The first two days of the NCAA Tournament are for the little guys.

Teams from under-the-radar conferences that have rarely, if ever, experienced March Madness get to test themselves against the nation’s elite. We’re looking at you, Alabama State. You too, Lipscomb, and SIU Edwardsville.

The 16 vs. 1 matchups usually devolve into blowouts. Occasionally, the No. 16 seed hangs in there for a while and fades away.

The No. 16 almost never wins — the key word being “almost.”

One of the great moments in tournament lore happened in 2018 when Maryland-Baltimore County knocked out No. 1 overall seed Virginia 74-54 for the first-ever victory in 136 attempts for a No. 16. The Retrievers lost 50-43 to Kansas State in the second round and haven’t been back.

It happened again in 2023, when Fairleigh Dickinson won a First Four game against Texas Southern and then took down No. 1 seed Purdue 63-58. The Knights then lost 78-70 to a Florida Atlantic team that made its own improbable run all the way to the Final Four.

Take heed Alabama State, Norfolk State, SIUE and American or Mount St. Mary’s: No. 16s are 2-154 all-time.

So, yes, we’re saying there’s a chance. A look at March Madness by the numbers:

3: Triple doubles by Yale’s Bez Mbeng, most in the nation.

4: Schools making their first tournament appearances — SIU-Edwardsville, Omaha, High Point and UC San Diego.

6: Houston appearances in the Final Four, most by a team NCAA