.jpg)
2 hours ago
2
The most exciting part of the NCAA Tournament is that small programs are given the chance to play against big schools on a national stage. It gives smaller schools a chance to show they can hang with the best of the best, especially since the tournament is single-elimination.
The NCAA Tournament field comprises 68 teams, with four teams having to win play-in games to secure their spots in the bracket. The field is broken down into four regions of 16 teams each. Given that teams are ranked in descending order, there is a "favorite" and an "underdog" in every matchup. Some are close, like the No. 8 vs. No. 9 game, while others are far apart in terms of seeding and expected talent, like a No. 1 seed facing a No. 16 seed.
In the history of the NCAA Tournament since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985, the Final Four has been made up entirely of No. 1 seeds just twice. That means in all but two of the last 41 tournaments, there has been at least one upset.
The 2026 NCAA Tournament began with No. 8 Ohio State taking on No. 9 TCU. It was the Horned Frogs that emerged victorious with a 68-66 win, marking the first upset of this year’s tournament
Here is more on all of the upsets that have happened so far in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
MARCH MADNESS HQ: Live NCAA bracket | TV schedule | Latest news and more
March Madness upsets so far
Here is a look at the upsets in 2026 March Madness so far.
| No. | Upset |
| 1. | No. 9 TCU beat No. 8 Ohio State 66-64 |
| 2. | No. 11 VCU beat No. 6 North Carolina 82-78 in OT |
| 3. | No. 10 Texas A&M beat No. 7 Saint Mary's 63-50 |
| 4. | No. 9 Saint Louis beat No. 8 Georgia 102-88 |
| 5. | No. 11 Texas beat No. 6 BYU 79-71 |
| 6. | No. 12 High Point beat No. 5 Wisconsin 83-82 |
No. 9 TCU beat No. 8 Ohio State
The Horned Frogs in Buckeyes met in the first game of the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. TCU came to play and went into halftime 39-24. Ohio State battled back throughout the second half, though, and nearly completed the full comeback. The Buckeyes scored 40 points in the second half compared to the Horned Frogs' 27, but they came just shy of the win and TCU advanced.
The Horned Frogs were led by Micah Robinson, who had 18 points, and David Punch, who had a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
No. 11 VCU beat No. 6 North Carolina
North Carolina went into halftime 39-28. The Tar Heels led by 19 points at one point, but the Rams battled all the way back and scored 47 points in the second half to force the game to go into overtime. VCU used that momentum to sustain them through the extra period, beating North Carolina 82-78, in what was one of the Tar Heels' worst losses in program history.
HISTORY OF UPSETS BY SEED:
16 vs. 1 | 15 vs. 2 | 14 vs. 3 | 13 vs. 4 | 12 vs. 5
No. 10 Texas A&M beat No. 7 Saint Mary's
Texas A&M got out to an early lead over Saint Mary's and never looked back. The Aggies went into halftime up 11 points and maintained their lead throughout the second half. When the dust settled, Texas A&M cruised to the 63-50 victory.
The Aggies were led by Rashaun Agee, who finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
No. 9 Saint Louis beat No. 8 Georgia
Saint Louis was matched up with Georgia in the first round, pitting an Atlantic-10 at-large team against an at-large team from the SEC. The Billikens took the opportunity to ball out for the mid-majors and took some frustrations out on Georgia. Saint Louis took a 17-point lead into halftime and didn't take its foot off the gas.
No. 11 Texas beat No. 6 BYU
Texas was one of the last at-large teams in the NCAA Tournament, which meant it had to play in for its spot as an 11-seed. The Longhorns beat NC State in the play-in game, which may have helped them build momentum. Texas was then matched up with BYU in the first round. The Longhorns led by nine at halftime but were outscored by the Cougars in the second half, 34-33.
Texas still hung on for the eight-point win. The Longhorns were led in scoring by Matas Vokietatis, who recorded a double-double with 23 points and 16 rebounds in 33 minutes of action.
No. 12 High Point beat No. 5 Wisconsin
High Point had the biggest upset win on the first day of the first round. The Panthers entered the tournament as the Big South Champions and were given a No. 12 seed to take on Wisconsin, an at-large team from the Big Ten. High Point hung with Wisconsin throughout the game, keeping the game close. Chase Johnston, infamously known for only making three pointers during the regular season, hit his first two of the year and it ended up being the two points the Panthers needed to clinch the win.
MORE: High Point joins list of 12 seeds to beat a 5 seed in NCAA Tournament
Any upsets in college basketball today?
Today is Friday, March 21 and is the second and final day of the first round matchups. At the time of this writing, there have been no upsets in the men's NCAA Tournament today, but it is still early.
SN AWARDS: All-America team | Player of the Year | Coach of the Year
Why are there so many upsets in March Madness?
The NBA conducts its playoffs in a series format. After a single elimination play-in tournament for the final two spots, the rest of the playoffs are four best-of-seven series.
The NCAA playoff system is extremely exciting because it is a single-elimination tournament. The No. 1 team in the field could beat the No. 16 team 99 times out of 100. But the excitement comes from the fact that it has now been proven that the No. 16 team has a chance to pull off a miraculous win, and that 100th time the two would've played, and the upset would've occurred, just happens to be in the tournament.
English (US)