Time to fill out those brackets for March Madness as the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament gets underway on Thursday. And the Bay Area is represented with two squads making the field of 68.

Cal squeaked in as one of the last at-large teams into the field and will play in one of the four play-in games on Wednesday night against South Florida. The winner will be seeded 12th in the Midwest region and earn the right to take on 5th seeded Temple on Friday in Nashville.

The Golden Bears ended the season in a bit of a slump, losing three of its last four games, including in the Pac 12 Tournament to eventual champion Colorado. The team did finish with a 24-9 record and is one of only two teams from the conference to make the field of 68.

Wednesday’s play-in game is at 6 p.m. in Dayton, Ohio and will be broadcast on TruTv.

While Cal had to sweat out a potential bid, St. Mary’s was guaranteed a spot in the field after winning the West Coast Conference tournament in Las Vegas last week.

The Gaels are also in the Midwest bracket as the 7th seed and will take on Purdue in the first round on Friday in Omaha.

St. Mary’s finished the season with a 27-5 record and won both the regular and post-season titles in the WCC.

Friday’s St. Mary’s-Purdue game will be at 4:27 p.m. and will also be broadcast on TruTV.

Photo Credit: St. Mary’s College

• Tag: Brackets, Cal, Gaels, Golden Bears, March Madness, NCAA Basketball Tournament, St. Mary's