The Treasure State will be well-represented in the biggest college basketball tournament of the year.
Montana natives RayQuan Evans of Billings and Rollie Worster of Missoula both saw their respective teams chosen for at-large bids for the 2021 NCAA men's basketball tournament during Sunday's selection show.
Evans, a Billings Skyview graduate, is a senior with Florida State, which was chosen as a No. 4 seed in the East Region of the tournament. Florida State (16-6) will take on No. 13 UNC Greensboro (21-8) in the first round on Saturday.
Evans has begun to break out with Florida State this season, his second year on the team after transferring from North Idaho College. The former Skyview Falcon has played in 21 games and started in 15 for FSU, and is averaging 5.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in 19.5 minutes per contest while shooting at a 38.3% clip from the floor and 37.5% mark from deep.
For Evans, it will be his first experience in the NCAA Tournament after the 2020 tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Worster, a Missoula Hellgate grad and true freshman with Utah State, saw his Aggies earn a No. 11 seed in the South Region. Utah State (20-8) will take on No. 6 Texas Tech (17-10) on Friday in the first round.
Worster, a two-time Gatorade player of the year in the state of Montana, has played in 25 games and started in 24 at point guard for Utah State this season, and is averaging 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists for the Aggies with an average of 27.8 minutes per contest. Worster is shooting at a 41% rate from the floor and 27.6% mark from beyond the 3-point line.
Also of note from the selection show, former Montana men's basketball coach Wayne Tinkle and his Oregon State team were selected as a No. 12 seed in the Midwest Region of the tournament. OSU (17-12) will take on No. 5 Tennessee (18-8) on Friday. Tinkle and Oregon State were selected to finish in last place in the preseason Pac-12 poll but went on to beat UCLA, Oregon and Colorado en route to winning the school's first tournament championship. It will be Tinkle's second time going to the tournament with OSU and fifth overall as a head coach after taking the Montana Grizzlies in 2010, 2012 and 2013.
Big Sky Conference tournament champion Eastern Washington was selected as a No. 14 seed in the West Region. The Eagles (16-7), who defeated Montana State in the Big Sky tournament championship on Saturday, will take on No. 3 Kansas (20-8) on Saturday in the first round.
Times are still to be determined for the games. Every game in the 2021 NCAA Tournament will be played in Indiana.
