The SWAC’s Grambling State defeated Montana State, 88-81 in the “First Four” tournament game.   Howard University represented the MEAC in the tournament’s first round. Although both teams lost their first-round contests, the conferences will still receive the payments.   

The distribution will be in six payments, starting at $342,000 in 2025 and rising approximately 3% annually.

Black Sports Insiders contacted the SWAC and MEAC to determine how the conferences distributed the performance fund but haven’t received confirmation from their representatives.  

No. 16 Howard Bison will play No. 16 Wagner Seahawks in the West Region at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio.

No. 16 Grambling State Tigers are paired with No. 16 Montana State Bobcats in the Midwest Region at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio.

The official dates and times of the basketball games have yet to be determined.

According to the NCAA, the First Four are based on the following:

When selecting the teams for the NCAA tournament, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee ranks every team from No. 1 through No. 68. In its current format, the First Four consists of eight teams — the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams. Each subset plays against itself (i.e., at-large teams face at-large teams, and automatic qualifiers face automatic qualifiers).

Related: Grambling State Tigers Are The New ‘Kings Of The SWAC’ After They Dethrone The Texas Southern Tigers, Going To First NCAA Tournament

Related: Howard Bison Vanquish Delaware State Hornets To Repeat As The MEAC Men’s Basketball Champions, Head To NCAA Tournament