March Madness lived up to its name on Thursday as the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament delivered upsets, historic moments, and edge-of-your-seat finishes across all 16 games. If your bracket survived intact, consider yourself lucky.
The Upsets
No. 12 High Point 83, No. 5 Wisconsin 82
The first major upset of the tournament came courtesy of Chase Johnston, whose go-ahead fast-break layup with 11.7 seconds left stunned Wisconsin. The kicker? It was Johnston’s first two-point field goal of the entire season — the sharpshooter had been 0-for-4 inside the arc all year, earning his points almost exclusively from three-point range.
No. 11 VCU 82, No. 6 North Carolina 78 (OT)
The game of the day. VCU erased a 19-point second-half deficit — tied for the largest comeback in the Round of 64 since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985. Reserve guard Terrence Hill Jr. was the hero, pouring in 34 points on 23 shot attempts, including a dagger three-pointer with 15 seconds left in overtime. UNC missed its final nine shots in a historic collapse.
No. 11 Texas 79, No. 6 BYU 71
Fresh off a First Four win over NC State, the Longhorns kept rolling. BYU freshman phenom AJ Dybantsa dropped 35 points — the most by a freshman in an NCAA Tournament debut — but it wasn’t enough. Texas big man Matas Vokietaitis answered with 23 points and 16 rebounds, and Jordan Pope buried a clutch corner three to seal it late.
History Made
No. 4 Nebraska 76, No. 13 Troy 47
The Cornhuskers finally did it. After going 0-8 all-time in the NCAA Tournament — the only power conference program without a win — Nebraska dismantled Troy in dominant fashion. Pryce Sandfort caught fire with a program-record seven three-pointers and 23 points. The Cornhuskers forced 17 turnovers and outrebounded Troy on both ends of the floor.
Close Calls
No. 1 Duke 71, No. 16 Siena 65
The No. 1 overall seed nearly became the story of the tournament for all the wrong reasons. Siena led by 11 at halftime and held the lead until under six minutes to play. The Saints’ starters played nearly the entire game without a substitution, and fatigue eventually caught up — they shot just 8-of-34 in the second half. Cameron Boozer led Duke’s rally with 22 points and 13 rebounds, while brother Cayden added 19.
No. 9 TCU 66, No. 8 Ohio State 64
The day’s first game set the tone. TCU led by 15 at the half, watched Ohio State storm all the way back to take the lead, then escaped on a Xavier Edmonds layup with 4.1 seconds remaining. David Punch was the unsung hero with 13 of his 16 points coming in the second half.
The Blowouts
Not every game went down to the wire. A few teams made emphatic statements:
- No. 3 Illinois 105, No. 14 Penn 70 — The Illini scored the most points of any team on Day One, committed just three turnovers, and knocked down 15 three-pointers.
- No. 9 Saint Louis 102, No. 8 Georgia 77 — The Billikens scored 66 points in the paint, the most by any team in an NCAA Tournament game in 20 years. Georgia remains without a tournament win since 2003.
- No. 4 Arkansas 97, No. 13 Hawai’i 78 — Five Razorbacks scored in double figures, led by Darius Acuff Jr. (24 points, 7 assists). It was Arkansas’s first 90-point tournament game since 1999.
- No. 3 Michigan State 92, No. 14 North Dakota State 67 — The Spartans shot 58.9% from the field, their best in a tournament game since 1986.
- No. 1 Michigan 101, No. 16 Howard 80 — Morez Johnson Jr. went a perfect 8-for-8 from the field, finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
- No. 2 Houston 78, No. 15 Idaho 47 — Freshman Kingston Flemings set a program record with 18 points in a tournament game.
Other Results
- No. 6 Louisville 83, No. 11 South Florida 79 — Isaac McKneely hit seven threes to hold off a late Bulls rally.
- No. 5 Vanderbilt 78, No. 12 McNeese 68 — Tyler Tanner scored 25 points (17 in the second half) to power the Commodores.
- No. 3 Gonzaga 73, No. 14 Kennesaw State 64 — Graham Ike led the way with 19 points and 8 rebounds.
- No. 3 Virginia vs. No. 14 Wright State — The Cavaliers advanced behind Jacari White’s hot shooting.
- No. 10 Texas A&M 63, No. 7 Saint Mary’s 50 — The Aggies pulled off the late upset.
What to Watch Saturday
The second round is loaded. Duke faces a TCU team that knows how to grind. Illinois gets a red-hot VCU squad fresh off its epic comeback. Gonzaga meets a Texas team riding momentum with two straight wins. And Nebraska — with its first tournament win in hand — looks to make more history against Vanderbilt.
Day One proved once again why they call it March Madness. Buckle up — it’s only getting started.
