There are 64 teams in the NCAA Tournament, but only one will hoist the national championship trophy. It won’t be easy for fans to keep up with the seemingly endless action, but the guide below will certainly help.
The SEC leads all conferences with 10 teams in the NCAA Tournament. The Big Ten trails closely behind with nine teams in, while the Big 12 has eight. Florida is the reigning champion, but Duke is the No. 1 overall seed in the Big Dance this season.
Last season, seeding was spot-on, with all four 1-seeds reaching the Final Four. However, it’s a new year and upsets could be abound. Check out all of the NCAA Tournament matchups, results and pertinent information below.
Round of 64
East (Washington DC)
Greenville
1 Duke 71, 16 Siena 65 [Siena eliminated]
Although it received a massive scare, Duke avoided becoming the third No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed with a 71-65 win over Siena in the Round of 64. The Blue Devils trailed by as many as 13 points in the second half, their largest deficit of the season, but enjoyed a strong push late for the six-point victory. ACC Player of the Year Cameron Boozer contributed 22 points and 13 rebounds in the win.
9 TCU 66, 8 Ohio State 64 [Ohio State eliminated]
TCU pulled off the first upset of the NCAA Tournament in its 66-64 win over Ohio State on Thursday. It was a back-and-forth contest, but TCU forward Xavier Edmonds ultimately scored the game-winning basket with 4.3 seconds remaining. Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton missed his game-tying attempt from half court, punching the Horned Frogs’ ticket to the Round of 32.
San Diego
5 St. John’s vs. 12 Northern Iowa | March 20, 7:10 p.m. ET (CBS)
4 Kansas vs. 13 Cal Baptist | March 20, 9:45 p.m. ET (CBS)
Buffalo
6 Louisville 83, 11 South Florida 79 [South Florida eliminated]
Louisville fended off a late comeback by USF to hang onto an 83-79 win. The Cardinals were without star freshman Mikel Brown Jr. who is battling a lingering back injury. Isaac McKneely stepped up in Brown’s absence, scoring a team-high 23 points on 8-11 shooting from the floor.
3 Michigan State 92, 14 North Dakota State 67 [North Dakota State eliminated]
Michigan State led by as many as 28 points against North Dakota State during the Spartans’ first-round matchup. Carson Cooper scored 20 points on 7-9 shooting, including 10 rebounds. They advance to play Louisville in the Round of 32.
Philadelphia
7 UCLA vs. 10 UCF | March 20, 7:25 p.m. ET (TBS)
2 UConn vs. 15 Furman | March 20, 10 p.m. ET (TBS)
South (Houston)
Tampa
1 Florida vs. 16 Prairie View A&M | March 20, 9:25 p.m. ET (TNT)
8 Clemson vs. 9 Iowa | March 20, 6:50 p.m. ET (TNT)
Oklahoma City
5 Vanderbilt 78, 12 McNeese State 68 [McNeese State eliminated]
After trailing by as much as 11 points in the first half, Vanderbilt was able to right the ship and take down McNeese State in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Tyler Tanner led the charge with 26 points to go with seven rebounds and five assists for the Commodores, who shot 50% from the field in Thursday’s victory.
4 Nebraska 76, 13 Troy 47 [Troy eliminated]
It didn’t take long for the better team to assert itself in the contest between Nebraska and Troy. In front of a very friendly crowd in Oklahoma City, the Cornhuskers simply couldn’t miss. They hit 14 shots from 3-point range and were led by a game-high 23 points from Pryce Sandfort, cruising to a 76-47 win.
Greenville
11 VCU 82, 6 North Carolina 78 (OT) [North Carolina eliminated]
VCU forced overtime against North Carolina despite the Tar Heels boasting a 19-point lead during regulation. Lazar Ddjokovic hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 15 seconds left in overtime to secure the victory. The Rams pulled off the massive upset over a blue-blood program by winning its first March Madness game since 2016.
3 Illinois 105, 14 Penn 70 [Penn eliminated]
Illinois took a 10-point lead into halftime before pouring it on the Quakers in the second half. The Fighting Illini would outscore Penn 65-40 in the final 20 minutes while going on to lead by as many as 40 points. Five players scored in double figures, led by David Mirkovic‘s 29 points and 17 rebounds.
Oklahoma City
10 Texas A&M 63, 7 St. Mary’s 50 [St. Mary’s eliminated]
“Bucky Ball” took center stage at the NCAA Tournament on Thursday as Texas A&M led St. Mary’s by as much as 20 points in the first round. The Aggies went wire-to-wire en route to the upset win over the 7th-seeded Gales to advance to the Round of 32. Rashaun Agee led the charge with 22 points and nine rebounds.
2 Houston 78, 15 Idaho 47 [Idaho eliminated]
It was all Houston in Thursday’s first-round game against Idaho. The Cougars took a 48-24 lead at halftime as they cruised to a 78-47 victory over the Vandals behind a balanced effort. Kingston Flemings had a team-high 18 points while Chris Cenac Jr. had seven points and a game-high 18 rebounds.
West (San Jose)
San Diego
1 Arizona vs. 16 Long Island | March 20, 1:35 p.m. ET (TNT)
8 Villanova vs. 9 Utah State | March 20, 4:10 p.m. ET (TNT)
Portland
12 High Point 83, 5 Wisconsin 82 [Wisconsin eliminated]
The Badgers built an 8-point advantage in the second half off the heels of a 10-3 run for a 70-62 lead with 7:08 left, but High Point responded. It hit back-to-back 3s as part of a 6-of-7 shooting stretch to pull within 82-81 with 55 seconds left on the last of Chase Johnston’s four 3-pointers in the game.
4 Arkansas 97, 13 Hawai’i 78 [Hawai’i eliminated]
Arkansas brought its momentum from the SEC Tournament championship all the way to Portland with them. John Calipari saw his team put together a dominating performance from start to finish, taking care of business against Hawai’i. Now, a win on Saturday will send Arkansas to back-to-back Sweet Sixteens.
Portland
11 Texas 79, 6 BYU 71 [BYU eliminated]
For the second time this week, Texas is advancing in the NCAA Tournament. The Longhorns took down BYU despite an incredible performance from AJ Dybantsa. He scored 35 points in what turned into what likely is his final game in college before becoming an NBA lottery pick.
3 Gonzaga 73, 14 Kennesaw State 64 [Kennesaw State eliminated]
It wasn’t easy for Gonzaga, especially down the stretch, but the Bulldogs held on for a victory over Kennesaw State in Thursday’s nightcap. Graham Ike led the way with 19 points and eight rebounds while Davis Fogle had 17 points, as well.
St. Louis
7 Miami (FL) vs. 10 Missouri | March 20, 10:10 p.m. ET (truTV)
2 Purdue vs. 15 Queens | March 20, 7:35 p.m. ET (truTV)
Midwest (Chicago)
Buffalo
1 Michigan 101, 16 Howard 80 [Howard eliminated]
After a high-scoring first half – which saw Howard make 10 three-pointers – Michigan was able to take total control in Thursday’s Round of 64 matchup. The Wolverines shot 67.3% from the field en route to a resounding victory over the Bison to advance in the NCAA Tournament.
9 Saint Louis 102, 8 Georgia 77 [Georgia eliminated]
Saint Louis took a 17-point lead into halftime against Georgia and then continued to dominate throughout the second half. The Billikens rattled off an 18-0 run out of the break and got the lead up to 40 en route to a blowout win over the Bulldogs. Dion Brown led the way with 18 points while Robbie Avila had 12 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Tampa
5 Texas Tech vs. 12 Akron | March 20, 12:40 p.m. ET (truTV)
4 Alabama vs. 13 Hofstra | March 20, 3:15 p.m. ET (truTV)
Philadelphia
6 Tennessee vs. 11 Miami (OH) | March 20, 4:25 p.m. ET (TBS)
3 Virginia vs. 14 Wright State | March 20, 1:50 p.m. ET (TBS)
St. Louis
7 Kentucky vs. 10 Santa Clara | March 20, 12:15 p.m. ET (CBS)
2 Iowa State vs. 15 Tennessee State | March 20, 2:50 p.m. ET (CBS)
Round of 32
East Region (Washington DC)
Greenville
1 Duke vs 9 TCU | March 21, 5:15 p.m. ET, CBS
San Diego
5 St. John’s/12 Northern Iowa vs. 4 Kansas/13 Cal Baptist | March 22, TBD
Buffalo
3 Michigan State vs. 6 Louisville | March 21, 2:45 p.m. ET, CBS
Philadelphia
7 UCLA/10 UCF vs. 2 UConn /15 Furman | March 22, TBD
South (Houston)
Tampa
1 Florida/16 Prairie View A&M vs. 8 Clemson/9 Iowa | March 22, TBD
Oklahoma City
4 Nebraska vs. 5 Vanderbilt | March 21, 8:45 p.m. ET, TNT
Greenville
3 Illinois vs. 11 VCU | March 21, 7:50 p.m. ET, CBS
Oklahoma City
2 Houston vs. 10 Texas A&M | March 21, 6:10 p.m. ET, TNT
West (San Jose)
San Diego
1 Arizona/16 Long Island vs. 8 Villanova/9 Utah State | March 22, TBD
Portland
4 Arkansas vs. 12 High Point | March 21, 9:45 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV
3 Gonzaga vs. 11 Texas | March 21, 7:10 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV
St. Louis
7 Miami (FL)/10 Missouri vs. 2 Purdue/15 Queens | March 22, TBD
Midwest (Chicago)
Buffalo
1 Michigan vs. 9 Saint Louis | March 21, 12:10 p.m. ET, CBS
Tampa
5 Texas Tech/12 Akron vs. 4 Alabama/13 Hofstra | March 22, TBD
Philadelphia
6 Tennessee/11 Miami (OH) vs. 3 Virginia/14 Wright State | March 22, TBD
St. Louis
7 Kentucky/10 Santa Clara vs. 2 Iowa State/15 Tennessee State | March 22, TBD