American University makes March Madness NCAA Tournament

State of play: AU will play Mount St. Mary's (61 miles north of D.C.) in the "First Four" in Dayton, Ohio — a series of matchups between the lowest-seeded teams.

• The winner will advance to the Round of 64 to square off against the East Region's No. 1 seed Duke.

Catch up fast: The Eagles beat Navy 74-52 last Wednesday at home to win the Patriot League Tournament Championship.

Zoom out: In other action, No. 4 seed Maryland men's team plays No. 13 Grand Canyon on Friday in the first round.

• In the women's tournament, No. 4 seed Maryland plays No. 13 seed Norfolk State on Saturday.
• George Mason University in Fairfax made the tournament for the first time as the No. 11 seed, playing No. 6 seed Florida State on Saturday.

Flashback: George Mason — whose men's team didn't make the tourney this year — had a legendary Cinderella run in 2006, reaching the Final Four.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that it's the AU men's team's fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament (not third). It's also been updated to add new information about the women's tournament.