March Madness 2026 bracket update: Scores and more from day one of the NCAA tournament

The first day of the 2026 men’s NCAA basketball tournament did not disappoint.

The afternoon schedule delivered several incredible moments for teams and fans. Nebraska secured their first tournament win in school history, while No. 12 High Point delivered a thrilling upset of No. 5 Wisconsin. Duke, the top overall seed in the tournament, was put to the test by a feisty Siena squad while No. 9 TCU outlasted No 8 Ohio State in the first game of the day, setting the tone for the entire slate.

On Thursday night a tough Howard team, fresh off their first-ever NCAA tournament win over UMBC in the First Four, gave No. 1 seed Michigan everything they can handle in the first half before the Wolverines pulled away. VCU came back from a 19-point deficit against UNC to force overtime, before toppling the Tar Heels, and Gonzaga staved off a valiant Kennesaw State team to advance.

Here are all the scores from Thursday’s action, as well as the full Friday slate and a look ahead to Saturday.

But first, the full up-to-date bracket, courtesy of the NCAA:

2026 NCAA Tournament Day One

Here are all the scores from the first day of the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

East Region Scores

No. 1 Duke 71, No. 16 Siena 65
No. 3 Michigan State 92, No. 14 North Dakota State 67
No. 6 Louisville 83, No. 11 South Florida 79
No. 9 TCU 66, No. 8 Ohio State 64

South Region Scores

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 (OT)
No. 10 Texas A&M 63, No. 7 Saint Mary’s 50
No. 3 Illinois 105, No. 14 Pennsylvania 70
No. 2 Houston 78, No. 15 Idaho 47

West Region Scores

No. 12 High Point 83, No. 5 Wisconsin 82
No. 4 Arkansas 97, No. 13 Hawai’i 78
No. 11 Texas 79, No. 6 BYU 71
No. 3 Gonzaga 73, No. 14 Kennesaw State 64

Midwest Region Scores

No. 1 Michigan 101, No. 16 Howard 80
No. 9 Saint Louis 102, No. 8 Georgia 77

2026 NCAA Tournament Day Two

Here is the full schedule for Friday.

East Region Schedule

No. 5 St. John’s vs. No. 12 Northern Iowa, 7:10 p.m. Eastern
No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 UCF, 7:25 p.m. Eastern
No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 13 California Baptist, 9:45 p.m. Eastern
No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 Furman, 10:00 p.m. Eastern

South Region Schedule

No. 8 Clemson vs. No. 9 Iowa, 6:50 p.m. Eastern
No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Prairie View A&M, 9:25 p.m. Eastern

West Region Schedule

No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 16 LIU, 1:35 p.m. Eastern
No. 8 Villanova vs. No. 9 Utah State, 4:10 p.m. Eastern
No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 15 Queens (NC), 7:35 p.m. Eastern
No. 7 Miami vs. No. 10 Missouri, 10:10 p.m. Eastern

Midwest Region Schedule

No. 7 Kentucky vs. No. 10 Santa Clara, 12:15 p.m. Eastern
No. 5 Texas Tech vs. No. 12 Akron, 12:40 p.m. Eastern
No. 3 Virginia vs. No. 14 Wright State, 1:50 p.m. Eastern
No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 15 Tennessee State, 2:50 p.m. Eastern
No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 13 Hofstra, 3:15 p.m. Eastern
No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 11 Miami (OH), 4:25 p.m. Eastern

2026 NCAA Tournament Day Three

Now let’s look ahead to Saturday.

East Region Schedule

No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 6 Louisville, 2:45 p.m. Eastern
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 9 TCU, 5:15 p.m. Eastern

South Region Schedule

No. 2 Houston vs. No. 10 Texas A&M, 6:10 p.m. Eastern
No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 11 VCU, 7:50 p.m. Eastern
No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 5 Vanderbilt, 8:45 p.m. Eastern

West Region Schedule

No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 11 Texas, 7:10 p.m. Eastern
No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 12 High Point, 9:45 p.m Eastern

Midwest Region Schedule

No. 9 Saint Louis vs. No. 1 Michigan, 12:10 p.m. Eastern