The men’s NCAA tournament tipped off on Thursday, and Friday was a lot more straightforward across the board as the opening round of the tournament came to a close.
But the madness truly started on Friday with the first game of the day.
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Drama during and after Kentucky-Santa Clara game
No. 7 Kentucky was on the verge of a first-round loss when No. 10 Santa Clara hit a go-ahead 3 with 2.4 seconds remaining in regulation. But the Wildcats raced down the court, and Otega Oweh (35 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists) launched a prayer from near halfcourt that banked off the glass and in as the buzzer sounded.
Oweh’s 3 sent the game to overtime, where Kentucky secured an 89-84 win to advance to the second round. But the drama wasn’t done.
After the game, Santa Clara head coach Herb Sendek was not pleased. He’d signaled for a dead-ball timeout after Santa Clara’s made 3 to set up his defense. But officials neither saw the signal nor granted a timeout as Kentucky rushed to get the ball back in play.
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“I unequivocally called timeout, but they didn’t grant it,” Sendek said in his postgame news conference. “I mean, I think the video evidence is clear.”
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Should Sendek have expected to be granted a timeout in that situation, or was Kentucky simply too quick on the ball for Sendek to reasonably expect one?
So, should Miami (Ohio) have made the field?
Miami (Ohio) entered the NCAA tournament as the most-debated at-large selection to make the field.
After a First Four win over No. 11 seed SMU and a blowout loss on Thursday to No. 6 Tennessee, it’s still unclear if the selection committee got things right.
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Miami put on a First Four show in beating an SMU team that also barely made the field. But it was outclassed and outmatched in a 78-56 loss to Tennessee on Thursday that strengthens the argument for Miami’s detractors: The Redhawks played a creampuff schedule with zero Quad 1 wins and didn’t deserve to make the field as an at-large team despite posting a 31-1 record.
Miami and High Point have lobbied this March for hesitant high-major teams to schedule them in the regular season. Doing so would give them a chance to boost their résumés and prove their tournament mettle before Selection Sunday. But there remains little incentive for power conference teams to do so. Until something changes, Miami won’t be the last mid-major at the center of this kind of conversation.
Iowa State loses star Joshua Jefferson
No. 2 Iowa State might be in a bit of trouble.
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The Cyclones had absolutely no issue getting past No. 15 Tennessee State on Friday afternoon to kick off their NCAA tournament run. They rolled to a 108-74 blowout win. But the Cyclones lost star Joshua Jefferson early to an apparent ankle injury.
Jefferson went down after making a layup not even three minutes into the contest, and looked like he was in a lot of pain almost immediately. He was helped off the floor and didn’t return.
X-rays came back negative after the game, but it’s unclear how long Jefferson will be sidelined. Jefferson averaged 17 points and 7.6 rebounds per game this season, and was a huge part in the Cyclones securing a No. 2 seed in the tournament and contending with the top tier of the Big 12.
“I felt like I was back there for a long time just going through pain, but I was happy nothing came back serious,” Jefferson said, via CycloneFanatic’s Rob Gray. “So, just take that information back and then try to get healthy … I’m gonna hit my rehab hard.”
The Cyclones will take on Kentucky in the second round on Sunday. The Wildcats got past Santa Clara in a wild overtime battle earlier on Friday to reach the second round. While pulling off a win without Jefferson isn’t out of the question, he would be a huge boost for the program as it attempts to reach its third Sweet 16 in the past five years.
Live coverage is over177 updatesFri, March 20, 2026 at 9:58 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
Like upsets? Then Friday wasn’t your day. Every single betting favorite won today, which is the first time that’s happened in the opening round of an NCAA tournament since 1992.
Fri, March 20, 2026 at 9:46 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
Credit to the 15 seeded Paladins for putting up a fight, but Tarris Reed and the Huskies were just too much.
UConn moves on to face No. 7 UCLA in the next round.
Fri, March 20, 2026 at 9:41 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
UConn is in control and likely going to hang on here and Tarris Reed Jr. is a big reason why. He’s got 31 points and 27 rebounds as UConn leads 80-67 with under a minute to play.
Fri, March 20, 2026 at 9:31 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
UConn is up 72-65 with 3:59 to play. Does Furman have one more run in them?
Fri, March 20, 2026 at 9:29 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
Malik Reneau scored 24, Tre Donaldson added 17 and the Hurricanes gutted out a win over a Missouri team that was playing in front of a very friendly crowd in St. Louis.
Miami moves on to face No. 2 Purdue in the second round.
Fri, March 20, 2026 at 9:26 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Canes simply blitzed Mizzou in the closing minutes.
Miami leads by 11 with under 40 seconds to play.
Fri, March 20, 2026 at 9:21 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
UConn has led almost the entire game but Furman has kept contact all the way through.
Huskies lead 67-61 with 6:59 to play.
Fri, March 20, 2026 at 9:14 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Jayhawks can breathe a sigh of relief, but holy cow, what a collapse. They let Cal Baptist back into a game they were leading by 26 at one point. It fits Kansas’ narrative on the season: They’re capable of beating anybody, or themselves, on any given night.
Fri, March 20, 2026 at 9:12 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Hurricanes wil have two free throws after the break too.
Fri, March 20, 2026 at 9:08 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Lancers are alive! There’s only 1:23 left but they’ve rallied all the way back into this thing. Dominique Daniels is on fire. It’s a 6-point game late!
Fri, March 20, 2026 at 9:06 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
After Mizzou briefly took the lead, the Canes went on a 7-0 run to recaptured the advantage. Miami leads 59-54 with 6:04 to play after Malik Reneau (17 points) knocks down a 3.
Fri, March 20, 2026 at 9:03 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
It may end up being too little too late, but Dominique Daniels and Cal Baptist are lighting it up late in their East region matchup with Kansas. Fifteen of Daniels’ 20 points have come in the second half.
Fri, March 20, 2026 at 9:02 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
Reed is now 10 for 11 with 23 points, and UConn leads Furman 56-47 at the under-16 timeout.
Fri, March 20, 2026 at 9:01 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
Stone has 21 points for the game, 14 since halftime, and he’s helped Missouri take the upper hand in this one.
Tigers lead Miami 54-52 with 7:39 to play.
Fri, March 20, 2026 at 8:57 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Tigers last led when the game was 2-0. It’s now 51-49
Fri, March 20, 2026 at 8:55 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Lancers have worked their way back from a 26-point deficit and now it’s only 12 points with 6 minutes left after a wild hot streak by Dominique Daniels.
Fri, March 20, 2026 at 8:53 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Huskies open the 2nd half on a 10-4 run and force a Furman timeout.
UConn’s lead is up to 50-40 in the opening minutes of the half.
Fri, March 20, 2026 at 8:51 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
The lead has hovered in the single digits most of the game, but the Canes are keeping Mizzou at bay, leading 49-43 with 10:13 to play.
Fri, March 20, 2026 at 8:48 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
It’s the second-largest margin of victory in NCAA tournament history and the most points Florida has ever scored in a tournament game.
Seven different Gators had double digits in the 114-55 win.
Fri, March 20, 2026 at 8:45 PM PDT
Nick Bromberg
Yet the Hurricanes only lead by three. Miami can think that it should be up double digits, while Missouri can wonder how much it would be leading by if it could keep the Hurricanes off the offensive glass.