The first round of March Madness has been full of moments that lived up to the hype.
A handful of programs made the most of their March Madness debuts or earned their first NCAA Tournament win. Howard Won its first four games and tied michigan in the early part of their first-round matchup. siena was on the verge of disturbing ruler. high Point Earned bragging rights with their disappointing win against wisconsin.
But as much as the results mattered, the other highlights of the first round had no impact on the box score, but still deserve recognition.
Here are our off-the-stat-sheet and personality-driven standouts from the first round.
number 12 high point 83-82 The upset win over Wisconsin would not have been possible without Johnson. The senior guard, who finished with 14 points in 22 minutes of play, scored big with a finger roll in the final seconds to win the game for High Point.
First 2-pointer of the year for Chase Johnson
HIGH POINT LEAD!!! pic.twitter.com/N2ZWYSb9Dz
– NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) 19 March 2026
You may ask why is this unique?
This layup marked Johnson’s first 2-point field goal all season.
In Thursday’s game, Johnson made seven field goal attempts, six of which were from beyond the perimeter. Of seven attempts, he made five – four 3-pointers… and a layup.
During the regular season, Johnson attempted 143 field goals; 138 of those were 3-pointers, on which he shot the ball quite efficiently at 49.3%.
Most likely to go platinum: Flynn Kleiman in post-game interview
High Point picked up its first NCAA Tournament win in school history with a win over Wisconsin — and head coach Flynn Kleiman had a lot to say immediately afterward.
In an interview after the game, Kleiman expressed confidence that the mid-majors could compete with any Power 4 program.
“It seems to me quite clear that the high-majors need to play the mid-majors during the season. They said we haven’t played with anyone – we haven’t played with anyone now. No one will play with us, just like no one will Miami (Ohio). But they have to play with us in this tournament,” Kleiman said.
Most committed to the starting five: Sienna
As soon as the ball was hit, Sienna put pressure on Duke. Heading into the first-round matchup, Indiana was the only major-conference team the Saints had played all season – according to ESPN Research, they had not led once in that game. But when going against the Duke, Sienna throws him out the window.
The Blue Devils trailed Siena 43–32 at halftime, making them the first No. 1 seed to trail by double digits at halftime of the men’s NCAA Tournament. But in that entire first half, Siena did not make a single substitution.
Although Duke ultimately avoided the upset by outscoring Siena 39–22 in the second half and winning 71–65, Siena kept the same five players on the field for almost the entire 40 minutes. It did not make its first substitution until 10 seconds remained in the game.
Three Saints players finished in double figures gavin doty21 points are leading, after that francis folefack18 digits and Brendan Coyle12 points of.
Most likely to spill tea: Long Island University vs. Arizona
Widely known for its student community “Fins Up” movementNo. 16 seed Long Island University faces No. 1 seed Arizona On Friday. But there was more at stake than just a bid to the second round of the tournament – both teams share a unique tie to the “form” of Iced Tea.
The Wildcats are named after “Arizona”, a New York-based beverage company popular for its iced teas, juices and energy drinks. Sharks, on the other hand, are associated with Long Island Iced Tea, an alcoholic beverage prepared with cola to mimic iced tea.
During the “Battle of the Tees”, after the Wildcats jumped out to a quick 15–4 lead in the first half, Arizona Drink Company criticized the matchup on social media, writing: “Guys, I think I’m winning.”
guys i think i’m winning https://t.co/QNlnyv7kRr
– Arizona Iced Tea (@DlinkAriZona) 20 March 2026
Arizona ultimately defeated Long Island University 92–58, with the company celebrating the victory with “tea”.
I am not in the team but I have tea https://t.co/u0dTjGYIG2 pic.twitter.com/60euXCG6Am
– Arizona Iced Tea (@DlinkAriZona) 20 March 2026
Most Likely to Pull Off an Upset: North Carolina
North Carolina made a strong start against VCUDue to which it might seem that the Tar Heels have won.
That was until North Carolina’s halftime tweet was posted.
Up to 19 at the moment. pic.twitter.com/8cKopjUFa1
– Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) 20 March 2026
VCU terence hill jr. There was an explosion in the second half to help close a 19-point halftime deficit and force overtime.
According to ESPN Research, Hill scored 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting in the final 15 minutes of the game, compared to North Carolina’s 14 points as a team, to help secure VCU’s 82–78 upset victory over the Tar Heels.
The win improved VCU to 2–4 in overtime men’s NCAA Tournament games and was its first such win since 2011, when it defeated Florida State 72–71 in the Sweet 16.
Most sentimental bucket: eddie munyak
Heading into the first round, Long Island guard Munyak had only seen two minutes on the field all season, playing only at the end of the Sharks’ 83–61 win. le moyne In January.
Munyak entered the ballgame in the final minutes against Arizona. With 53 seconds remaining, he caught the ball deep down the wing and drained a contested 3-point shot. The ball hit the backboard and went through the net, giving Munyak his first point of the entire 2025–26 campaign.
