The first round of the 2026 men’s NCAA Tournament continues Friday — and we’re tracking how each game was decided.
As each winner’s second-round matchup is determined, ESPN reporters will also break down each team’s keys to advancing to the Sweet 16.
Go: live tracker
How Virginia won: Virginia survived a scare and advanced to the second round with a come-from-behind win. senior guard jackary white Overpowered 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 were the most scored by a Virginia player in an NCAA Tournament game since De’Andre Hunter scored 27 points in the 2019 championship game against Texas Tech, according to ESPN Research. White’s six 3-pointers also tied London Parentes (2016 Elite Eight) for the 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 lackluster warmup for the Wildcats, who dominated every aspect of the game on their way to an impressive victory. It’s surprising how big he is in person, and he used every bit of his size to his advantage, defeating the Sharks 52-31 and scoring 50 points in the paint, while adding 10 blocks to the boot. Ivan Kharchenkov Driven his way to a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double while on the perimeter. and fresher brayden burys Brought firepower, leading all scorers with 18 points on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range. It was an ideal start for a team with hopes (and expectations) of a deep run in the tournament. –Paolo Ughetti
How Texas Tech won: Akron closed the gap to four points midway through the second half, but was playing without Texas Tech – the All-American and Big 12 Player of the Year JT Toppin – Shot better than 75% in the second half to run away with it. (Ahead Lejuan Wattswho led with six rebounds, also fouled out in less than 10 minutes.) Freshman guard jaylen patty Scored a career-best 24 points (5 of 7 from 3), and the Raiders maintained the Zips’ top-10 scoring attack, which had averaged only 71 points per game during the regular season, averaging 88.4 points. –Jenna Line
How Kentucky won: what to add Otega Oweh Adds 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, which went through the net at the buzzer, sent the game into overtime and helped the Wildcats avoid the upset. Oweh fueled Kentucky’s attack and stopped Santa Clara’s balanced attack, which was led by eliza mahi And allan graves. Graves thought he had the game winner with two seconds remaining. But Oweh made sure the final decision rested with him and the Wildcats. –Ben Baby
