2026 NCAA Tournament

Recap: NCAA Tournament First Round, Day 2

Follow along during the First Round of the NCAA Tournament with updates in NBA.com's liveblog.

NBA.com Staff

Welcome to the NCAA Tournament First Round.

An action-packed Friday is underway with 16 games across St. Louis, San Diego, Philadelphia and Tampa. Refresh to get updates as the games progress.

What we know about NCAA Tournament First Round

1:08 AM / MARCH 21

Friday’s results

12:47 AM / MARCH 21

UConn advances over Furman

Tarris Reed Jr. was dominant as UConn defeated Furman to advance to the second round.

Tarris Reed Jr. (31 pts, 27 reb) was a dominant force for the Huskies, complemented by Alex Karaban (22 pts), as they held off a stern challenge from Furman to win 82-71.

Alex Wilkins and Tom House had 21 points apiece to lead the Paladins.

12:37 AM / MARCH 21

Miami beats Missouri

The Hurricanes are on to the second round after defeating Missouri.

80-67, as the Hurricanes racked up.a 46-30 advantage on the glass to earn the victory.

Malik Reneau (24 pts) was the top scorer for Miami.

12:30 AM / MARCH 21

Florida dominates Prairie View

Xaivian Lee and Florida are on to the Round of 32 after routing Prairie View.

114-55, as seven Gators scored in double figures, led by Boogie Fland (16 pts).

12:21 AM / MARCH 21

Kansas holds on to beat Cal Baptist

Darryn Peterson led Kansas to the second round as it defeated Cal Baptist.

68-60, after Dominique Daniels (28 pts) led a spirited comeback that cut the Jayhawks lead to six.

Darryn Peterson (25 pts) led the way for Kansas.

12:06 AM / MARCH 21

Dominique Daniels going off

28 points for the California Baptist guard, cutting Kansas’ lead to 66-60  CBU is on an 18-2 run.

11:24 PM / MARCH 20

Blue bloods in close battles

At the half of their respective games, UConn is up 40-36 over Furman, while Miami is battling Missouri 27-26.

The Huskies are seeking their third NCAA Championship in four years, as well as their fourth straight appearance in the Round of 32.

10:59 PM / MARCH 20

Top seeds with big leads

Kansas is up 38-18 at the break over California Baptist, while Florida is up 65-27 over Prairie View early in the second half.

Darryn Peterson (15 pts) is leading the way for the Jayhawks before potentially entering the 2026 NBA Draft as a projected top pick.

10:18 PM / MARCH 20

Purdue headed to the second round

Trey Kaufman-Renn and Purdue are headed to the Round of 32 after defeating Queens University of Charlotte.

Defeating Queens (N.C.) 104-71, behind Braden Smith (26 pts, 8 ast) and Trey Kaufman-Renn (25 pts, 9 reb).

The Boilermakers shot 63.1% from the field and 58.3% from 3-point range (14-of-24) to earn the victory as they seek their third straight Sweet 16 appearance.
9:50 PM / MARCH 20

UCLA moves on

Eric Dailey Jr. and UCLA are headed to the second round after being UCF.

75-71, controlling the second half to outlast UCF.

Eric Dailey Jr. (20 pts, 5 reb) led the way for the Bruins, who have 11 NCAA national championships to their name — the most in history.

9:35 PM / MARCH 20

St. John’s advances

St. John’s is on to the second round after defeating UNI.

79-53, over the University of Northern Iowa.

The Red Storm held the Panthers to 38.6% shooting on their way to the victory, while also winning the rebounding battle 45-29.

9:10 PM / MARCH 20

Iowa defeats Clemson

Bennett Stirtz led Iowa over Clemson to advance to the second round.

67-61, behind Bennett Stirtz (16 pts, 5 reb).

“I’m pretty emotionless out there, and I wanted to crack a smile,” said Stirtz. “Super special.”

7:45 PM / MARCH 20

Iowa leads Clemson at the half

32-25. Bennett Stirtz (11 pts) and Kael Combs (11 pts) are leading the way for the Hawks.

6:45 PM / MARCH 20

Tennessee defeats Miami of Ohio

Tennessee is on to the second round after defeating Miami of Ohio.

78-56, punching their ticket to the Round of 32.

The Volunteers hit nine 3-pointers, shooting 46% from deep while also out-rebounding the RedHawks 42-25.

Ja’Kobi Gillespie (29 pts) led the way for Tennessee, along with J.P. Estrella (14 pts, 10 reb).

6:30 PM / MARCH 20

Utah State comes back to beat Villanova

Utah State is headed to the Round of 32 after knocking off Villanova.

86-76, shooting 54.9% from the field and making 28 free throws on their way to the victory.

“We just stayed together,” said Mason Falslev (22 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast). “We just love each other. Love takes over all.”

MJ Collins Jr. added 20 points for the Aggies.

Bryce Lindsay (25 pts) was the star for the Wildcats.

Jared Calhoun, coach of Utah State, is 54-14 all-time at the university.

“They assess the floor,” Jalen Rose said of the Aggies’ offense. “They unlock the plays.”

6:00 PM / MARCH 20

Iowa State moves on

Jamarion Batemon of the Iowa State Cyclones extended for two as they moved on to the Round of 32.

108-74, behind Killyan Toure (25 pts, 11 reb, 6 ast) and Nate Heise (22 pts, 4 3PM).

The Cyclones controlled the boards 43-29 on their way to victory and put up 24 assists to 14 for the Tigers.

Aaron Nkrumah (21 pts) and Antoine Lorick III (20 pts) starred for Tennessee State.

5:43 PM / MARCH 20

Tennessee leads Miami of Ohio at the half

Tennessee is up at the half over Miami of Ohio in Philadelphia.

51-32, as the Volunteers shoot 8-of-13 from 3-point range to stake themselves to a lead.

Ja’Kobi Gillespie (22 pts on 8-of-12 shooting, 5 3PM, 4 ast) has been a flamethrower so far, while Peter Suder (16 pts on 5-of-6 shooting) has nearly matched him for the RedHawks.

5:27 PM / MARCH 20

Alabama moves on to face Texas Tech

Labaron Philon Jr. and Alabama are on to the second round.

By defeating Hofstra 90-70 in St. Louis.

It’s the fourth straight year that the Crimson Tide have advanced to the Round of 32.

Labaron Philon Jr. (29 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast) went off to lead them.

“We came in ready,” said Philon Jr. “It’s just about the grittiness. Everybody wants to play hard… We came here to prove something.”

5:10 PM / MARCH 20

Villanova up two at the break

Bryce Lindsay and Villanova are up at the half over Utah State on TNT.

The No. 9 Wildcats are up on the No. 8 Aggies, 39-37. Sophomore guard Bryce Lindsay (14 pts, 4 3PM) leads all scorers, as Villanova’s hit nine 3-pointers to one for Utah State.

The Aggies have countered by shooting 50% from the field, leading 22 to eight in points in the paint.

4:15 PM / MARCH 20

Alabama and Hofstra battling at halftime

No. 4 Alabama and No. 13 Hofstra are in a tight contest going into halftime with a score of 37-35. Aiden Sherrell is leading all scorers with 12 points.

4:13 PM / MARCH 20

Iowa St up big on Tennessee St at halftime

No. 2 Iowa St is up big on No. 15 Tennessee St with a score of 55-29. Killyan Toure is the leading scorer.

3:51 PM / MARCH 20

Virginia holds off Wright State

No. 3 Virginia held off No. 14 Virginia with an outstanding shooting performance (50.0% from three) and ended the game on a 15-3 run in the 82-73 win. Jacari White led all scorers with 26 points. Virginia will move on to play the winner of the matchup between No. 6 Tennessee and No. 11 Miami (OH).

2:45 PM / MARCH 20

Arizona advances

No. 1 Arizona rolled past No.16 LIU Brooklyn in a 92-58 win, led by Brayden Burries’ 18 points. The Wildcats will move on to play the winner of the No. 8 Villanova and No. 9 Utah State.

2:45 PM / MARCH 20

Texas Tech takes off late to move on

No. 5 Texas Tech handles No. 12 Akron 91-71, behind Jaylen Petty’s 24 points. The Red Raiders will move on to face the winner of the No. 4 Alabama and No. 13 Hofstra.

2:43 PM / MARCH 20

Wright State on upset alert at half

At halftime, No. 14 Wright State is leading 43-38 over No. 3 Virginia. Solomon Callaghan is leading all scorers with 16.

2:31 PM / MARCH 20

Kentucky moves on

No. 7 Kentucky defeats No. 10 Santa Clara in an 89-84 overtime nail biter. Otega Oweh led all scorers with 35 points. The Wildcats will move on to face the winner of No. 2 Iowa State and No. 15 Tennessee State.

2:30 PM / MARCH 20

Arizona jumps out to big halftime lead

No. 1 Arizona is takes a pretty sizable 53-39 lead into halftime over No. 16 LIU Brooklyn. Brayden Burries is leading all scorers with 14 points. 

2:17 PM / MARCH 20

Santa Clara-Kentucky heading to overtime

Madness! After a go-ahead bucket by Santa Clara in the final seconds, Kentucky’s Otega Oweh hit the bank three from nearly half court on the buzzer to send the game to overtime.

1:26 PM / MARCH 20

Texas Tech takes halftime lead over Akron

No. 5 Texas Tech and No. 12 Akron are in a tight contest as the Red Raiders take a 40-35 lead into halftime. Despite being down, Akron’s Shammah Scott leads all scorers.

1:05 PM / MARCH 20

Santa Clara takes lead into half

Elijah Mahi leads all scorers with 10 points as No. 10 Santa Clara takes a 31-29 lead into halftime over No. 7 Kentucky. The winner advances to take on No. 2 Iowa State and No. 15 Tennessee State.

12:15 PM / MARCH 20

Today’s schedule

All times are Eastern Standard Time

  • (7) Kentucky vs. (10) Santa Clara – 12:15 p.m., CBS
  • (5) Texas Tech vs. (12) Akron – 12:40 p.m., truTV
  • (1) Arizona vs. (16) LIU – 1:35 p.m., TNT
  • (3) Virginia vs. (14) Wright State – 1:50 p.m., TBS
  • (2) Iowa State vs. (15) Tennessee State – 2:50 p.m., CBS
  • (4) Alabama vs. (13) Hofstra – 3:15 p.m., truTV
  • (8) Villanova vs. (9) Utah State – 4:10 p.m., TNT
  • (6) Tennessee vs. (11) Miami (Ohio) – 4:25 p.m., TBS
  • (8) Clemson vs. (9) Iowa – 6:50 p.m., TNT
  • (5) St. John’s vs. (12) Northern Iowa – 7:10 p.m., CBS
  • (7) UCLA vs. (10) UCF – 7:25 p.m., TBS
  • (2) Purdue vs. (15) Queens (N.C.) – 7:35 p.m., truTV
  • (1) Florida vs. (16) Prairie View A&M – 9:25 p.m., TNT
  • (4) Kansas vs. (13) Cal Baptist – 9:45 p.m., CBS
  • (2) UConn vs. (15) Furman — 10 p.m., TBS
  • (7) Miami (FL) vs. (10) Missouri – 10:10 p.m., truTV

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