By Reggie Gatlin-Holt

3 20 2024

GRAMBLING, La. | The Grambling State University men’s basketball team is set to take on Montana State in a battle of 16-seeds in Dayton, Ohio, tipping off the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in the First Four.

The game is scheduled for a 5:40 p.m. CST start on Wednesday, March 20 and will be broadcast on TruTV.

GSU secured its first-ever trip to the Division I Big Dance after claiming its first Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Tournament crown in school history with a 75-66 victory over Texas Southern on Saturday night.

Grambling State entered the SWAC Tourney as the No. 1 seed, claiming its second straight regular season title after posting a 14-4 mark in conference play. The Tigers currently sit a 20-14 overall.

Head coach Donte’ Jackson was named the SWAC Coach of the year for the third time since 2018. Jackson currently sports a 119-101 record while leading the Tigers. His 119 victories as GSU’s head coach ranks him second behind the legendary Fredrick C. Hobdy who won 571 games while leading the G-Men.

Wednesday’s contest will be the first-ever meeting between Grambling State and Montana State (17-17 overall, 9-9 Big Sky), who is embarking on its sixth trip to the NCAA Tournament.

The Bobcats earned their way into the Big Dance after defeating Montana 85-70 in the Big Sky Championship game.

The winner of Wednesday’s game will advance to face the top seed in the Midwest Region, Purdue (29-4, 17-3 Big Ten) on Friday, March 22 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. at 6:35 p.m. CST on TBS.

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