Follow all of Sunday’s NCAA Tournament second round games with USA TODAY Sports’ live updates.
From 68 to 16.
By the end of the second round of the 2026 Men’s NCAA Tournament on Sunday, March 22, that’s how many teams will be left to challenge for the national championship in March Madness.
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First round winners and losers: Buzzer-beaters and West Coast flops
Upsets, buzzer-beaters and beatdowns: 12 best performances from March Madness first round
The action got underway with eight games on Saturday, March 21, starting first with No. 1 Michigan’s 95-72 win vs. No. 9 Saint Louis and ending with No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 12 High Point. While chalk largely held steady through the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, there were enough upsets and close calls to warrant caution from all the higher-ranked seeds heading into the second round of the tournament and beyond.
On Sunday, March 22, No. 2 Purdue was the first team to clinch its Sweet 16 berth with a 79-69 win over No. 7 seed Miami in the West Region. The final game of the night will see either of No. 4 Alabama or No. 5 Texas Tech out of the Midwest Region.
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March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar reacts after losing to the VCU Rams in overtime of a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)
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March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar reacts after losing to the VCU Rams in overtime of a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)
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March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
Brendan Coyle #21 of the Siena Saints reacts after the game against the Duke Blue Devils in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC. The Duke Blue Devils defeated the Siena Saints 71-65.
(Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images)
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March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
Head coach Kelvin Sampson of the Houston Cougars shakes hands with members of the Idaho Vandals following the first round game of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
(Stacy Revere, Getty Images)
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March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
McNeese Cowboys guard Tyshawn Archie (8) walks off the court after losing to the Vanderbilt Commodores during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Centeron March 19, 2026 in Oklahoma City.
(William Purnell, Imagn Images)
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March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
Riley Saunders #13 and Andy Stefonowicz #5 of the North Dakota State Bison high five after being defeated by the Michigan State Spartans in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at KeyBank Center on March 19, 2026 in Buffalo, New York.
(Ishika Samant, Getty Images)
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March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
Wisconsin Badgers guard Braeden Carrington (0) and guard John Blackwell (25) react during the second half of a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament against the High Point Panthers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Or.
(Troy Wayrynen, Imagn Images)
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March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
Thomas Dowd of the Troy Trojans reacts after coming out of the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Okla.
(Stacy Revere, Getty Images)
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March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
Ohio State Buckeyes forward Amare Bynum (1) and Ohio State Buckeyes forward Brandon Noel (14) react after losing to Texas Christian University Horned Frogs during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)
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March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
Texas Christian University Horned Frogs forward Xavier Edmonds (24) reacts after defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)
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March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
Lehigh Mountain Hawks huddle together after being defeated by the Prairie View A&M Panthers during a first four game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at University of Dayton Arena on March 18, 2026.
(Rick Osentoski, Imagn Images)
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March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
SMU Mustangs guard Boopie Miller (2) and SMU Mustangs center Jaden Toombs (10) leave the court after being defeated by the Miami (OH) RedHawks during a first four game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at University of Dayton Arena on March 18, 2026.
(Rick Osentoski, Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images)
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March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
Trevon Blassingame #1 and Seth Joba #21 of the Idaho Vandals react after the defeat against the Houston Cougars in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
(Stacy Revere, Getty Images)
So, who’s making the Sweet 16? Here’s a look at which teams will advance following the second round, including updated brackets, matchups and schedules:
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Who’s in men’s Sweet 16? Updated March Madness bracket
No. 1 Michigan (Midwest Region)
No. 2 Houston (South Region)
No. 3 Michigan State (East Region)
No. 3 Illinois (South Region)
No. 4 Arkansas (West Region)
No. 4 Nebraska (South Region)
No. 11 Texas (West Region)
No. 2 Purdue (West Region)
Sweet 16 schedule, Sweet 16 locations
This section will be updated. All times Eastern.
Thursday, March 26
At Toyota Center in Houston and SAP Center in San Jose, California
Friday, March 27
At United Center in Chicago and Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Men’s March Madness bracket update
This section will be updated
East Region
First Round
No. 1 Duke 71, No. 16 Siena 65
No. 2 UConn 82, No. 15 Furman 71
No. 3 Michigan State 92, No. 14 North Dakota State 67
No. 4 Kansas 68, No. 13 California Baptist 60
No. 5 St. John’s 79, No. 12 Northern Iowa 53
No. 6 Louisville 83, No. 11 South Florida 79
No. 7 UCLA 75, No. 10 Central Florida 71
No. 9 TCU 66, No. 8 Ohio State 64
Second round
No. 1 Duke 81, No. 9 TCU 58
No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 5 St. John’s, Sunday
No. 3 Michigan State 77, Louisville 69
No. 2 UConn vs. No. 7 UCLA, Sunday
Sweet 16
No. 1 Duke vs. Kansas/St. John’s winner
No. 3 Michigan State vs. UConn/UCLA winner
Midwest Region
First Round
No. 1 Michigan 101, No. 16 Howard 80
No. 2 Iowa State 108, No. 15 Tennessee State 74
No. 3 Virginia 82, No. 14 Wright State 73
No. 4 Alabama 90, No. 13 Hofstra 70
No. 5 Texas Tech 91, No. 12 Howard 71
No. 6 Tennessee 78, No. 11 Miami (Ohio) 56
No. 7 Kentucky 89, No. 10 Santa Clara 84 (OT)
No. 9 Saint Louis 102, No. 8 Georgia 77
Second round
No. 1 Michigan 95, No. 9 Saint Louis 72
No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 5 Texas Tech, Sunday
No. 3 Virginia vs. No. 6 Tennessee, Sunday
No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 7 Kentucky, Sunday
Sweet 16
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Alabama/No. 5 Texas Tech
South Region
First Round
No. 1 Florida 114, No. 16 Prairie View A&M 55
No. 2 Houston 78, No. 15 Idaho 47
No. 3 Illinois 105, No. 14 Penn 70
No. 4 Nebraska 76, No. 13 Troy 47
No. 5 Vanderbilt 78, No. 12 McNeese 68
No. 11 VCU 82, No. 6 North Carolina 78
No. 10 Texas A&M 63, No. 7 Saint Mary’s 50
No. 9 Iowa 67, No. 8 Clemson 61
Second round
No. 1 Florida vs. No. 9 Iowa, Sunday
No. 4 Nebraska 76, No. 5 Vanderbilt 74
No. 3 Illinois 76, No. 11 VCU 55
No. 2 Houston 88, No. 10 Texas A&M 57
Sweet 16
No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 2 Houston
No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 1 Florida/No. 9 Iowa
West Region
First round
No. 1 Arizona 82, No. 16 Long Island 58
No. 2 Purdue 104, No. 15 Queens 71
No. 3 Gonzaga 73, No. 14 Kennesaw State 64
No. 4 Arkansas 97, No. 13 Hawai’i 78
No. 12 Highpoint 83, No. 5 Wisconsin 82
No. 11 Texas 79, No. 6 BYU 71
No. 9 Utah State 86, No. 8 Villanova 76
No. 7 Miami 80, No. 10 Missouri 66
Second round
No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 9 Utah State, Sunday
No. 4 Arkansas 94, No. 12 High Point 88
No. 11 Texas 74, No. 3 Gonzaga 68
No. 2 Purdue 79, No. 7 Miami 69
Sweet 16
No. 4 Arkansas vs. Arizona/Utah State winner
No. 2 Purdue No. 11 Texas
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sweet 16 teams: March Madness bracket, NCAA Tournament schedule update