The first round of the 2026 men’s NCAA tournament continues on Friday — and we’re tracking how every game was decided.
As every winner’s second-round matchup is set, ESPN’s reporters will also break down each team’s keys for advancing to the Sweet 16.
Go to: Live tracker
How Virginia won: Virginia escaped a scare and advanced to the second round with a come-from-behind win. Senior guard Jacari White took over down the stretch, scoring 15 of his season-high 26 points in the second half, using his gravitational pull to create easy baskets for his teammates. Those 26 points are the most by a Virginia player in an NCAA tournament game since De’Andre Hunter had 27 in the 2019 championship game against Texas Tech, per ESPN Research. White’s six made 3-pointers also tied London Perrantes (2016 Elite Eight) for most by a Virginia player in an NCAA tournament game. — Tim McManus
How Arizona won: Arizona’s first-round matchup against 16-seeded Long Island proved to be a tepid warmup for the Wildcats, who dominated every facet of the game on their way to a commanding victory. It’s striking how big they are in person, and they used every bit of their size to their advantage, outrebounding the Sharks 52-31 and scoring 50 points in the paint while adding 10 blocks to boot. Ivan Kharchenkov waltzed his way to a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double while on the perimeter. And freshman Brayden Burries brought the firepower, leading all scorers with 18 points on 4-of-5 shooting from 3. It was the ideal start for a team with hopes (and expectations) for a deep tournament run. — Paolo Uggetti
How Texas Tech won: Akron closed the gap to four points midway through the second half, but Texas Tech — playing without All-American and Big 12 Player of the Year JT Toppin — shot better than 75% in the second half to run away with it. (Forward LeJuan Watts, who led with six rebounds, also fouled out with under 10 minutes to go.) Freshman guard Jaylen Petty put up a career-best 24 points (5-of-7 from 3), and the Raiders held the Zips’ top-10 scoring offense that had averaged 88.4 points per game during the regular season to just 71 points. — Jenna Laine
How Kentucky won: Add what Otega Oweh did to the list of great performances in Kentucky’s tournament history. Oweh scored a career-high 35 points to send the 7-seed Wildcats to the next round. Oweh’s midcourt prayer that banked through the net at the buzzer sent the game into overtime and helped the Wildcats avoid the upset. Oweh fueled Kentucky’s offense and held off a balanced Santa Clara attack that was led by Elijah Mahi and Allen Graves. Graves thought he had the game winner with two seconds left. But Oweh made sure he and the Wildcats had the last word. — Ben Baby