Alabama's Keon Ellis (14) celebrates after scoring against LSU during the second half of the championship game at the Southeastern Conference Tournament last Sunday, (AP photo)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Nobody will get a lump in their throat or start sizing up glass slippers for programs like these — Alabama, Illinois, Baylor.

They’re not underdogs. They’re hardly unknown. What they are is a group of new teams with well-recognized names in the NCAA Tournament, and they’re hoping to keep making life hard on some of the programs that have long had a stranglehold on March.

Alabama is a 2 seed, matched for the best in its history, on the strength of its first SEC Tournament title in 30 years.

Baylor, building momentum for a while now, beat out Kansas for the Big 12 regular-season title despite a three-week break induced by the coronavirus. The Bears are top-seeded for the first time.

Illinois is making its first trip to the tournament since 2013, joining a more traditional Big Ten power, Michigan, as a No. 1 seed.

“I’d be lying if I said there weren’t a lot of uh-oh moments” along the road to rebuilding Illinois, coach Brad Underwood said.

All these programs have, indeed, had their uh-oh moments over the years, which is what makes their trip to the top of the brackets that much more unique.

Even before the pairings were announced, the pandemic ensured this NCAA Tournament was going to be a much different affair. Then, some dominos started falling. Duke and Kentucky, two longtime maestros of March, didn’t even make the field of 68 — the first time that pair has missed the tournament together since 1976.

Michigan State struggled. Kansas had a not-quite-Kansas kind of year. North Carolina found itself with a late-season matchup against Duke not for the ACC title but basically to keep its tournament chances alive.

Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide was rolling, and it had nothing to do with the football field. They make movies about the history of Alabama football. The history of Alabama basketball can be written on a postcard: Wimp Sanderson and his plaid sports coat, Robert Horry, one trip to the Elite Eight in 21 pervious, mostly unmemorable visits to the tournament.

“They weren’t terrible at basketball, and it seemed like they were on the verge of being a good basketball school,” said Herb Jones, the third-team All-American out of Greensboro, Alabama. “It looked like the perfect place to come in and turn the narrative, and give kids from Alabama a place to play basketball instead of going out of state.”

Illinois was a powerhouse once, but its last trip to the Final Four was in 2005, and that came nearly a decade after Lou Henson left and brought an end to a golden era for Illini hoops. Underwood said when he arrived four years ago, he did an informal poll of his players to start each season, asking them which team in the Big Ten plays the hardest.

In Thursday’s First Four play-in games:

DRAKE 53, WICHITA STATE 52

Joseph Yesufu scored 21 points and Drake held on in a tense First Four matchup between former Missouri Valley Conference rivals.

Drake’s last tournament victory had been 50 years ago to the day — March 18, 1971, against Notre Dame. Wichita State’s Alterique Gilbert settled for a long 3-pointer that hit the front rim as time expired.

Drake (26-4), advanced to play sixth-seeded Southern California in the West Region on Saturday.

TEXAS SOUTHERN 60, MOUNT ST. MARY 52

Texas Southern’s John Walker III scored a season-high 19 points, grabbing a career-high tying nine rebounds and led the Tigers back from a 10-point halftime deficit.

The Tigers (17-8) have won 10 straight overall and improved to 2-0 in First Four games. Their win over North Carolina Central in 2018 was the program’s first in the NCAA Tournament. Next up for the No. 16 seed in the East Region is top-seeded Michigan (20-4) on Saturday.

NORFOLK STATE 54, APPALACHIAN STATE 53

Devante Carter made two free throws with 8.6 seconds remaining, and Norfolk State held on after blowing an 18-point second-half lead.

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion Spartans completed a sweep by historically Black colleges and universities on the first day of NCAA Tournament play, joining Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Texas Southern, which beat Mount St. Mary’s earlier Thursday. Norfolk State advanced to face top overall seed Gonzaga on Saturday.