D1 Men: New Englander’s guide to the NCAA tournament

Simon Mathias and Penn are into the NCAA tournament after beating Yale in the Ivy League final. (Credit: Ivy League)

The 2019 NCAA tournament field is set, and just one team from New England is set to feature: Yale, the defending NCAA champions.

Vermont (America East) and Quinnipiac (MAAC) both faltered in their conference finals, while the likes of UMass (CAA), Boston University (Patriot League), Providence (Big East), Brown (Ivy League) and Sacred Heart (Northeast Conference) made their conference semifinals. But this time of year, close often isn't good enough with at-large bids few and far between. Automatic qualifiers, for the vast majority, are the way to go.

Mindful of that, here's a look at the bracket with a New England point of view. There's plenty of local talent to keep an eye out for on the 17 teams, with one opening-round game rounding out the eventual 16-team field.

First-round games are slated for this coming Saturday and Sunday at host schools, then East Hartford, Conn., and Hempstead, N.Y., play host at later rounds. All games are broadcast on ESPNU.