2026 NCAA Tournament Bracket, Duke And Michigan Survive While Upsets Rewrite March Madness

The official NCAA tournament bracket is set, and March Madness is now moving through the Elite Eight after a packed opening stretch that delivered upsets, close finishes and dominant wins. Fans looking for the latest bracket, live scores and the full tournament schedule can track the men’s Division I field as the road to the Final Four continues.

The Elite Eight began Saturday with two games, and the day’s results reshaped the national title picture again. No. 1 Duke survived No. 5 St. John’s, No. 1 Michigan pulled away from No. 4 Alabama, No. 2 UConn edged No. 3 Michigan State, and No. 6 Tennessee beat No. 2 Iowa State in a result that stood out among the tournament’s biggest wins.

Bracket status and what the field has produced so far

The tournament opened with a long list of decisive results, and several lower seeds already made noise in the first round. High Point’s win over Wisconsin, VCU’s overtime victory against North Carolina, and Texas’ upset of BYU showed how quickly the bracket could shift in the first 48 hours.

Top seeds also advanced with authority in several spots, as Michigan, Duke, Arizona, Florida and Houston all handled their first-round matchups. The mix of expected results and surprise exits has kept the bracket in motion and made every remaining game more important for both teams and bracket pools.

Key first-round scores from the men’s tournament

1. TCU 66, Ohio State 64
2. Nebraska 76, Troy 47
3. Louisville 83, South Florida 79
4. High Point 83, Wisconsin 82
5. Duke 71, Siena 65
6. Vanderbilt 78, McNeese 68
7. Michigan State 92, North Dakota State 67
8. Arkansas 97, Hawai‘i 78

9. VCU 82, North Carolina 78, OT

10. Michigan 101, Howard 80
11. Texas 79, BYU 71
12. Texas A&M 63, Saint Mary’s 50
13. Illinois 105, Penn 70
14. Saint Louis 102, Georgia 77
15. Gonzaga 73, Kennesaw State 64
16. Houston 78, Idaho 47

That list included several high-scoring performances, with Michigan reaching 101 points and Illinois topping 100 as both teams made early statements. Houston also posted a comfortable opening win, while Texas A&M controlled Saint Mary’s behind a strong defensive effort.

More round-of-64 results that shaped the bracket

1. Kentucky 89, Santa Clara 84, OT
2. Texas Tech 91, Akron 71
3. Arizona 92, Long Island University 58
4. Virginia 82, Wright State 73
5. Iowa State 108, Tennessee State 74
6. Alabama 90, Hofstra 70
7. Utah State 86, Villanova 76
8. Tennessee 78, Miami (Ohio) 56

9. Iowa 67, Clemson 61

10. St. John’s 79, UNI 53
11. Purdue 104, Queens 71
12. UCLA 75, UCF 71
13. Florida 114, Prairie View A&M 55
14. Kansas 68, Cal Baptist 60
15. Miami (Fla.) 80, Missouri 66
16. UConn 82, Furman 71

Florida’s 114-point output was one of the biggest offensive performances of the opening round, while Auburn, Purdue, and UConn also moved on with strong showings. Several games went to the wire, including Kentucky’s overtime win and UCLA’s narrow escape against UCF.

Upcoming schedule for March Madness

Selection Sunday aired at 6 p.m. ET on CBS, and the tournament followed with the First Four in Dayton before shifting into the full bracket. The Final Four and championship game are both set for Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, keeping the title chase centered on one of college basketball’s most familiar postseason stages.

Tournament sites for the men’s bracket

1. First Four: UD Arena, Dayton, Ohio
2. First and second rounds: Buffalo, Greenville, Oklahoma City, Portland, Tampa, Philadelphia, San Diego and St. Louis
3. South Regional: Toyota Center, Houston
4. West Regional: SAP Center, San Jose
5. Midwest Regional: United Center, Chicago
6. East Regional: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
7. Final Four and title game: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis

The regional sites matter because each one can change travel, crowd support and game flow as the field narrows. Teams that survived the first weekend now have to handle a deeper rotation of pressure, scouting and back-to-back high-stakes games before the national semifinals arrive.