The first round of the 2026 men’s NCAA tournament has 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
How VCU won: The Rams finished a ridiculous comeback, erasing a 19-point second-half deficit to knock off North Carolina in overtime. Terrence Hill Jr. 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 Hale
VCU’s second-round opponent: Illinois
How 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 can’t let that happen. 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
How 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 Hale
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TCU set to face Duke in 2nd round of NCAA tournament
Check 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: TCU
How 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
How 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, 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 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 staff
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High Point comes up clutch to stun Wisconsin
A late layup sets up a grandstand finish as High Point fends of Wisconsin for the upset win.
High Point’s second-round opponent: Arkansas
How 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. — Jeff Borzello
How 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 Hale
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Edmonds’ late bucket helps TCU hold off Ohio State
Xavier 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: Duke
How 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 71
How 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. But it wasn’t enough. 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. Tramon Mark added 16 points. — Ryan McFadden
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Matas Vokietaitis’ big-time block secures Texas’ win
Matas Vokietaitis comes up with a huge late-game block to seal Texas’ win over BYU.
Texas’ second-round opponent: Gonzaga
How 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. 14. BYU scored 1.06 points per possession against Texas, but that’s well below the Cougars’ season average, and they have potential No. 1 NBA draft pick AJ Dybantsa. 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
How 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 USF 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. McKneely 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 Getzenberg
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Isaac McKneely’s fifth 3-pointer gives Louisville their largest lead
Isaac McKneely splashes his fifth 3-pointer to give the Cardinals a 23-point lead.
Louisville’s second-round opponent: Michigan State
How 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
How 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. They also controlled the glass, outrebounding Kennesaw State 45-34. — Ryan McFadden
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Graham Ike throws down 2-handed slam
Graham Ike elevates and throws down a two-handed slam dunk for Gonzaga.
Gonzaga’s second-round opponent: Texas
How 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 momentum — and one with size that could potentially make life difficult for Mark Few’s club. What should determine the outcome will be the paint battle and free throw margin. Gonzaga leads the nation in paint points per game, scoring nearly 45, while shooting nearly 59% inside the arc. But the Zags outscored Kennesaw State by only four points in the paint Thursday. Graham Ike needs to be his usual dominant self, and it will 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 the former Florida Atlantic transfer; Vokietaitis is averaging 17.6 points over his past 11 games and had 23 points and 16 boards against BYU. — Jeff Borzello
How 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 Pryor
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Tyler Tanner hits the and-1 floater for Vanderbilt
Tyler Tanner drives to the basket and hits the and-1 floater for Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt’s second-round opponent: Nebraska
How 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. It’s not on him alone, though. 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 past three games. — Myron Medcalf
How 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 Pryor
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Rashaun Agee’s 3 tacks on to Texas A&M’s second-half lead
Rashaun Agee knocks down a 3-pointer in the second half vs. Saint Mary’s.
Texas A&M’s second-round opponent: Houston
How 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. Can A&M win the pace battle? 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. 352 nationally. 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
How 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. Guard Jeremy Fears Jr. 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 Getzenberg
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Jeremy Fears Jr., Coen Carr connect for huge Michigan State alley-oop
Jeremy Fears Jr. and Coen Carr connect for a huge Spartans alley-oop vs. North Dakota State.
Michigan State’s second-round opponent: Louisville
How 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. Jeremy Fears Jr. 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
How 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 Pryor
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Nebraska fans erupt on Pryce Sandfort’s triple
Off of a Troy turnover, Pryce Sandfort gets a good look and buries a trey to take the lead for Nebraska.
Nebraska’s second-round opponent: Vanderbilt
How 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. How? 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
How 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 McFadden
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Darius Acuff Jr. hits a tough reverse layup
Darius Acuff Jr. drives to the basket and hits a tough reverse layup for Arkansas.
Arkansas’ second-round opponent: High Point
How 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, they can’t let Chase Johnston get hot — from anywhere on the floor. — Jeff Borzello
How 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 three assists. Penn had no answers for 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 Hale
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David Mirkovic’s steal sparks another Illinois fast-break slam
David Mirkovic gets the steal and sets up his teammate Zvonimir Ivisic for the dunk.
Illinois’ second-round opponent: VCU
How 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 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
How Saint Louis won: This one was all Billikens. Georgia never held a lead, meaning it remains the only SEC team without a NCAA tournament win since 2003. The Bulldogs simply had no answer for the Billikens as they scored layup after layup while a struggling Georgia offense made 34.7% of its field goals (25 of 72).
Saint Louis dominated the paint with 66 points, the highest total by any team in a game in the past 20 NCAA tournaments. Six Saint Louis players finished with double digits in points, and the Billikens made 58.3% of their 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 (the previous largest loss was in 1997, when 9-seed Temple beat 8-seed Ole Miss by 22 points). — Alaina Getzenberg
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Robbie Avila shows off his footwork down low
Saint Louis’ Robbie Avila makes a spin move to finish inside.
Saint Louis’ second-round opponent: Michigan
How the Billikens can advance to the Sweet 16: Saint Louis is 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 with 66 points in the paint. But how? 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. Saint Louis has six players who have made at least 37% of their 3-point attempts this season. The Billikens can advance if they exhaust Michigan’s frontcourt with an inside-outside game that keeps the Wolverines guessing and plays their best defense of the season to protect the rim against one of America’s biggest frontcourts. Easier said than done. — Myron Medcalf
How Houston won: Death, taxes and Kelvin Sampson winning at least one NCAA tournament game. With a dominant 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 they were paced by phenom Kingston Flemings, who set a program record with 18 points — the most 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 Pryor
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Emanuel Sharp knocks down a pair of 3-pointers for Houston
Emanuel Sharp hits back-to-back 3-pointers in the first half vs. Idaho.
Houston’s second-round opponent: Texas A&M
How 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. They also can force their own fair share of turnovers, and A&M has had some issues against teams with intense on-ball pressure. 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
How 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 (the 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 Getzenberg
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Aday Mara throws down big slam for Michigan
Michigan’s Aday Mara punches it inside for a dunk late vs. Howard.
Michigan’s second-round opponent: Saint Louis
How the Wolverines can advance to the Sweet 16: The Wolverines can advance if they use their size on offense and subdue a unique Saint Louis offense. Michigan had early struggles as Kenny Blakeney’s Howard team focused on Yaxel Lendeborg (nine 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. — Myron Medcalf
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