March Madness 2026: First Round Thrills

0:00On March 20th, March Madness for 2026 is in full swing after the 60-18 field drop Sunday on CBS. Duke Blue Devils grabbed the top overall seed in the East region, with Arizona Wildcats leading the West, Michigan Wolverines topping the Midwest and Florida Gators owning the South. The action kicked off March 17th in Dayton, Ohio, with first four games where Howard, Texas, Prairie View, A&M, and Miami of Ohio punched their tickets. First round play started Thursday, March 19th, bringing early thrillers across sites like Greenville, Buffalo, Portland, and Oklahoma City. Fans lit up social media over upsets like 12 seeded high point, stunning 5th seeded Wisconsin, 11 seeded VCU, edging North Carolina in, over time, and TCU slipping past Ohio State. Heavy favorites like Duke, Michigan, and Illinois power through, but nothing's guaranteed this deep into bracket season. By Friday, March 20th, more first round matchups tipped off in places like St. Louis, Tampa, San Diego, and Philadelphia, setting up intense.

1:07Second round clashes Saturday. Duke faces TCU, Michigan takes on St. Louis, and Houston battles Texas A&M, all with regional pride on the line. Expect non-stop drama through the sweet 16 and beyond, all building to the national title game, less than three weeks from now, at Lucas Oil. Stadium in Indianapolis.