Your guide to men's March Madness Day 1: Recaps, every winner's chance to advance, more

Your guide to March Madness Day 1: Recaps, every winner's chance to advance, moreDuke Blue Devils2hESPNUNC's Davis: Fatigue not to blame for collapseNorth Carolina Tar Heels3hDavid HaleDuke dodges scare, tips cap to McNamara, SienaDuke Blue Devils9hDavid HaleBYU's Dybantsa to mull future in upcoming weeksBYU Cougars1hRyan McFaddenJohnston, High Point stun 5th-seeded BadgersHigh Point Panthers10hRyan McFadden'Storybook ending': Nebraska ends NCAA droughtNebraska Cornhuskers9hBrooke PryorVandy rallies for first NCAA tourney win since '12Vanderbilt Commodores7hTCU backs up its tough talk, bounces BuckeyesTCU Horned Frogs10hDavid M
HaleUK's Pope offers little on Lendeborg's money talkKentucky Wildcats12hBen BabyJay Bilas predicts every game of the 2026 NCAA tournamentDuke Blue Devils4dJay BilasNBA debut to March Madness: Sandfort surprises brother in Nebraska winNebraska Cornhuskers4hBrooke PryorRanking the top 50 men's college basketball players who could define March MadnessDuke Blue Devils2dJeff Borzello and Myron MedcalfCoaches predict the men's NCAA tournament champion, potential Cinderellas, moreArizona Wildcats2dJeff BorzelloMen's coaching carousel tracker: All the intel entering the NCAA tournamentBoston College Eagles12hJeff BorzelloBoozer, Dybantsa, Peterson, Wagler: Coaches break down freshmen built for MarchDuke Blue Devils19hJason JordanJoe Lunardi's ultimate guide to men's March Madness 2026Duke Blue Devils3dJoe Lunardi60 ESPN personalities pick their men's Final Four, national championsArizona Wildcats2dSachin ChandanMen's March Madness Giant Killers: Most probable first-round NCAA tournament upsetsVCU Rams1dKeith LipscombMen's March Madness 2026 bracket: Get to know all 68 teamsDuke Blue Devils4dMyron MedcalfMarch Madness 101: NCAA tournament format, history, factsUConn Huskies13hDana E
Lee and Alonzo Olmedo2026 Tournament Challenge guide to team mascots, school colors and famous alumni3dSach ChandanMen's tournament: Duke, Michigan, Arizona the favored as UConn, Purdue odds improveDuke Blue Devils17hDoug GreenbergMen's tournament: Odds, spreads totals and BPI projections for opening-round games17hESPNYour guide to March Madness Day 1: Recaps, every winner's chance to advance, moreplayTerrence Hill Jr.'s 3, UNC's missed FTs lift VCU to upset in OT (0:35)Terrence Hill Jr
knocks down a huge step-back triple, then Henri Veesaar misses pivotal free throws as VCU knocks off UNC
(0:35)ESPNMultiple AuthorsMar 20, 2026, 12:27 AM ETEmailPrintThe first round of the 2026 men's NCAA tournament had a little bit of everything: upsets, blowouts and big performances from the game's brightest stars.Here is ESPN's guide to all 16 first-round games from Day 1, complete with analysis from on-site reporters of how each game was won, and our experts' takes on each winner's chances to advance to the Sweet 16.Jump to: Relive the day(11) VCU Rams 82, (6) North Carolina 78 (OT)How VCU won: The Rams finished a ridiculous comeback, erasing a 19-point second-half deficit to knock off North Carolina in overtime
was electric, connecting on five of VCU's last six baskets, including a 3-pointer with 15 seconds left in extra time that effectively sealed the game
Hill had 34 points, five assists and five boards
It was an epic collapse for the Tar Heels, who missed their final nine shots, botched a pair of critical free throws in overtime and, after leading by 19 with 14:58 to play, connected on just seven of 25 shots
Per ESPN Research, the Rams' 19-point comeback is tied for the largest in the round of 64 since the tournament expanded in 1985 -- along with South Alabama against Alabama in 1989
-- David HaleVCU's second-round opponent: IllinoisHow the Rams can advance to the Sweet 16: Phil Martelli Jr.'s squad can advance past Illinois if Terrence Hill Jr
plays the role of Superman again and his teammates employ the same resilience -- on offense and defense -- they demonstrated in the final 10 minutes of regulation on Thursday
The key is they'll have to do it for 40 minutes against Illinois on Saturday
The Rams scored at a clip of 138 points per 100 possessions in the second half before they forced overtime against the Tar Heels
But the 19-point deficit the Rams had to overcome could turn into a 40-point disadvantage against an Illinois squad with the best offense in the country
They'll also need Lazar Djokovic (15 points, 2 blocks) to put up big numbers, too, as they attempt to stall the Illinois offensive machine
-- Myron Medcalf(1) Duke 71, (16) Siena 65How Duke won: No
1 overall seed Duke advances to the round of 32
That shouldn't come as much of a surprise, but Siena certainly did all it could to make things interesting, taking the Blue Devils to the limit before falling 71-65
The Saints led by 11 at the half and didn't surrender the lead until the 5:08 mark, but their starters played without a substitution until the final 90 seconds of action
And by late in the second half, it showed
Siena shot just 8-of-34 from the floor over the final 20 minutes, allowing the Blue Devils to claw their way back into the game
Cameron Boozer had 22 points and 13 boards to lead the Blue Devils, while his brother Cayden added 19
-- David Haleplay1:30TCU set to face Duke in 2nd round of NCAA tournamentCheck out some of the best highlights from TCU and Duke ahead of their Round of 32 matchup in the NCAA tournament.Duke's second-round opponent: TCUHow the Blue Devils can advance to the Sweet 16: Well, it would help if they showed up like the team that dominated in the second half against Siena -- and not the version that played in the first half, when it was down by double digits
Duke's offensive rhythm was clearly disrupted without Caleb Foster, its best 3-point shooter (40.2%), and the Blue Devils' defense was weaker than expected with Patrick Ngongba II out due to injury, too
In the second half, however, the Blue Devils turned to a zone and played with a different defensive intensity
They'll advance if they have the same mojo against TCU
Isaiah Evans was a headache for Siena on fast breaks and off the dribble after halftime; Duke has to do more to put him in a position to impact the game
Cameron Boozer was 13-for-14 from the free throw line
Good defense, Evans making plays and Boozer being Boozer are the keys to Duke moving on
-- Myron Medcalf(12) High Point 83, (5) Wisconsin 82How High Point won: Wisconsin jumped out to a 15-5 lead over High Point within five minutes -- but the Panthers didn't let that last long
They put together a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 15-12 and played the Badgers close until entering the half down only two points
Wisconsin built another eight-point lead with 7:08 to play, but High Point outscored the Badgers 18-12 to close out the program's first NCAA tournament win on a go-ahead layup from Chase Johnston -- his first 2-point field goal of the season
Johnson entered the game 0-for-4 from 2-point range, earning most of his buckets from beyond the arc on 64-of-132 shooting from the 3 on the season
Three Panthers players finished with double-doubles: Rob Martin (23 points, 10 assists); Terry Anderson (15 points, 11 rebounds); and Cam'Ron Fletcher (14 points, 11 rebounds)
-- ESPN Staffplay0:34High Point comes up clutch to stun WisconsinA late layup sets up a grandstand finish as High Point fends of Wisconsin for the upset win.High Point's second-round opponent: ArkansasHow the Panthers can advance to the Sweet 16: High Point has won 23 of its past 24 games and just beat Wisconsin while playing a run-and-gun up-tempo affair -- don't count the Panthers out against Arkansas
They won't be afraid of the pace battle, although they'll have to find a way to slow Darius Acuff Jr
and backcourt partner Meleek Thomas
Both are difficult to keep from getting to their spots, and High Point just allowed Nick Boyd and John Blackwell to combine for 49 points in the win over the Badgers
Where High Point could have some success is at the other end of the floor
Arkansas is solid defensively, but prone to off ball and rotation lapses, and High Point will look to get up and down the floor and take 3s
A repeat 15-for-40 3-point shooting effort would be nice, too
(8) Ohio State 64How TCU won: The Horned Frogs led by 15 at the half, looking poised to cruise into the second round; teams with halftime leads of 15 or more points were a perfect 34-0 over the previous three tournaments, according to ESPN Research
But the Buckeyes had no interest in going down without a fight, climbing all the way back to take a 51-50 lead at the 7:24 mark
The two teams traded blows the rest of the way -- until a nifty dish from David Punch to Xavier Edmonds with four seconds to play proved the difference in a TCU victory
Punch was the late-game hero for the Horned Frogs, racking up 13 of his 16 points, seven of his 13 rebounds and two assists in the second half to keep his team dancing
-- David Haleplay0:22Edmonds' late bucket helps TCU hold off Ohio StateXavier Edmonds hits the go-ahead basket with 4.1 seconds left to lead TCU to a 66-64 win over Ohio State.TCU's second-round opponent: DukeHow the Horned Frogs can advance to the Sweet 16: Siena became the first 16-seed to hold a double-digit halftime lead over a 1-seed in NCAA tournament history, per ESPN Research, because of its early dominance in the paint
Francis Folefac, a 6-foot-7 forward, was the anchor of a Saints squad that scored 22 points in the paint in the first half against the Blue Devils
That has to be the blueprint for TCU, too
The Blue Devils were vulnerable inside without Patrick Ngongba II, their best defensive player who may not be available for the second round
That's how the Horned Frogs can win, attacking inside and defending the rim against Boozer & Co
They will also need 3s to fall again (39% against Ohio State), which only happened on occasion during the season when they were 15th out of 16 teams in the Big 12 in 3-point shooting
-- Myron Medcalf(11) Texas 79, (6) BYU 71How Texas won: AJ Dybantsa did everything he could to prevent BYU from being a part of a second upset at the Moda Center on Thursday
He poured in 35 points, becoming the first freshman with that many in his NCAA tournament debut
He's the second freshman with a 35-point game in the NCAA tournament, along with De'Aaron Fox (39 points) in the 2017 Sweet 16 against UCLA
Texas controlled the momentum from the jump, as BYU led for just 22 seconds
When the Cougars were on the verge of staging a comeback, Longhorns guard Jordan Pope buried a clutch 3-pointer from the corner to extend his team's lead to 75-68 with 1:29 to go
The Longhorns received a strong performance from big man Matas Vokietaitis, who posted 23 points and 16 rebounds
-- Ryan McFaddenplay0:27Matas Vokietaitis' big-time block secures Texas’ winMatas Vokietaitis comes up with a huge late-game block to seal Texas’ win over BYU.Texas' second-round opponent: GonzagaHow the Longhorns can advance to the Sweet 16: Texas, after losing five of six games entering the NCAA tournament, has picked up back-to-back wins over NC State and BYU -- and it will need to continue defending at a high level to have a chance against Gonzaga
The Longhorns' defensive deficiencies have not exactly been a secret; Sean Miller has talked about it at length, bemoaning their inability to guard opponents without fouling
But against NC State, they held the Wolfpack to 0.98 points per possession -- their first time limiting an opponent to fewer than one point per possession since Jan
BYU scored 1.06 points per possession against Texas, but that's well below the Cougars' season average, and they have potential No
Fortunately for Miller, Gonzaga's offense is not predicated on getting to the free throw line
The Zags score more paint points per game than any team in the country, so Saturday's game will be key for Matas Vokietaitis to protect the rim and stifle All-American Graham Ike
-- Jeff Borzello(6) Louisville 83, (11) South Florida 79How Louisville won: Isaac McKneely led the way for the Cardinals, despite a late comeback push by South Florida to turn what had once been a 23-point lead to within single digits in the final five minutes
But the Bulls were utlimately unable to compete with the Cardinals' 3-pointers, with star guard Wes Enis going 0-for-11 from 3 -- the second-most missed 3-point field goal attempts in an NCAA tournament game since the line was introduced in 1987 (Wofford's Fletcher Magee, 2019, was 0-for-12), per ESPN Research.McKneely was 7-of-10 from beyond the arc -- tied for most 3s made by a Louisville player in an NCAA tournament game (with Taquan Dean in 2005), per ESPN Research
He scored a team-high 23 points, just his second 20-point game this season
Overall, Pat Kelsey's team finished 13-for-25 (52%) from 3, compared to the Bulls' 5-for-33 effort (15.2%)
-- Alaina Getzenbergplay0:16Isaac McKneely's fifth 3-pointer gives Louisville their largest leadIsaac McKneely splashes his fifth 3-pointer to give the Cardinals a 23-point lead.Louisville's second-round opponent: Michigan StateHow the Cardinals can advance to the Sweet 16: Despite leading South Florida by 23 points before a late surge by the Bulls made the final margin much closer, Louisville has to clean up plenty in order to beat Michigan State
South Florida grabbed 18 offensive rebounds -- 37.5% of its misses -- and Louisville will have a harder time against Michigan State, one of the most dominant offensive rebounding teams in the country
The key on the offensive end, as it always is for Louisville, will be making 3s
The Cardinals rank in the top five nationally in 3-point attempt rate and made 13 against South Florida
Michigan State was in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten in 3-point defense and allowed an average of 11.1 3-pointers in its losses this season
The X factor will be the availability of Mikel Brown Jr., though Louisville has figured out how to win without him over the past five games
-- Jeff Borzello(3) Gonzaga 73, (14) Kennesaw State 64How Gonzaga won: Kennesaw State tried its hardest to pull off the biggest upset of the first round, and it hung tough for a while
The Owls were down by one point in the second half before Gonzaga used a 17-4 run to stretch its lead to 60-46 -- then made one last attempt at a comeback in the final minutes, trimming the deficit to five points before Graham Ike's layup put the Bulldogs up 71-64 with 1:16 left.Gonzaga was led by Ike, who finished with a game-high 19 points and eight rebounds
Davis Fogle added 17 points off the bench
The Bulldogs benefited from their trips to the free throw line, where they were 20 of 23 and 12 of 15
They also controlled the glass, outrebounding Kennesaw State 45-34
-- Ryan McFaddenplay0:16Graham Ike throws down 2-handed slamGraham Ike elevates and throws down a two-handed slam dunk for Gonzaga.Gonzaga's second-round opponent: TexasHow the Bulldogs can advance to the Sweet 16: Gonzaga gets to avoid facing AJ Dybantsa in the second round, but now the Zags have to play a Texas team with some momentum -- and one with some size that could potentially make life difficult for Mark Few's club
What should determine the outcome will be the paint battle and the free-throw margin
Gonzaga leads the nation in paint points per game, scoring nearly 45 per game in that area of the floor while shooting nearly 59% inside the arc
But the Zags outscored Kennesaw State by only four points in the paint on Thursday
Graham Ike needs to be his usual dominant self, and it would be helpful to get Matas Vokietaitis in foul trouble
Vokietaitis averages 5.3 fouls per 40 and committed at least four fouls in seven straight games entering Thursday
On the flip side, Ike will have to slow down the former Florida Atlantic transfer; Vokietaitis is averaging 17.6 points over his last 11 games, and just had 23 points and 16 boards against BYU
-- Jeff Borzello(5) Vanderbilt 78, (12) McNeese 68How Vanderbilt won: There won't be any more aura this March Madness -- at least not from viral McNeese State manager Amir Khan
The 12-seed Cowboys started hot and built an 11-point lead early in the first half, but Vanderbilt held on and rallied to take a three-point lead into halftime with a dominant presence in the post
The Commodores finished the game outscoring McNeese 34-22 in the paint, thanks in large part to a 6-for-6 effort from big man Devin McGlockton
Vanderbilt's size advantage also provided an edge on the glass, outrebounding the Cowboys 37-34, including 28-18 in defensive boards
Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner led all scorers with 25 points -- 17 in the second half -- and three 3-pointers
McNeese kept pace with Vanderbilt, recording 16 fast-break points and nine steals, but it wasn't enough to pull off the upset
-- Brooke Pryorplay0:17Tyler Tanner hits the and-1 floater for VanderbiltTyler Tanner drives to the basket and hits the and-1 floater for Vanderbilt.Vanderbilt's second-round opponent: NebraskaHow the Commodores can advance to the Sweet 16: Vanderbilt needs Tyler Tanner to excel and to limit Nebraska's shooters in order to advance
The Commodores were a different team in the second half against McNeese on Thursday when Tanner, a projected first-round NBA draft pick, got more comfortable against the pressure from one of America's best defensive teams
He scored 17 of his game-high 26 points after halftime
Overall this season, Vanderbilt is 13-3 when the 6-foot guard scores at least 20 points
Nebraska, which had the best defense in Big Ten play this season, will do all it can to frustrate him
The Commodores will have to do their best to shut down the Cornhuskers at the 3-point line: They've made 34 3-pointers in their last three games
-- Myron Medcalf(10) Texas A&M 63, (7) Saint Mary's 50How Texas A&M won: Affected by an illness and Texas A&M's swarming defense, St
Mary's leading scorer, Paulius Murauskas, was held to a season-low four points and played just 23 minutes off the bench
The Aggies' defense was stifling: It recorded 12 steals, forced the Gaels to turn the ball over a season-high 18 times and held them to just 26 points in the first half -- their second-lowest output of the season
TAMU dominated in the paint, outscoring St
Mary's 28-12 as forward Rashaun Agee led all scorers with 22 points
Agee and Aggie guard Rubén Dominguez each hit three 3-pointers
-- Brooke Pryorplay0:26Rashaun Agee's 3 tacks on to Texas A&M's second-half leadRashaun Agee knocks down a 3-pointer in the second half vs
Saint Mary’s.Texas A&M's second-round opponent: HoustonHow the Aggies can advance to the Sweet 16: It's all about Bucky Ball and how effective it can be against Houston and one of the best backcourts in the country
A&M wants to play fast, it wants to force turnovers and it wants to make teams uncomfortable
Houston takes care of the ball, ranking seventh in the country in turnover percentage -- and the Cougars are even better in Big 12 play
A&M forces turnovers on 18.6% of its defensive possessions; Houston has turned it over that frequently just five times all season
The Aggies average more than 70 possessions per game, ranking in the top 40 nationally
Meanwhile, the Cougars play just over 63 possessions per game, ranking No
This will be a true contrast of styles, but the fact that A&M just beat another grind-it-out team in Saint Mary's should give the Aggies optimism
-- Borzello(3) Michigan State 92, (14) North Dakota State 67How Michigan State won: North Dakota State took an 8-5 lead early in the first half against Michigan State
That was the last time the Bisons had the edge as the Spartans won their first game in their 28th NCAA tournament appearance under Tom Izzo (third most in Division I since 1995-96, per ESPN Research)
Michigan State converted 58.9% of its field goals (the team's best in an NCAA tournament game since 1986) and made 50% of its 3s, in addition to going 16-of-18 from the line
The Spartans capitalized on the Bison struggling from 3 (6-of-25) with 31 defensive rebounds to their four offensive rebounds
also became the sixth different Michigan State player in the past 60 years to record at least 10 assists in an NCAA tournament game, joining a prestigious list of Magic Johnson, Cassius Winston, Draymond Green, Mateen Cleaves and Denzel Valentine
-- Alaina Getzenbergplay0:17Jeremy Fears Jr., Coen Carr connect for huge Michigan State alley-oopJeremy Fears Jr
and Coen Carr connect for a huge Spartans alley-oop vs
North Dakota State.Michigan State's second-round opponent: LouisvilleHow the Spartans can advance to the Sweet 16: Michigan State's biggest edge against North Dakota State was its dominant frontcourt, with Carson Cooper, Jaxon Kohler, Coen Carr and Cam Ward combining for 62 points and 24 rebounds
That will also be where the Spartans will need to win against Louisville
Despite having plenty of size and depth up front, the Cardinals struggled on the defensive glass against South Florida, and Michigan State is one of the top-10 offensive rebounding teams in the country
The Spartans should be able to have success in that area against the Cardinals
will be the key -- he didn't score the ball well against North Dakota State and turned it over a season-high four times, but he'll be able to get downhill and put pressure on Louisville
-- Jeff Borzello(4) Nebraska 76, (13) Troy 47How Nebraska won: The Cornhuskers made history with their first NCAA tournament win in program history as they throttled Troy with a dominant performance on both ends of the floor; they entered the game as the only program of any power conference without an NCAA tournament win after going 0-8 in their previous appearances
Junior forward Pryce Sandfort erupted with a program-record seven 3-pointers in an NCAA tournament game, one short of his career high set earlier this season
As a team, Nebraska shot 14-of-39 from beyond the arc while holding Troy to 8-of-28 from 3
The Cornhuskers not only dominated the glass, but turned those rebounds into 19 second-chance points -- well over their season average of 9.2
Nebraska also forced Troy to commit 17 turnovers and turned those mistakes into 17 points
-- Brooke Pryorplay0:17Nebraska fans erupt on Pryce Sandfort's tripleOff of a Troy turnover, Pryce Sandfort gets a good look and buries the triple to take the lead for Nebraska.Nebraska's second-round opponent: VanderbiltHow the Cornhuskers can advance to the Sweet 16: Nebraska has already made history by winning the first NCAA tournament game in school history
Now it can add to that feat with another victory and its first Sweet 16 appearance
Its defense has the ability to force Vanderbilt star Tyler Tanner into difficult shots
He was just 2-for-6 against McNeese in the first half Thursday, struggling against its relentless pressure
Nebraska is bigger and better (top 10 defense nationally) than McNeese, and the Cornhuskers have put the same defensive clamps on elite teams in Big Ten play
Against everyone else, they've been ferocious
But they did hold Troy to just 47 points (77 points per 100 possessions) -- the best defense we've seen in the opening round through the first half of Thursday
Combine that with Pryce Sandfort, Rienk Mast and Sam Hoiberg all hitting big shots in the first round, and Nebraska might be on its way to the Sweet 16 for the first time
-- Myron Medcalf(4) Arkansas 97, (13) Hawai'i 78How Arkansas won: The victory marked the first time the Razorbacks scored 90-plus points in an NCAA tournament game since 1999
(They beat Siena 94-80 in the first round.) They jumped to a 17-point lead in the first nine minutes and never looked back
SEC Player of the Year Darius Acuff Jr
was one of five Arkansas players to score in double figures, finishing with 24 points, seven assists and one steal
Meleek Thomas totaled 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists, making him and Acuff the first freshman teammates with 50 points and five assists each in an NCAA tournament game
Thomas was also effective on defense, recording a block and two steals
Even though the Razorbacks shot 19% from the 3-point line, they dominated in the interior, outscoring Hawai'i 64-40 in the paint
Arkansas generated 23 fast-break points and 26 assists
-- Ryan McFaddenplay0:16Darius Acuff Jr
hits a tough reverse layupDarius Acuff Jr
drives to the basket and hits a tough reverse layup for Arkansas.Arkansas' second-round opponent: High PointHow Arkansas can advance to the Sweet 16: Arkansas wants to run, and it wants a high-scoring game
High Point will be willing to play into that hand, and it's hard to see how that's not a plus for John Calipari's team
The Razorbacks don't give the ball away since they have two high-level playmakers in Darius Acuff Jr
and Meleek Thomas, and their frontcourt is significantly more mobile and athletic than Wisconsin's bigs
The turnover battle will be key; High Point ranks in the top five in defensive turnover percentage, but Arkansas protects the ball better than any team in the country
If Acuff and Thomas take care of the ball and the Razorbacks can dominate the paint like they've done countless times this season, High Point likely won't have an answer defensively
Defensively, they can't let Chase Johnston get hot -- from anywhere on the floor
-- Jeff Borzello(3) Illinois 105, (14) Pennsylvania 70How Illinois won: The Illini dominated all phases of this win
Though five Illini finished in double figures, freshman David Mirkovic was the star, leading all scorers with 28 points, 17 rebounds and 3 assists
Penn had no answers to Mirkovic and Illinois' size
The Illini had 44 points in the paint, pulled down 20 offensive boards and shot 50% from the field
Add in their 15 3s, and there was simply nothing Illinois didn't do well
The Illini's 105 points were the most by any team on the tournament's opening day and their highest output since scoring 113 in each of their first two games of the season
-- David Haleplay0:20David Mirkovic's steal sparks another Illinois fast-break slamDavid Mirkovic gets the steal and sets up his teammate Zvonimir Ivisic for the dunk.Illinois' second-round opponent: VCUHow the Fighting Illini can advance to the Sweet 16: Illinois, which owns the No
1 offense in America, can advance with the same overwhelming offensive attack it has relied on in wins over Texas Tech, Tennessee and Purdue
The Fighting Illini scored 40 points in the first half against Penn on Thursday before adding 65 in the second half at a rate of 197 points per 100 possessions
For comparison: the Denver Nuggets have the NBA's best offense of the season at 120 points per 100 possessions
That's how good Illinois is right now
Brad Underwood's team can advance with another overwhelming offensive effort
On Thursday, the Illini turned to David Mirkovic (29 points, 17 rebounds) to keep their national title hopes alive
It's a tall task for the Rams, who will have to stop one of the most potent offensive attacks in recent college basketball history
Meanwhile, Illinois just has to be Illinois
-- Myron Medcalf (9) Saint Louis 102, (8) Georgia 77How Saint Louis won: This one was all Billikens
Georgia never held a lead in the 102-77 loss to Saint Louis, meaning they remain the only SEC team without a NCAA tournament win since 2003
The Bulldogs simply had no answer for the Billikens' offense as they scored layup after layup while a struggling Georgia offense made 34.7% of field goals (25 of 72).Saint Louis dominated in the paint with 66 points, the highest total by any team in a game in the last 20 NCAA tournaments
Six Saint Louis players finished with double-digit points and the Billikens made 58.3% of field goals
The lone bright spot for the Bulldogs was Jeremiah Wilkinson, who became the first Georgia player with a 30-point game since 2002
The game marked the largest loss by an SEC team to an A-10 team in an NCAA Tournament game (previous lowest was in 1997, when 9-seed Temple beat 8-seed Ole Miss by 22 points)
-- Alaina Getzenbergplay0:16Robbie Avila shows off his footwork down lowSaint Louis’ Robbie Avila makes a spin move to finish inside.Saint Louis' second-round opponent: MichiganHow the Billikens can advance to the Sweet 16: Saint Louis an efficient offensive operation, shooting around 59% inside the arc and around 40% from 3
That's what the Billikens will need to get a win over a Michigan team with just three losses this season
They'll have to be good on the perimeter and around the rim as they were against Georgia on Thursday with 66 points in the paint
They'll have to attack Michigan's big men, especially Aday Mara, on ball screens, which is what Duke did down the stretch of its win over Michigan this season, and find ways to score
The 7-foot-3 Mara could be a weak link against a Saint Louis roster that has six players who have made at least 37% of their 3-point attempts this season
Saint Louis can advance if it exhausts Michigan's frontcourt with an inside-outside game that keeps the Wolverines guessing and plays its best defense of the season to protect the rim against one of America's biggest frontcourts
-- Myron Medcalf (2) Houston 78, (15) Idaho 47How Houston won: Death, taxes and Kelvin Sampson winning at least one NCAA tournament game
With a dominant 78-47 win against Idaho, the Cougars have won at least one game in eight consecutive NCAA tournaments, the second-longest active streak behind Gonzaga
This time around, they were paced by freshman phenom Kingston Flemings, who set a program record with 18 points -- the most ever by a Houston freshman in an NCAA tournament game
Houston overwhelmed Idaho in every facet of the game, outrebounding the Vandals 47-32 and outscoring them in the paint 36-16
Five Cougars finished in double figures, while just one Vandal, Kolton Mitchell, reached that mark
-- Brooke Pryorplay0:20Emanuel Sharp knocks down a pair of 3-pointers for HoustonEmanuel Sharp hits back-to-back 3-pointers in the first half vs
Idaho.Houston's second-round opponent: Texas A&MHow the Cougars can advance to the Sweet 16: Houston, on paper, is built to withstand Texas A&M's pressing, up-tempo style
The Cougars have an elite three-guard trio in Kingston Flemings, Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp who don't turn the ball over and are effective at getting the game to be played at Kelvin Sampson's preferred tempo
Where Houston can really have an edge is on the offensive glass
The Cougars are annually one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country, and while this year's group isn't quite as elite as previous versions, they're still in the top 30 nationally in offensive rebounding rate and second-chance points per game
A&M, meanwhile, was one of the worst defensive rebounding teams in the SEC
-- Borzello(1) Michigan 101, (16) Howard 80How Michigan won: Howard gave Michigan a run for its money early, keeping the game within four points going into halftime
But coming out of it, the Wolverines distanced themselves by flexing their offensive muscles to pull away for their 32nd win of the season -- second most in program history (most were 33 in 2017-18)
The Wolverines shot 67.3% to the Bison's 42.6%
Michigan also held the edge on the glass (35-23), led by forward Morez Johnson Jr., who became the fifth player in the past 60 years with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 100% FG (8 for 8) in an NCAA tournament game
Howard's 10 first-half 3s kept the Bison in the game as they looked for their second NCAA tournament win, but they followed that up with just four (4 of 13) in the second half
-- Alaina Getzenbergplay0:20Aday Mara throws down big slam for MichiganMichigan’s Aday Mara punches it inside for a dunk late vs
Howard.Michigan's second-round opponent: Saint LouisHow the Wolverines can advance to the Sweet 16: The Wolverines can advance if they use their size to their advantage on offense and subdue a unique Saint Louis offense
Michigan had early struggles as Kenny Blakeney's Howard team focused on Yaxel Lendeborg (9 points) and used a zone to keep the Wolverines out of the lane
It didn't work for the whole game because Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr
-- who had 40 points combined -- played over the top of it while continuing to score from the perimeter to seal the win
Saint Louis doesn't have the size to defend Michigan at any position
On offense, the Billikens could be forced to camp out at the 3-point line because the Wolverines won't give them a lot of room to operate in the paint
If Michigan hits its 3s, dominates inside and defends a versatile Saint Louis offense, the Wolverines should advance to the Sweet 16