play0:25Iowa State’s awesome 2nd-half slams fuel blowout winBlake Buchanan and Killyan Toure complement each other with impressive slams to fuel the Cyclones to a blowout win over Tennessee State.
play0:25Santa Clara-Kentucky trade late 3s in wild sequence to force OTSanta Clara’s Allen Graves and Kentucky’s Otega Oweh hit clutch 3-pointers to send the game to overtime.
Latrell Wrightsell hits the trey for Alabama (0:16)Latrell Wrightsell hits the trey for Alabama Latrell Wrightsell hits the 3-pointer in the second half vs. Hofstra. (0:16)
Iowa State’s awesome 2nd-half slams fuel blowout winBlake Buchanan and Killyan Toure complement each other with impressive slams to fuel the Cyclones to a blowout win over Tennessee State.
Blake Buchanan and Killyan Toure complement each other with impressive slams to fuel the Cyclones to a blowout win over Tennessee State.
Santa Clara-Kentucky trade late 3s in wild sequence to force OTSanta Clara’s Allen Graves and Kentucky’s Otega Oweh hit clutch 3-pointers to send the game to overtime.
Santa Clara’s Allen Graves and Kentucky’s Otega Oweh hit clutch 3-pointers to send the game to overtime.
The first round of the 2026 men’s NCAA tournament continues Friday — and we’re tracking how every game was decided.
As every winner’s second-round matchup is set, ESPN’s reporters will also break down each team’s keys for advancing to the Sweet 16.
On defense, Xavier Booker will have the responsibility of containing Tarris Reed Jr., who just finished with 30 points and 27 rebounds in a win over Furman. If the 6-foot-11 Booker can’t slow Reed down, UCLA won’t have a chance. The Bruins should also look to exploit UConn’s ballhandling woes — the Huskies have committed 79 turnovers in their last six games — especially if Silas Demary Jr. is out again. — Medcalf
How Utah State won: In short, MJ Collins Jr. Down 10 points to Villanova early in the second half, the Aggies stuck to their game plan, attacked the paint and got to the free throw line, finishing with 37 attempts. They tied the score with 3:56 left, and that’s when Collins took over. The senior guard scored nine points as part of a 14-1 Utah State run, including an acrobatic, behind-the-back three-point play, as well as a key steal and dunk that capped the victory. — Paolo Uggetti
How Alabama won: Without their second-leading scorer and best 3-point shooter, Aden Holloway, who was arrested Monday on a felony drug charge, the Crimson Tide were forced to rely on sophomore guard Labaron Philon Jr. He responded with 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the 20-point victory. The Pride did not go quietly, though. Freshman guard Preston Edmead put up 24 points, going 5-of-10 from behind the arc, with four rebounds and four assists. — Jenna Laine
Iowa State’s awesome 2nd-half slams fuel blowout win
Santa Clara-Kentucky trade late 3s in wild sequence to force OT
How UConn won: Tarris Reed Jr. was just too much for Furman. The 6-foot-11 center outrebounded the Paladins all by himself, hauling in 27 boards to go with 31 points in an absolutely dominant performance for UConn. The 3-point shot wasn’t falling for the Huskies (5 of 25), keeping the game tight against a worthy opponent in Furman, which was powered by freshman Alex Wilkins and senior Tom House. But Reed controlled the interior, plucking 11 offensive rebounds, including several in the closing moments to secure the win. He’s just the third player in the last 50 years to have 30 points and 20 rebounds in an NCAA tournament game. — Tim McManus
How the Hurricanes can advance to the Sweet 16: Jai Lucas has already orchestrated one of the biggest turnarounds in Division I basketball this season. A win over Purdue and a Sweet 16 appearance would be another achievement in a remarkable first season at the helm, but it won’t come easily. Malik Reneau will have to be the best player on the court to give Miami — a team that doesn’t have wins against any national title contenders — a chance to win. From there, the Hurricanes will have to pressure Braden Smith and play disciplined in the paint. Even if they find a way to do just that, though, they’ll still need Reneau, Tre Donaldson and Shelton Henderson to match — or exceed — whatever Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Fletcher Loyer bring. This is the kind of game where Miami’s best players will have to be better than Purdue’s. — Medcalf
How the Jayhawks can advance to the Sweet 16: Flory Bidunga has to be the key for Kansas against St. John’s. He will have his hands full against Zuby Ejiofor, one of the best two-way big men in the country, but the sophomore has held his own in matchups against the likes of Motiejus Krivas and JT Toppin. Bidunga has also struggled mightily in other big games — 5 points and 4 points against Houston; 2 points against Arizona; 8 points against North Carolina — and his win/loss splits are telling. In Kansas’ wins, Bidunga averages 15.1 points and shoots better than 70% from the field. In losses, he averages 9.9 points and shoots 50.6% from the field. Defensively, the Jayhawks have to keep St. John’s out of transition and force the Red Storm to make shots from the perimeter. They ranked near the bottom of the Big East in 3-point attempt rate and percentage of points from 3s, and their 10 3s against Northern Iowa was the first time they made double-digit 3s in a game since Jan. 10. — Borzello
How UCLA won: The Knights put up a fight with a late surge, but the Bruins walked away with the win after finishing with 13 steals and nine blocks to kick-start their transition offense. The Knights turned the ball over 17 times compared with eight for the Bruins, and went just 5-of-16 from the free throw line. Donovan Dent (10 points, 5 assists, 6 steals) ran the show for UCLA and had a pair of alley-oop passes to Eric Dailey Jr. and Xavier Booker to add some flash to the substantive performance. Dailey tied a season high with 20 points. He is the first UCLA player with 20 points and five rebounds in an NCAA tournament game since Jaime Jaquez Jr. in 2023. — Tim McManus
How the Bruins can advance to the Sweet 16: It would help if Tyler Bilodeau returned. The 6-foot-9 star is UCLA’s best 3-point shooter — he spaces the floor for the Bruins in a unique manner that balances their offense. Against UConn, his presence would be a difference-maker because of his size and talent. Without him, the Bruins have to work harder to find open looks against a UConn squad with a top-15 defense. And Donovan Dent, who was 4 for 17 from the field against UCF, can’t be a spectator in this game. He was one of the most coveted transfers in the portal during the offseason. He has to play to his ceiling to beat a team with two of the last three national titles.
How the Hawkeyes can advance to the Sweet 16: On paper, Iowa is in for a tough night down against Florida. The Gators have one of the most dominant frontcourts in the country, ranking second nationally in paint points per game and third in second-chance points per game. They also lead the country in offensive rebounds per game. Iowa doesn’t block shots and allows opponents to shoot 56.5% inside the arc in Big Ten play, but the Hawkeyes played a frontcourt with comparable size and ability when they faced Michigan earlier this month. And while they lost, they held their own up front, outscoring the Wolverines in the paint and scoring more second-chance points. Can they repeat the feat against Florida? Iowa will also have to get the game at its preferred pace, one of the slowest in the country, forcing the Gators to play in the halfcourt more than they would like.– Borzello
How St. John’s won: Northern Iowa cut its deficit to 13 points in the second half, but St. John’s was never in danger. By the time the buzzer sounded, the Red Storm had dispatched the Panthers. St. John’s slowed down in the second half (scoring only 32 points after putting up 47 in the first), but it dominated in every aspect — especially on the glass, where it outrebounded the Panthers 45-29. The Johnnies’ defense was predictably suffocating, holding NIU to 39% shooting from the field and only 3-of-14 from deep. Next up for Rick Pitino and Co.? A potential blockbuster matchup against Kansas and Bill Self if they get through Cal Baptist. — Paolo Uggetti
How the Red Storm can advance to the Sweet 16: The biggest edge St. John’s will have against Kansas is on the offensive glass. The Red Storm are one of the most effective offensive rebounding teams in the country, ranking 17th nationally in second-chance points per game. Kansas, meanwhile, was one of the worst defensive rebounding teams in the Big 12, allowing opponents to rebound nearly 32% of their misses. Zuby Ejiofor and Dillon Mitchell should be able to get extra possessions for the Red Storm. With the exception of the drubbing at UConn in late February, St. John’s defense has been operating at an incredibly high level for several weeks. The Red Storm have allowed their last five opponents to make an average of just 3.4 3-pointers per game. — Borzello
How Purdue won: An experienced backcourt can take a team a long way in March, and Purdue’s Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer showed they are as solid as it gets. Smith had 26 points and eight assists against Queens University. Loyer had 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting from behind the arc. Both have played four seasons for coach Matt Painter and the Boilermakers, and that helps, too: The guard duo was vital in Purdue’s deep run in 2024 that fell just short of a national championship. If this year’s group is going to have a similar run, it will be because of the two guys who have started all 146 games of their collegiate careers. — Ben Baby
How the Boilermakers can advance to the Sweet 16: Purdue can win if Braden Smith (26 points, 8 assists against Queens) controls the pace of the matchup and its frontcourt gets the upper-hand over Miami’s frontcourt. Over the last five games, Trey Kaufman-Renn (25 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists) has averaged 17.4 points and 7.4 rebounds. That inside-outside threat was the catalyst for a run to the Big Ten tournament title game. Add Fletcher Loyer’s sharpshooting in, and the Boilermakers can beat Miami anyone — they’re a tough team to stall with their size inside and Smith’s ability to dictate the flow of any game. In their last loss this season, Wisconsin made 18 3-pointers. Miami doesn’t present a similar threat in this matchup. — Medcalf