A New Orleans player appeared to intentionally choke a teammate during the opening game of the NCAA Tournament

TruTV

The NCAA Tournament is underway and already things have gotten ugly, only this time it was between two Mount St. Mary's teammates with one appearing to choke the other during an altercation.

The incident occurred late in the second half of the First Four matchup, with Mount St. Mary's leading New Orleans. Bryce Thurston appeared to be upset at Chris Wray for not passing the ball soon enough, leading to a three-second violation.

Thurston confronted Wray on the way towards the bench during the ensuing timeout. When Wray tried to push Thurston away, the 6-foot-5 Thurston appeared to put both of his hands around the neck of Wray before others quickly intervened.

We never get a good angle of the altercation, but when the video is slowed down, it does appear that Thurston's hands are around the neck of Wray momentarily.