It’s a cougar on cougar matchup to kick off March Madness as the No. 1-seeded Houston Cougars and No. 16-seeded SIU Edwardsville cougars go head-to-head on Thursday night. Houston earned a No. 1 seed after a 30-4 season, finishing first in the Big 12. SIUE finished second in the Ohio Valley conference with a 22-11 overall record.

Milos Uzan scored 16 points, LJ Cryer added 15 and No. 1 seed Houston was able to rest its starters early in a 78-40 rout of No. 16 seed SIU Edwardsville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Madness has tipped off with the start of the men’s first round. The action will continue deep into the night, through 16 games. Creighton defeated Louisville, 89-75, in today’s first game. Later, Purdue toppled High Point,