Purdue, Michigan State headline first-round games in Columbus
March Madness is back in Columbus. Nationwide Arena will host first and second round games of the 2023 men's NCAA Tournament Friday and Sunday.
Columbus is one of eight cities to host first- and second-round games, along with Birmingham, Denver, Albany, Greensboro, Sacramento, Des Moines and Orlando.
Columbus last hosted NCAA Tournament games in 2019, as Cincinnati, Iowa, Tennessee, Colgate, North Carolina, Iona, Utah State and Washington men's basketball teams played their first- and second-round games at Nationwide Arena.
Here's a look at the four first-round matchups Columbus will see Friday before second-round games begin Sunday.
● No. 1 Purdue vs. No. 16 Texas Southern/fairleigh Dickinson; 6:50 p.m., TNT: As one of four teams to earn a top seed in the NCAA Tournament, Big Ten regular season and tournament champion Purdue will begin its run in Columbus, returning after having beat Ohio State 71-69 at Value City Arena Jan. 5. The Boilermakers will face the winner of the First Four matchup between Texas Southern or Fairleigh Dickinson, which has former Reynoldsburg guard Sean Moore on its roster.
● No. 8 Memphis vs. No. 9 Florida Atlantic; 9:20 p.m., TNT: Fresh off winning an AAC tournament title against No. 1 seed Houston, Memphis will come to Columbus for its 28th NCAA Tournament appearance, having not advanced past the second round since 2009. The Tigers will take on No. 9 Florida Atlantic, which will play in its second-ever NCAA Tournament and first since 2002.
● No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 10 Southern California; 12:15 p.m., CBS: Columbus will see a 7/10 matchup between two future Big Ten teams. No. 7 Michigan State will return to Columbus after beating Ohio State at Value City Arena 62-41 Feb. 12. No. 10 USC will try for revenge against the Spartans, losing to
Michigan State in the second round of the 2009 tournament.
● No. 2 Marquette vs. No. 15 Vermont; 2:45 p.m., CBS: Reigning OHSAA Division I Player of the Year Sean Jones out of Gahanna will make his return to Columbus with No. 2 Marquette. The Golden Eagles will play host to No. 15 Vermont, which will play in its ninth NCAA Tournament.
Michigan State or USC will take on the winner of Marquette and Vermont Sunday, while either Purdue or Texas Southern/fairleigh Dickinson will face either Memphis or Florida Atlantic.
First-round games will be split in two separate sessions, each containing two games. Tickets are also on sale for the second-round games.
Tickets for each first-round session are on sale through Ticketmaster, with tickets starting at $70. For the second round, tickets on Ticketmaster start at $98.