The Gators met their match in Iowa, while the Crimson Tide thoroughly dominated the Red Raiders to advance to the Sweet 16
A couple of thrilling, down-to-the-wire finishes helped cap off the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament in riveting fashion. No. 5 seed St. John’s advanced past No. 4 seed Kansas with a 67-65 victory when Dylan Darling banked home a buzzer-beating layup after being held scoreless all game.
That one could not be topped, but Iowa’s Alvaro Folgueiras tried his best. The Hawkeyes’ versatile forward drilled a go-ahead 3-pointer from the right corner with 4.5 seconds left that ultimately lifted Iowa to a 73-72 upset of reigning national champion Florida. The No. 1 seed Gators had one final possession, but they couldn’t get a shot attempt up as their hopes of a repeat flamed out in stunning fashion.
In a distant third-place for best finish of the day were Tennessee and Virginia, as the No. 6 seed Volunteers outlasted the No. 3 seed Cavaliers 79-72 in a game that was tight until the end. Virginia’s Thijs De Ridder put UVa ahead 71-70 with a 3-pointer at the 2:03 mark. Tennessee outscored Virginia 9-1 from there with all nine of those points coming at the free-throw line.
Here’s a rundown of things to know from Sunday as the NCAA Tournament field got chopped down to just 16 teams.
We followed all the action here as the first weekend of the 2026 NCAA Tournament came to a close.
2026 NCAA Tournament scores
All times Eastern | NCAA Tournament schedule | LIVE bracket
| 12:10 PM | St. Louis | (2) Purdue 79, (7) Miami (FL) 69 | CBS | Highlights |
| 2:45 PM | St. Louis | (2) Iowa State 82, (7) Kentucky 63 | CBS | Highlights |
| 5:15 PM | San Diego | (5) St. John’s 67, (4) Kansas 65 | CBS | Highlights |
| 6:10 PM | Philadelphia | (6) Tennessee 79, (3) Virginia 72 | TNT | Highlights |
| 7:10 PM | Tampa | (9) Iowa 73, (1) Florida 72 | TBS | Highlights |
| 7:50 PM | San Diego | (1) Arizona 78, (9) Utah State 66 | truTV | Highlights |
| 8:45 PM | Philadelphia | (2) UConn 73, (7) UCLA 57 | TNT | Highlights |
| 9:45 PM | Tampa | (4) Alabama 90, (5) Texas Tech 65 | TBS | Highlights |
Gators go down
Eight of the past nine defending NCAA Tournament champions have now failed to reach the Sweet 16 after Florida became the first No. 1 seed to exit the bracket. The lone exception on the list is UConn in 2024, which followed up a 2023 national title by winning another. The Gators looked like legitimate contenders to do the same as they ran through the SEC and won the league outright by three games. But the Gators met their match on the boards against Iowa amid an uncharacteristically quiet performance from Florida star big man Rueben Chinyelu.
Alex Karaban stays hot
No. 2 seed UConn’s 73-57 win over No. 7 seed UCLA wasn’t as lopsided as the final score suggests. The Bruins were within 58-54 with under six minutes to play before the Huskies pulled away. Though he didn’t play a starring role in the finishing stretch, senior forward Alex Karaban did plenty to ensure that UConn advanced to the Sweet 16 after getting eliminated in the second round last season. His game-high 27 points came on 9-of-16 shooting and followed a 22-point showing in the Huskies’ first round victory. This is the version of Karaban UConn will need to scare No. 3 seed Michigan State in the Sweet 16.
Alabama destroys Texas Tech
Alabama’s dominant 90-65 win over Texas Tech will go down as one of the weekend’s most surprising scores. The Crimson Tide absolutely rolled, even while playing without suspended starting point guard Aden Holloway. Whether Bama has the size to contend with Michigan in the Sweet 16 is an entirely different question, but this weekend proved the Crimson Tide shouldn’t be written off on account of Holloway’s absence. Labaron Philon is looking plenty capable of handling a greater share of the lead guard duties after dishing out 12 assists against the Red Raiders.
See New Posts
Big Ten thriving, ACC struggling entering Sweet 16
At least one Big Ten team is guaranteed to reach the Elite Eight. That’s because No. 4 seed Nebraska and No. 9 seed Iowa will play each other in the Sweet 16 as part of a South Region that also features No. 3 seed Illinois. It is the first time since 2018 and just the third time ever that three teams from the same conference have advanced to the Sweet 16 within the same region.
March Madness scores, winners and losers: Big Ten thrives as Iowa stuns Florida, ACC falters entering Sweet 16
David Cobb
Alabama dominating Texas Tech
Half: (4) Alabama 49, (5) Texas Tech 29
The game of 3-point roulette is going Alabama’s way, and it’s not even a contest. The Crimson Tide are 11 of 27 from deep at halftime after using 12 offensive rebounds to generate multiple second-chance opportunities for a deep group of shooters. Seven different players have converted from beyond the arc for Bama. Texas Tech is just 2 of 13 from deep and shooting only 32.3% from the floor.
Arizona advances to the Sweet 16
FINAL: (1) Arizona 78, (9) Utah State 66
SAN DIEGO — No. 1 seed Arizona is moving on to the Sweet 16 after outlasting No. 9 seed Utah State 78-66 behind 18 points from Big 12 Player of the Year Jaden Bradley. Utah State made it interesting down the stretch after trailing by as many as 18 points, but the Wildcats were able to survive the upset scare. Arizona is heading to the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive season under coach Tommy Lloyd and a very intriguing Sweet 16 matchup awaits when it faces No. 4 seed Arkansas next week in San Jose.
That game will feature two of the best freshmen duos in the country in Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas, and Arizona’s Koa Peat and Brayden Burries.
Utah State making it interesting
LATE 2H: (1) Arizona 63, (9) Utah State 59
Utah State had never led in this game, but the Aggies are making it interesting down the stretch. Arizona leads 63-59 with 4:49 left. The Wildcats led by as many as 18 points.
HALF: (2) UConn 38, (7) UCLA 33
UConn remembered how to shoot! The Huskies drained six 3-pointers in the first half to take control into intermission. Freshman sharpshooter Braylon Mullins put his slump into the rearview mirror with a pair of triples. Alex Karaban also has 11 points.
UCLA is still short-handed without Tyler Bilodeau, but Xavier Booker has been excellent again with 12 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting.
Kansas squanders its best player as Darryn Peterson’s college career ends with second-round loss to St. John’s
SAN DIEGO — For a few brief moments inside Viejas Arena on Sunday, there was hope for Kansas.
After trailing by as many as 14 points against No. 5 seed St. John’s in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where Kansas looked completely outmatched for almost the entire game, star guard Darryn Peterson knocked down a pair of free throws to somehow tie the game with 13 seconds remaining.
Then came heartbreak.
St. John’s guard Dylan Darling sent his team to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999 after scoring a layup with no time remaining in the Red Storm’s 67-65 win over No. 4 seed Kansas. The Jayhawks have now failed to reach the Sweet 16 in four consecutive seasons for the first time since the 1980s.
Kansas squanders its best player as Darryn Peterson’s college career ends with second-round loss to St. John’s
Cameron Salerno
Iowa stuns No. 1 seed Florida
Final: (9) Iowa 73, (1) Florida 72
No. 9 seed Iowa just stunned No. 1 seed Florida on an Alvaro Folgueiras 3-pointer with 4.5 seconds remaining. The shot put the Hawkeyes ahead by a point. From there, Iowa needed a stop. It got one as Xaivian Lee’s last-second drive to the basket led nowhere.
Iowa All-American Bennett Stirtz finished 0 for 9 from 3-point range, but he got a lot of help. Tavion Banks came up up with a big 20 points, and Cooper Koch picked up the slack from beyond the arc by hitting 4 of 6 attempts from deep. What a statement from first-year Hawkeyes coach Ben McCollum and his team to knock off the defending national champions.
(4) Alabama vs. (5) Texas Tech: 3-point roulette
9:45 p.m. | TBS
This matchup will be a game of 3-point roulette with the winner advancing to face No. 1 seed Michigan in the Sweet 16. Alabama attempts 35.4 shots from beyond the arc per game, which is in tops in the country. Texas Tech isn’t too far behind with 29 attempts per game. The Red Raiders hit 39.7% of them, which is fourth-best in the nation and a necessity amid a season-ending to forward JT Toppin.
UCLA star Tyler Bilodeau OUT
The Bruins will be without leading scorer Tyler Bilodeau for tonight’s clash against No. 2 seed UConn. Bilodeau warmed up but can’t go due to the after-effects of a knee sprain suffered in last week’s Big Ten Tournament.
Picking UConn vs. UCLA
(2) UConn vs. (7) UCLA
8:45 p.m. | TNT
There has been a sense all season that UConn needs an extra edge to fully engage. The Huskies were just 12-22 against the spread in the regular season, often failing to cover larger numbers against weaker Big East opponents. Even in wins, those performances hurt their predictive metrics and power ratings.
Still, UConn showed its ceiling with wins — and covers — against Illinois and Kansas, along with a four-point victory over Florida as a 4.5-point favorite. Dan Hurley’s 2023 title team famously went 31-0 against non-Big East opponents while posting a 14-8 mark in conference play, and while the first-round game against Furman was tighter than expected, this matchup with Mick Cronin and UCLA could bring out a similar high-level, nonconference-style performance. Pick: UConn -4.5
FINAL: (6) Tennessee 79, (3) Virginia 72
The Vols are off to the Sweet 16. Ja’Kobi Gillespie scored 21 points and was one of five Vols in double figures in Tennessee’s 79-72 win over Virginia to advance to the Sweet 16.
Virginia’s issues defending lead guards proved to be its demise. Gillespie and fellow backcourt mate Bishop Boswell combined for 35 points and 15 assists in a massive victory.
Virginia’s 30-win season will fall short of a second-weekend appearance. Thijs de Ridder led the way with 22 points. Virginia will rue a challenge that did not go its way in the final 30 seconds when it trailed by just two points and could’ve had another chance to tie the game.
Duke is the lone ACC team left in the NCAA Tournament.
HALF: (9) Iowa 33, (1) Florida 31
The defending champions are in a chippy one with Ben McCollum and the Hawkeyes. Tavion Banks has chipped in 14 points. Alvaro Folgueiras added seven and was involved in a scrum that resulted in double technicals between Folgueiras and Florida’s Alex Condon. Both Todd Golden and McCollum were none too pleased.
Florida is shooting just 7-for-16 on 2s against the undersized, but physical, Hawkeyes.
Picking Arizona vs. Utah State
(1) Arizona vs. (9) Utah State
7:50 p.m. | truTV
There is a chance Jerrod Calhoun’s unique defensive scheme creates issues for Arizona, though Jayden Bradley and the rest of the Wildcats’ backcourt should be steady enough to limit easy turnover opportunities for Utah State. Still, that disruption could push the Wildcats into some out-of-rhythm possessions, especially if Tommy Lloyd opts against turning the game into the track meet the total might suggest.
One of Arizona’s strengths this season is its ability to win in multiple styles — both high-scoring shootouts and low-scoring grinders. Forcing Utah State into a half-court game against Arizona’s elite defense could neutralize much of the upset potential. That approach would likely lead to fewer possessions and a lower-scoring outcome, even with two capable offenses. Pick: Under 155.5
St. John’s wins
FINAL: (5) St. John’s 67, (4) Kansas 65
St. John’s wins!! Dylan Darling’s layup at the buzzer sends the Red Storm to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999. Kansas star Darryn Peterson tied the game at 65-all with 13 seconds remaining before St. John’s won it.
St. John’s led by as many as 14 points in the second half. St. John’s will face No. 1 overall seed Duke in the Sweet 16 next week.
Coming down to the wire
LATE 2H: (5) St. John’s 62, (4) Kansas 55
Does Kansas have one more run left? The Jayhawks have cut it to seven points with 3:41 remaining. St. John’s has led for nearly 34 minutes of game time. Winner gets No. 1 overall seed Duke next week in the Sweet 16.
St. John’s in control
MID 2H: (5) St. John’s 48, (4) Kansas 38
St. John’s leads Kansas 48-38 with 11:39 remaining. The scoreboard might be deceiving. St. John’s has dominated this game on both ends of the floor. The full-court pressure is getting to Kansas. There have been numerous times today where Kansas justtt got the ball in before a five-second call, or turned it over off a bad pass. St. John’s is playing this game on its terms. That’s bad news for Kansas.
Picking Florida vs. Iowa
(1) Florida vs. (9) Iowa
7:10 p.m. | TBS
Though still early in his tenure, Todd Golden’s NCAA Tournament experience continues to grow with each round. Credit Florida for handling business in the first round against Prairie View, showing up in Tampa as a heavy home favorite and delivering as expected.
The Gators could be in line for another double-digit win against an Iowa team that was just 4-9 against Quad 1 opponents entering Selection Sunday. The Ben McCollum–Bennett Stirtz combination has been excellent, but it faces a much tougher test against Florida’s size and athleticism.
While Florida is not an elite shooting team, its versatile frontcourt can disrupt passing lanes and limit Stirtz’s impact. The Gators may not have looked their best in the SEC Tournament, but their focus appears to have sharpened with the start of the NCAA Tournament. Pick: Florida -11.5
Tennessee’s physicality standing out
Half: (6) Tennessee 36, (3) Virginia 31
Tennessee’s physicality caused some problems for Virginia in the first half as the Volunteers outscored the Cavaliers 18-8 in the paint. The Vols also benefitted from a three made 3-pointers from Bishop Boswell as star freshman Nate Ament continued to be limited by a lingering leg injury. Ament played just 12 minutes in the half — partially due to foul trouble — and scored only three points on 1 of 5 shooting. Jacari White has 10 for Virginia after going off for 26 in the Cavaliers’ first round win over Wright State.
St. John’s ahead at halftime over Kansas
HALF: (5) St. John’s 34, (4) Kansas 26
The best way to describe the first half of this game is that football is being played on a basketball court. St. John’s is applying pressure on almost any in-bounds pass and has been relentless in forcing turnovers. Kansas turns the ball over just over 10 times per game, and the Jayhawks committed eight in the opening half. Kansas star Darryn Peterson has 10 points, but again, St. John’s is making life miserable for him. They’re denying everything. In total, St. John’s led for over 17 minutes of play.
According to CBS Sports research, the 23 3-pointers St. John’s attempted in the first half were the most in any half in each of the last 10 seasons. St. John’s averages 21 attempts per game from 3 as a team.
(3) Virginia vs. (6) Tennessee: how healthy is Nate Ament?
6:10 p.m. | TNT
Tennessee beat Miami (Ohio) with no drama in the first round. Overlooked in an easy win for the Volunteers was the fact that freshman phenom Nate Amen is less than 100% healthy. He played just 19 minutes on Friday and went 0 for 3 from the floor amid a leg injury suffered late in the regular season.
“We need Nate,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said Saturday. “He knows it, but he will give us everything that he can, and that’s really all I can say about it. If it’s up to him, he would play every minute if he could. We’ll see game time.”
11-0 run for St. John’s
EARLY 1H: (5) St. John’s 14, (4) Kansas 6
Kansas star Darryn Peterson (6) has scored 100% of his team’s points through the first six minutes. St. John’s is currently on an 11-0 run. Kansas is having a hard time getting the ball in because of relentless pressure by St. John’s. The Jayhawks were just forced to use a timeout.
Picking Kansas vs. St. John’s
(5) St. John’s vs. (4) Kansas
5:15 p.m. | CBS
Kansas built a 26-point lead against Cal Baptist in the second half before allowing an 18-2 run over the final 10 minutes, ultimately settling for an eight-point win to advance. While there is credit for building that cushion behind a strong performance from Darryn Peterson, there are valid concerns about consistency as the level of competition rises.
St. John’s enters in far better form, winners of 20 of its last 21 games, including a 26-point rout of Northern Iowa. That gives Rick Pitino’s group an edge in confidence heading into this matchup between Hall of Fame coaches.
The schematic question centers on Kansas’ interior defense, which could force St. John’s into more perimeter shooting — not its greatest strength. While St. John’s is the lean to win, the best angle may be a slower offensive start, with the physicality and tactical battle pointing toward a lower-scoring game early.Pick: 1H Under 67.5
What’s next for Kentucky, Mark Pope after high-priced roster underwhelms in short NCAA Tournament run
Kentucky’s season is officially over after losing 82-63 to No. 2 seed Iowa Stateon Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Just over 48 hours after No. 7 seed Kentucky secured a dramatic win over Santa Clara to advance behind late-game heroics from Otega Oweh, the Wildcats are going home.
The irony of that stretch is it’s a perfect microcosm of Kentucky’s season as a whole: A dramatic win followed by a letdown loss. Kentucky wasn’t favored in this game against Iowa State. However, Iowa State was without star player Joshua Jefferson after he suffered an ankle injury in the first round against Tennessee State.
Kentucky’s roster had a price tag of around $20 million. And to be blunt, the sheer talent on the roster didn’t match the high-dollar investment for most of the season. The win over Santa Clara was a great redemption moment for Oweh and a nice win for coach Mark Pope’s resume, but a second-round exit isn’t exactly great ROI.
What’s next for Kentucky, Mark Pope after high-priced roster underwhelms in short NCAA Tournament run
Cameron Salerno
Pregame thoughts on St. John’s vs. Kansas
SAN DIEGO — We are about 30 minutes from tipoff in what should be one of the best games of the second round between Kansas and St. John’s. The Jayhawks are coming off a close win over California Baptist in which Bill Self’s squad allowed a big run late. Kansas star Darryn Peterson, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, scored 28 that game. He’s going to face a big test against a stout St. John’s defense. Kansas will go as far as Peterson takes them. My pregame prediction is that Peterson has another big night. This game is truly a toss-up, but I like Kansas to pull off the upset against St. John’s. If it happens, it would be Duke vs. Kansas next week.
Iowa State steamrolls Kentucky
Final: (2) Iowa State 82, (7) Kentucky 63
Iowa State overcame the absence of All-American forward Joshua Jefferson and absolutely dominated Kentucky in the second half. The Cyclones forced a whopping 20 turnovers that they converted into 25 points as the Wildcats began to wilt following a hot start. Between the 20-7 turnover disparity and a 9-5 ISU edge in offensive rebounds, Iowa State got 16 more shots up than UK. Tamin Lipsey led the charge for the Cyclones with 26 points and 10 assists. Milan Momcilovic added 20.
Kentucky led 18-6 early while making four of its first five shots from 3-point range. Iowa State never panicked and systematically cruised into its third Sweet 16 in five years under T.J. Otzelberger.
Iowa State making its run
11:46 2H: Iowa State 52, Kentucky 40
Iowa State might be pulling away from Kentucky. The Cyclones are on a 13-4 run and sucking the life from a turnover-prone Kentucky team. The Wildcats have committed a whopping 17 turnovers, leading to 18 Iowa State points. The latest one was a steal by Killyan Toure, leading to an and-1 bucket from Nate Heise. Iowa State never panicked when it fell behind by 12 points early in the first half. Even with star forward Joshua Jefferson unavailable, the Cyclones kept chopping away. Now, they are less than 12 minutes away from the Sweet 16.
Iowa State on upset alert?
HALF: (2) Iowa State 31, (7) Kentucky 30
No. 2 seed Iowa State leads No. 7 seed Kentucky 31-30 at halftime after Nate Heise knocked down a corner 3-pointer in the final seconds of the half. Still, the Cyclones really struggled to shoot the ball in the opening half against the Wildcats. Iowa State shot 3 of 16 (18.8%) from the 3-point line. Iowa State ranked No. 6 among all Division I teams in 3-point shooting percentage, averaging just under 39% for the season.
Kentucky guard Denzel Aberdeen hit some big shots in the opening half and has 10 points. Kentucky is coming off an emotional upset win over Santa Clara earlier this week. Will there be an encore? Time will tell, but there has been no letdown so far.
Notably, Iowa State is playing without Joshua Jefferson. The All-American forward suffered an ankle injury earlier this week and was ruled out.
Iowa State and Kentucky tipping soon
(2) Iowa State vs. (7) Kentucky
2:45 p.m. | TNT
The absence of Iowa State star forward Joshua Jefferson because of an ankle injury suffered in the first round looms large over this matchup. Jefferson does a little bit of everything for Iowa State. Without him, this Cyclones team will have to reinvent itself with the season on the line. Having a veteran point guard in Tamin Lipsey will help, but this is going to be a test. Kentucky is playing with house money after a miraculous overtime win against Santa Clara in the first round.
Purdue heads to Sweet 16
Final: (2) Purdue 79, (7) Miami 69
No. 2 seed Purdue is marching on to the Sweet 16 for the third straight year and fourth time in the past five seasons. The Boilermakers got pushed by Miami but played at an ultra-efficient clip offensively. Fletcher Loyer and CJ Cox both made their mark from beyond the arc for Purdue. Cox hit three 3-pointers in the final two minutes of the first half to help end a Miami run that briefly saw the Hurricanes open up a 36-29 lead. Loyer was steady throughout, finishing with 24 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor.
The Boilermakers hit 21 of 22 free throws and shot 53.2% from the floor while averaging a whopping 1.27 points per possession.
Purdue guard CJ Cox suffers knee injury vs. Miami
Purdue has seized control with a 9-0 run to kickstart the second half, but CJ Cox went down with a non-contact knee injury on the fastbreak and was taken back to the locker room. Cox drilled three massive triples in the first half.
Gicarri Harris and Omer Mayer look poised for more minutes in Cox’s absence. He is questionable to return, per CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein.
Purdue leads Miami, 47-45, with 15:19 to go.
See More
