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Prairie View Today
By the People, for the People
NCAA Tournament Friday Scoreboard, Saturday Schedule
Highlights from the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
Mar. 21, 2026 at 1:20pm
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The first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament took place on Friday, with several top seeds advancing to the second round. Notable results included (7) Kentucky defeating (10) Santa Clara 89-84, (1) Arizona routing (16) LIU 92-58, and (2) Purdue cruising past (15) Queens NC 104-71. The tournament action continues on Saturday with a full slate of second-round matchups.
Why it matters
The NCAA Tournament is one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year, with millions of fans tuning in to watch the drama unfold as teams compete for the national championship. The results from the first round provide early indications of which programs have the best chance of making a deep tournament run.
The details
On the opening day of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, several highly seeded teams asserted their dominance. (7) Kentucky held off a late surge from (10) Santa Clara to win 89-84, while (1) Arizona cruised past (16) LIU 92-58. Other notable winners included (5) Texas Tech, (3) Virginia, and (2) Iowa State. The action continues on Saturday with a full slate of second-round matchups, including (9) Saint Louis vs. (1) Michigan, (6) Louisville vs. (3) Michigan State, and (9) TCU vs. (1) Duke.
- The first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament took place on Friday, March 21, 2026.
- The second round of the tournament is scheduled for Saturday, March 22, 2026.
The players
Kentucky
The (7) seed in the NCAA Tournament, Kentucky defeated (10) Santa Clara 89-84 in the first round.
Arizona
The (1) seed in the NCAA Tournament, Arizona routed (16) LIU 92-58 in the first round.
Purdue
The (2) seed in the NCAA Tournament, Purdue cruised past (15) Queens NC 104-71 in the first round.
What they’re saying
“Our guys really stepped up and played hard for 40 minutes. We knew Santa Clara would be a tough opponent, but we were able to make the plays we needed to down the stretch.”
— John Calipari, Head Coach, Kentucky
“We came out with a lot of energy and really set the tone defensively. That allowed us to get out in transition and make plays on the offensive end.”
— Tommy Lloyd, Head Coach, Arizona
What’s next
The second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament will take place on Saturday, March 22, 2026, with several highly anticipated matchups on the schedule.
The takeaway
The first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament provided a glimpse of the talent and competitiveness that fans can expect to see throughout the rest of the tournament. As the field narrows, the drama and excitement will only continue to build towards the crowning of a national champion.
