IN THE BRACKET — Let the #Madness begin.

After Sunday’s selection announcement on TBS (which was too long, or too short, or too rambling or too "why-didn’t-my-team-make-it," depending on who you ask), it’s finally time for the NCAA Tournament to begin.

The tourney tips off Tuesday and Wednesday night in Dayton, Ohio, with the First Four play-in games.

And with that, let's look at some of the best reactions in this week’s Great Clips.

The highest of highs

The best part about Selection Sunday is the teams’ reactions as their names are revealed on the bracket.

Just watch Rhode Island coach Dan Hurley while watching Sunday’s broadcast on TBS.

Hurley’s Rams (25-7) will face 10th-seeded Oklahoma at 10:15 a.m. Thursday in Pittsburgh. But Hurley isn’t celebrating that decision.

He’s dancing as he reacts to the selection of Arizona State, where his brother, Bobby, coaches. The Sun Devils were in prime “bubble” territory entering Sunday’s announcement, and were placed in the First Four opposite Syracuse at 7:10 p.m. MDT Wednesday in Dayton.

The lowest of lows

Middle Tennessee State was supposed to be in the NCAA Tournament.

The Blue Raiders were 24-7 with a 16-2 mark in Conference USA. But with a resume that ranked 29th in the RPI and just a 2-3 record against “Quadrant One” opponents (the two wins coming in conference at Murray State and Western Kentucky), it was never a given.

So a 71-68 overtime loss to Southern Miss in the semifinals of the CUSA tournament left MTSU just shy of its intended goal.

And perhaps the lasting image of the Blue Raiders (pending the results of their NIT bid) will be Raiders star Nick King sitting alone in the video room an hour after the broadcast, obviously stunned and in disbelief.

The 6-foot-7 Memphis native averaged 21.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game for Middle Tennessee. But those stats didn’t help the Blue Raiders convince the tournament selection committee Sunday.

Middle Tennessee State will host sixth-seeded Vermont (27-7) in the first round of the NIT at 6 p.m. MDT Tuesday on ESPNU.

Agony into ecstasy

By all accounts, Davidson was not going to the NCAA Tournament in 2018.

But Steph Curry’s alma mater had other plans in the Atlantic 10 championship game Sunday with a 58-57 win over Rhode Island.

And that means more coach Bob McKillop, which is a good thing in today’s college basketball environment.

The Wildcats will face top-seeded Kentucky at 5:10 p.m. MDT Thursday in Boise. The game will be broadcast on CBS.

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