The first day of the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament set a high bar.
The 11-seeded VCU Rams and 12-seeded High Point Panthers delivered the first upsets of March Madness. AJ Dybantsa scored the most points (35) by a freshman in an NCAA tournament debut in BYU’s loss to Texas. And more points rained in with Michigan, Illinois and Saint Louis each eclipsing the 100-point mark Thursday.
The action doesn’t slow down Friday with games underway and more still to tip (all times Eastern):
(9) Iowa vs. (8) Clemson: 6:50 p.m.
(12) Northern Iowa vs. (5) St. John’s: 7:10 p.m.
(10) UCF vs. (7) UCLA: 7:25 p.m.
(15) Queens vs. (2) Purdue: 7:35 p.m.
(16) Prairie View A&M vs. (1) Florida: 9:25 p.m.
(13) California Baptist vs. (4) Kansas: 9:45 p.m.
(15) Furman vs. (2) UConn: 10 p.m.
(10) Missouri vs. (7) Miami: 10:10 p.m.
ESPN’s reporters are on-site across the country, tracking the biggest highlights in real time.
