Trending Now - March Madness 2026: Underdogs and Surprises Steal the Show
WHO:
Isaac McKneely (Louisville player) scored a team-high 23 points in the game against South Florida.
Rashaun Agee (Texas A&M player) led the team with 22 points and nine rebounds against Saint Mary’s.
Kingston Flemings (Houston player) had a team-high 18 points in the game against Idaho.
Chris Cenac Jr. (Houston player) recorded a game-high 18 rebounds against Idaho.
High Point (team), Wisconsin (team), VCU (team), Texas (team), Texas A&M (team), North Carolina (team), BYU (team), Saint Mary’s (team), Caleb Wilson (North Carolina player), Richie Saunders (BYU player), Paulius Murauskas (Saint Mary’s player), Chase Johnston (High Point player).
Duke University (team), Florida (reigning champion), TCU (team), Ohio State (team), Cameron Boozer (ACC Player of the Year), Louisville (team), Mikel Brown Jr. (star freshman), Michigan State (team), Carson Cooper (player), VCU (team), North Carolina (team), Lazar Ddjokovic (player), Illinois (team), David Mirkovic (player), Vanderbilt (team), Tyler Tanner (player), Nebraska (team), Pryce Sandfort (player), High Point (team), Arkansas (team), John Calipari (coach), Texas (team), AJ Dybantsa (player), Houston (team), Kingston Flemings (player), Chris Cenac Jr. (player), Arizona (team), Villanova (team), Michigan (team), Saint Louis (team), Dion Brown (player), Texas Tech (team), Alabama (team), Tennessee (team), Kentucky (team), Santa Clara (team), Jacob Moran (wrestler), Nic Bouzakis (wrestler), Marc-Anthony McGowan (wrestler), Nico Provo (wrestler), Carter Young (wrestler), Koy Buesgens (wrestler), Chance Lamer (wrestler), Collin Gaj (wrestler), Lachlan McNeil (wrestler), Caleb Tyus (wrestler), Ty Watters (wrestler), Jude Swisher (wrestler), Bryce Hepner (wrestler), Matty Bianchi (wrestler), EJ Parco (wrestler), Max Brignola (wrestler), Beau Mantanona (wrestler), Alex Facundo (wrestler), MJ Gaitan (wrestler), Simon Ruiz (wrestler), Brian Soldano (wrestler), James Conway (wrestler), Colton Hawks (wrestler), Bennett Berge (wrestler), Juan Mora (wrestler), Nick Feldman (wrestler), Hunter Catka (wrestler), Devon Dawson (wrestler).
WHAT:
High Point's victory over Wisconsin was their first March Madness win since 2016.
VCU's win over North Carolina marked their first March Madness victory since 2016.
The total number of perfect brackets remaining after the first day of the tournament was approximately 14,000, or about 0.039% of all brackets submitted.
High Point defeated Wisconsin 83-82, marking a significant upset.
VCU defeated North Carolina 82-78 in overtime, marking the largest first-round comeback in NCAA tournament history.
Texas A&M defeated Saint Mary’s 73-50.
Texas defeated BYU 79-71.
Just over 10,000 of the 26.5 million brackets submitted in the ESPN bracket challenge remained perfect after the first day of the tournament.
The 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament features 64 teams.
The SEC has 10 teams, Big Ten has 9 teams, and Big 12 has 8 teams in the tournament.
Duke is the No. 1 overall seed.
Duke defeated Siena 71-65 in the Round of 64.
TCU upset Ohio State 66-64.
Louisville defeated South Florida 83-79.
Michigan State won against North Dakota State 92-67.
VCU defeated North Carolina 82-78 in overtime.
Illinois beat Penn 105-70.
Vanderbilt won against McNeese State 78-68.
Nebraska defeated Troy 76-47.
Houston won against Idaho 78-47.
Michigan defeated Howard 101-80.
Saint Louis beat Georgia 102-77.
The 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships are taking place in Cleveland, Ohio.
Jacob Moran (ranked #14) won against Nic Bouzakis (ranked #3) by major decision 10-2.
Marc-Anthony McGowan (ranked #10) defeated Nico Provo (ranked #7) 4-2.
WHERE:
The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is taking place in various locations including Washington DC, San Diego, Buffalo, Philadelphia, Tampa, Oklahoma City, and St. Louis.
The 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships are being held in Cleveland, Ohio.
WHEN:
The Round of 32 matches are scheduled for March 21st and March 22nd, 2026.
The first day of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament was on March 19th, 2026.
The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament began on March 19th, 2026.
The Round of 64 matches are scheduled for March 20th, 2026.
The Round of 32 matches are scheduled for March 21st and March 22nd, 2026.
The NCAA Wrestling Championships are currently ongoing in March 2026.
WHY:
Saint Mary’s leading scorer Paulius Murauskas did not start due to illness and was limited to four points in the game against Texas A&M.
North Carolina's loss was attributed to the absence of freshman sensation Caleb Wilson due to a broken thumb.
BYU struggled due to the absence of star Richie Saunders, who suffered a torn ACL two months prior.
HOW:
High Point hit back-to-back 3-pointers as part of a 6-of-7 shooting stretch to pull within 82-81 against Wisconsin.
High Point's Chase Johnston made four 3-pointers during the game against Wisconsin, contributing to the upset victory.
Duke overcame a 13-point deficit in the second half against Siena to win.
TCU's Xavier Edmonds scored the game-winning basket with 4.3 seconds remaining against Ohio State.
VCU forced overtime against North Carolina after trailing by 19 points during regulation.
(UPDATED March 20, 2026 13:18 UTC)
In an exciting day of March Madness, High Point celebrated their first tournament win since 2016 with a narrow victory over Wisconsin, highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers that brought them within one point late in the game. Meanwhile, Texas A&M secured their own victory against Saint Mary’s, where Rashaun Agee led the team with 22 points and nine rebounds, while Saint Mary’s top scorer struggled due to illness, managing only four points. As we look ahead, the Round of 32 matches are set for March 21st and 22nd, with around 14,000 perfect brackets still in play after the first day of the tournament.
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(UPDATED March 20, 2026 07:17 UTC)
In a thrilling start to the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament on March 19, High Point pulled off a stunning upset by defeating Wisconsin 83 to 82, thanks in part to Chase Johnston's four 3-pointers. Meanwhile, VCU made history with the largest first-round comeback, overcoming North Carolina 82 to 78 in overtime, a loss attributed to the absence of freshman star Caleb Wilson due to injury. Other notable results included Texas A&M's decisive 73 to 50 win over Saint Mary’s and Texas defeating BYU 79 to 71, leaving just over 10,000 of the 26.5 million brackets submitted in the ESPN challenge still perfect after the first day.
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(UPDATED March 20, 2026 05:22 UTC)
The 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament kicked off yesterday, featuring 64 teams, with Duke emerging as the No. 1 overall seed after a thrilling comeback to defeat Siena 71-65. In other notable matches, TCU pulled off an upset against Ohio State with a final score of 66-64, while VCU triumphed over North Carolina 82-78 in overtime after trailing by 19 points. Meanwhile, the NCAA Wrestling Championships are currently underway in Cleveland, where Jacob Moran secured a major decision victory over Nic Bouzakis, and Marc-Anthony McGowan edged out Nico Provo 4-2.