The first day of March Madness reminded everyone why the tournament is so special. It gave us massive upsets, high-pressure shots, and an insane amount to take away from the games.
Overall, six lower seeds (seeds 9-16) advanced to the Round of 32, and three teams with a No. 6 seed or higher lost in the Round of 64. Two games were decided by a point, a No. 1 seed was on its knees, and a 19-pound comeback occurred. The second day of March Madness (Friday, March 20, 2026) will wrap up the Round of 64, and the third day (Saturday, March 21), will start the Round of 32.
Biggest Shot: TCU’s go-ahead layup with four seconds left
The biggest shot of the day came in the first game of the day, between the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes (21-13) and No. 9 TCU Horned Frogs (23-11). It was an all-around great game that ended in heartbreak for the Buckeyes.
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The Horned Frogs looked in control early, finishing the first half with a cushy 39-24 lead, but Ohio State went on a crazy run to take a 57-53 lead with 5:37 left to go. The game was one possession the rest of the way, with TCU and Ohio State trading blows.
However, the Horned Frogs had the last laugh. With just four seconds left in the game, TCU forward Xavier Edmonds converted a layup on a slick pass from David Punch to seal the 66-64 win. The Buckeyes heaved a desperation three-pointer, but it was no good.
Biggest Surprise: Siena Saints
A few hours later, the No. 16 seed Siena Saints gave us the biggest surprise of the day. Heading against the No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils, the Saints were expected to bow out easily. However, the Saints didn’t just keep it competitive; they brought the Blue Devils to their knees.
The Saints were up 43-32 by the end of the half. It was the first time a No.1 seed trailed a No. 16 seed by double digits in NCAA tournament history. The Blue Devils avoided a major upset, outscoring the Saints 39-22 in the second half to win 71-65. However, it was a job well done by the Saints, who will remember this game for many years.
Biggest Disappointment: Georgia Bulldogs
The biggest disappointment came from another dog team, the Georgia Bulldogs. As a No. 8 seed, they were favored to win against the No. 9 Saint Louis Billikens. The Bulldogs averaged the third most points in the nation, scoring 90.4 points per game. Georgia was still a respected team in March Madness, despite losing their first game of the SEC tournament vs. the Ole Miss Rebels.
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Unfortunately, the Bulldogs didn’t show up at all. They were embarrassed 102-77, and the score doesn’t tell the full extent of how badly Georgia was beaten. The Bulldogs shot 25 for 72 (34.7%) from the field and 10 for 39 (25.6%) from the three-point line. Saint Louis had a double-digit lead in field goal percentage (58.3%-34.7%), rebounds (47-36), and assists (27-9), and the Billikens had 66 points in the paint vs. just 28 for the Bulldogs.
This marks the second year in a row the Bulldogs lost by more than 20 in the round of 64, and they’re still looking for the first win in March Madness since 2002. Questions remain about Georgia head coach Mike White’s future with the team.
Biggest Bracket Buster: Wisconsin Badgers
The biggest bracket buster came in the West. The Wisconsin Badgers, a No. 5 seed, had a 77.2% pre-game win probability over the High Point Panthers, a No. 12 seed. Wisconsin had just come off a close loss to Michigan in the Big Ten tournament semifinal.
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However, the Panthers played the Badgers close the entire game. Wisconsin escaped with just a 41-39 lead at halftime, but by the second half, they looked ready to close it out, taking a 70-62 lead at 7:08.
Then, Chase Johnston showed up. Johnston, a backup guard wearing no. 99, scored 11 of the final 21 points High Point scored, including knocking down the game-winning layup with 11 seconds left to go. That layup was the first two-point shot Johnston converted on all season, and it helped High Point win 83-82.
Wisconsin’s upset loss took out a lot of the perfect brackets that survived Ohio State’s loss. After the High Point victory, just 5.5% of all brackets remained perfect.
Biggest Comeback: VCU Rams vs. North Carolina Tarheels
Later in the night, the No. 11 seed VCU Rams had the biggest comeback of the day. They had won the Atlantic 10 against the Dayton Flyers a few days before this matchup, so a No. 11 seed felt like an undervaluation for them.
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The worst part was that they had to go against the No. 6 North Carolina Tarheels, who are one of the major blue bloods of college basketball. The Tarheels had a 39-26 halftime lead and a 54-37 lead at 14:58 in the second half.
Then, the Rams outscored the Tarheels 45-24 the rest of the way. VCU guard Terrence Hill Jr. knocked down a layup at 10 seconds left in regulation to tie it 75-75, and the Rams outscored the Tarheels 7-3 in overtime to deliver another upset.
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