March is not for the faint of heart.

The Towson Tigers made their fifth straight CAA Tournament semifinal Sunday after upsetting No. 2 seed Charleston, but stumbled while going toe-to-toe with No. 3 seed Hofstra for a spot in the championship game.

In a defensive duel where neither team led by more than six points, the Tigers pushed the Pride to overtime before Hofstra’s Preston Edmead banked a 3-pointer off the glass at the buzzer.

The Tigers’ Tyler Tejada tallied 29 points in the 68-65 loss, and coach Pat Skerry now goes back to the drawing board after another semifinal stumble.

“I don’t think that makes me feel any less about the effort that these guys gave, and some of the success they had,” Skerry said. “It’s a tough way to lose your last game for sure, on a bank shot at the buzzer from 35 feet. That’s not usually how you draw it up … but that’s what happened.”

Meanwhile, Maryland and Virginia Tech both open play on the first days of their respective tournaments. But not all “first rounds” are created equally. The Hokies will need five wins in five days to capture the ACC title, while the Terps would need six straight victories to win the Big Ten.

The ACC has a “Dreaded First Round” and the Big Ten has an “Infamous First Round.” Either way, it’s a long shot for both schools. And for the record, the Big East simply calls its opening day the “First Round,” because more than half the league participates.

Bids awarded Monday night

SoCon: Furman tops East Tennessee State 76-61 behind 21 points and 11 rebounds from Cooper Bowser. The Paladins most recent trip to the NCAA Tournament was 2023 as a No. 13 seed, as a last-second shot sunk Virginia in the First Round before they lost to eventual national runner-up San Diego State.

Sun Belt: Troy ended Georgia Southern’s dream, stopping the Eagles from a sixth straight game. Thomas Dowd’s 23 points and 13 rebounds helped secure a second straight trip to the Big Dance for the Trojans. They were the No. 14 seed last year, falling to Kentucky.

Tuesday’s bids

CAA: Hofstra vs. Monmouth, 7 p.m., CBS Sports Network. The Pride are one win away from their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2006, although they won the 2020 CAA Tournament before the NCAA Tournament was canceled that March due to the pandemic.

The Hawks last advanced to the NCAA Tournament 2006, as a member of the NEC. Hofstra swept the regular season series.

Metro Atlantic: Merrimack (23-10) vs. Siena (22-11), 9 p.m., ESPN2. The Warriors swept the regular season series and are pursuing their first NCAA Tournament bid. They won the 2023 NEC Tournament, but were ineligible for postseason play due to rules tied to their transition as a “new” Division I program.

The Saints, two years removed from a 4-28 season, are looking for their first trip to the Big Dance since 2010.

West Coast: Gonzaga (29-3) vs. Santa Clara (26-7), 9 p.m., ESPN. The Bulldogs beat Oregon State 65-56 to advance to their 27th straight WCC Championship Game before leaving the league for the “New Pac-12.” They’ll face a Broncos team they swept in the regular season, but Santa Clara beat Saint Mary’s less than two weeks after the Gaels beat Gonzaga.

Games of local interest

Maryland (11-20) meets Oregon (12-19) at 5 p.m. for the right to face Iowa and to avoid being the first team sent home from Chicago. The Terps lost the Jan. 2 meeting in College Park 64-54, shooting 28% and making 20% from three-point range.

The Ducks used a 15-5 run to put the game away in the second half, behind a pair of threes from Jamari Phillips. This as, the Terrapins big man Solomon Washington tallied 17 points with 12 rebounds in defeat. He’ll have his hands full inside with Oregon seven-footer Nate Bittle.

Virginia Tech (19-12) faces Wake Forest (16-15) at 7 p.m., needing a win to remain on the fringe of the outskirts of the NCAA bubble (yes, it’s that remote).

The Hokies lost the Jan. 3 meeting in Winston-Salem (81-78), while taking the Feb. 21 game in Blacksburg 82-63.

The big difference: Demon Deacons guard Nate Calmese netted 25 points with seven assists in the January meeting, but missed the February showdown due to an ankle injury that’s keeping him out for the rest of the season. Another factor: The Hokies turned the ball over 19 times in the loss versus five in the victory. The winner plays Clemson Wednesday night.

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