The No. 2 Houston Cougars take on the SIU-Edwardsville Cougars in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The teams square off Thursday for the first time this season.

The top-seeded Cougars headline a contingent of seven Big 12 teams heading to the NCAA tournament, which begins this week.

The conference championship guaranteed the Horned Frogs an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. However, thanks to their incredible play all season long, and a 31-3 overall record, TCU earned a No. 2 seed heading into their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2010. The seeding allows them to host first and second-round games.

The first full day of the men's NCAA Tournament is Thursday, while the women begin play Friday. Here's which local standouts are on the rosters.

Breaking down Friday’s South Region first-round game between No. 2 seed Michigan State and No. 15 seed Bryant: Records: No. 6 Michigan State (27-6, 17-3 Big Ten); Bryant (23-11, 14-2 America East Conference).

The Tritons were playing Division II ball just five years ago, when the pandemic shut down its tournament and may have kept his team from winning a national championship. The school began the transition to Division I the following year,