OZARKSFIRST

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) When Texas Southern and North Carolina Central tipped off on the second night of last year's First Four, the University of Dayton Arena next to Interstate 75 was still filling up with 12,732 spectators, the largest crowd in the eight-year history of the NCAA Tournament play-in affair.

The arena had "March Madness" logos on the polished court, national TV, blaring pep bands and a giant American flag unfurled by members of the military stationed at nearby Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for an undercard of teams from small, historically black colleges - one of them with a losing record - that rarely see this kind of hoopla. The place crackled with the energy of an important event.

"First class," was how Mike Davis put it. Davis took Texas Southern to the First Four in 2014 and 2018 before moving on to coach at Detroit Mercy.