Hammond III and Andrej Jakimovski pace the Buffaloes with their double-digit scoring averages, while sophomore Bangot Dak registers 1.3 blocks per game.
Utah Utes
Conference: Big 12
Record: 16-16 (8-12)
Bio: The Utes own several wins over other College Basketball Crown participants, but their biggest victory came in February against Kansas. Leading scorer Gabe Madsen lit up the Wildcats with 24 points that night and, in the process, the senior set the Utah record for career made 3-pointers.
Tulane Green Wave
Conference: AAC
Record: 19-14 (12-6)
Bio: Led by head coach Ron Hunter and guard Rowan Brumbaugh, Tulane finished fourth in the AAC following a losing season in 2023-24. Brumbaugh leads the team in scoring (15.7 points per game), assists (4.8 per game) and steals (1.5 per game). His 22-point effort nearly helped Tulane upset Memphis in the AAC semifinals, losing 78-77.
Here's the full schedule for the first round of The Crown:
Left side of the bracket
Utah vs. Butler — Monday, March 31, 3 p.m. ET (MGM Grand Garden Arena)
George Washington vs. Boise State — Monday, March 31, 5:30 p.m. ET (MGM Grand Garden Arena)
Nebraska vs. Arizona State — Monday, March 31, 8:30 p.m. ET (MGM Grand Garden Arena)
Georgetown vs. Washington State — Monday, March 31, 11 p.m. ET (MGM Grand Garden Arena)
Right side of the bracket
DePaul vs. Cincinnati — Tuesday, April 1, 3 p.m. ET (MGM Grand Garden Arena)
Oregon State vs. UCF — Tuesday, April 1, 5:30 p.m. ET (MGM Grand Garden Arena)
Colorado vs. Villanova — Tuesday, April 1, 8:30 p.m. ET (MGM Grand Garden Arena)
Tulane vs. USC — Tuesday, April 1, 11 p.m. ET (MGM Grand Garden Arena)
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