A MARTINEZ, HOST:
March Madness is here, and the NCAA brackets are out. Last night on Selection Sunday, college basketball teams found out who's headed to the big dance. Gonzaga took the top overall No. 1 seed on the men's side, while South Carolina took the top seed for the women. And this season, there's a school on both lists that's never been there before - Longwood.
RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
This university in Farmville, Va., is dancing double. Both its men's and women's teams made history by winning the Big South Conference championships. For a small school with fewer than 5,000 students, this is epic.
GRIFF ALDRICH: It's really a special moment for our university, for our students and our alumni and our community.
MARTINEZ: That's Griff Aldrich - great name. A few years ago, Aldrich left a law career to become the men's basketball coach.
ALDRICH: I feel very blessed to have had those experiences and then hopefully try to take some good lessons from those experiences and apply them here at Longwood.
MARTINEZ: For the Lancers women's team, Head Coach Rebecca Tillett is credited with turning around the team in just three seasons.
REBECCA TILLETT: Everything we do in our program is based on women's empowerment and just women going after their biggest dreams, chasing it. And when you achieve it, go after another one.
MARTIN: For many, the teams were considered long shots, if they were considered at all. But now they're moving forward.
TILLETT: This group has always been about making history and taking the next step. So we're going to want to continue and take the next step next season.
MARTINEZ: Those next steps start this Thursday, when the men take on Tennessee and the women go up against Mount St. Mary's in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.