Out of those 65 teams, five teams from Maryland, Virginia, or the District of Columbia were selected: Georgetown, George Mason, American, Maryland at Baltimore County (U.M.B.C.), and Mount St. Mary’s.

The selection committee’s chair is another local face. Tom O’Connor, director of athletics at George Mason, led the committee through the selection process this past year.

The second seed in the Midwest bracket, Georgetown, is known for its rich basketball history. The Hoyas lost in the Big East tournament in the semifinals to eventual champion Pittsburgh; therefore, they are the only at-large bid recipient from this area.

They will have to face a resilient fifteen seeded U.M.B.C. team in the first round. The Retrievers are led by a seasoned upperclassman in Ray Barbosa, who is averaging 16.8 points per game.

George Mason returns to the tournament after its miraculous run in 2006 to the Final Four. They won the Colonial Athletic Conference tournament to earn their bid.

The Patriots will face a tough Notre Dame team in the first round and will have to battle in the paint against Big East Player of the Year Luke Harangody.

American beat Colgate in the Patriot League championship on their home floor last week, marking their first bid to the NCAA tournament. They will have to face the second seed in the East region, Tennessee, which won the Southeastern Conference regular season championship and also beat Memphis, who was the number one team in the country at the time.

Finally, Mount St. Mary’s won the NCAA opening round game against Coppin State on Tuesday. This only leads to a game against Atlantic Coast Conference and overall number one seed North Carolina. The Mount will have a tough test in front of them.

March Madness is always a great time for a program’s exposure on the national stage. This year, it’s even better with five local teams fighting for the national championship and putting the Metro area on the basketball radar.