NCAA Play-in Game

The NCAA play-in game is the opening game of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. It is generally played two days before the first round of the tournament and features the 64th and 65th seeded teams. The winner of the game continues on in the tournament, facing one of the #1-seeded teams in the first round. Never since the play-in game was added to the tournament in 2001, has the play-in game winner won their next game in the first round of the tournament.

The NCAA play-in game opened the 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament on March 16, 2010. The Winthrop Eagles of the Big South fell 61-44 to the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions of the Southwest Conference. The game, which aired live on ESPN, was played at University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio. The Golden Lions advanced in the South Region bracket to play their first-round game against the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils.

The NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament does not include a play-in game, starting the tournament with 64 teams, rather than the 65 the men's tournament includes.

The play-in game of the 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament was played on March 17, 2009, at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio. The Alabama State Hornets fell to the Morehead State Eagles 58 to 43.

On Tuesday March 18, 2008, the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers defeated the Coppin State Eagles 69-60 in the NCAA Play-in Game.

• 2008: Mount St. Marys 69 - Coppin State 60
• 2007: Niagara 77 - Florida A&M 69
• 2006: Monmouth 71 - Hampton 49
• 2005: Oakland 79 - Alabama A&M 69
• 2004: Florida A&M 72 - Lehigh 57
• 2003: UNC Ashville 92 - Texas Southern 84
• 2002: Siena 81 - Alcorn State 77
• 2001: Northwestern State 71 - Winthrop 67