Eight Standout Performances From the First Round of the NCAA Tournament

The first day of March Madness delivered on all fronts for college basketball fans.

We got upsets, we got blowouts, we got a wildly close call to the best team in the country. Folks, the tournament is off to a rollicking start.

Through Thursday’s action, we’ve been tracking some of the best standout performances from players who helped propel their team to victory, or in a few cases, put up gaudy numbers even in a loss.

Take a look below at the heroes from the first day of March Madness.

Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner celebrates after making a basket during a first-round game against McNeese State. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tanner had the biggest performance of the early window of the tournament’s opening day, as he helped rally Vanderbilt for a 78–68 win over McNeese State. The Commodores trailed by 12 in the first half, but came back to take the lead by halftime and held on to earn the program’s first NCAA tournament victory since 2012.

Vanderbilt was paced by Tanner, a sophomore guard who dropped a game-high 26 points, while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out five assists. He hit three shots from deep, but did a lot of key work at the free throw line, where he went 9 for 10. A first-team All-SEC pick, Tanner has been a rock for the Commodores all season and that continued on Thursday.

Rob Martin, High Point

High Point Panthers guard Rob Martin dribbles against the Wisconsin Badgers. — High Point guard Rob Martin dribbles against Wisconsin. | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

The first big upset of the 2026 tournament featured one of its best performances. High Point, the West Region’s No. 12 seed, took down fifth-seeded Wisconsin 83–82 in a tight, back-and-forth contest. While many will remember Chase Johnston nailing logo three-pointers and making the game-sealing layup for his first two-pointer of the season, Rob Martin was the reason the Panthers were in the game.

Martin had a team-high 23 points, while dishing out 10 assists, grabbing three rebounds and blocking two shots. Most crucially, in 36 minutes, the senior point guard turned the ball over only once. Martin transferred to High Point for his final season after spending the previous two at Southeast Missouri State. It has paid off for him after he earned first-team All–Big South accolades and now has an NCAA tournament win under his belt.

Isaac McKneely, Louisville

Louisville Cardinals guard Isaac McKneely reacts to a play during the second half against the South Florida Bulls. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Louisville was locked in a tight battle with South Florida before coming out on top 83–79. The Cardinals can thank their sharpshooting guard for the victory. No, not that one, the other one. It was Isaac McKneely, not Ryan Conwell who helped lift his team into the second round.

The 6' 4" senior led Louisville with 23 points and was on fire from deep the day after he had staples removed from his head—the result of taking a stray elbow from a teammate during the ACC tournament. McKneeley went 7 for 10 from beyond the arc, and chipped in with three rebounds, two assists and a steal. With starting point guard Mikel Brown Jr. out due to a back injury, the Cardinals needed someone in the backcourt to step up. McKneely did just that.

Cameron Boozer, Duke

Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer grabs a rebound against the Siena Saints. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Duke didn’t look good on Thursday, but the No. 1 overall seed survived a stern test from Siena because of its biggest star. The Blue Devils squeezed out a 71–65 victory over the Saints, largely thanks to a bruising performance from likely national player of the year Cameron Boozer.

Boozer led all scorers with 22 points, while grabbing 13 rebounds, adding three assists and a block. The freshman struggled from the field, as he only went 4 for 11 in 39 minutes. He made up for that by getting to the free throw line and making 13-of-14 attempts. To win in the tournament, teams need their best players stepping up. Boozer did that for Duke as they snuck through the opening round.

Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas

Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr. drives against Hawaii Rainbow Warriors forward Harry Rouhliadeff. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Arkansas was as impressive as anyone on Thursday, scoring a blowout win over Hawai’i in the opening round. The 97–78 victory was a chance for one of the nation’s leading scorers to show off, as freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr. looked fantastic.

Acuff led all scorers with 24 points, which is just above his season average of 22.9. He also had seven assists, three rebounds and one steal as the Razorbacks poured it on to defeat the Rainbow Warriors. A consensus first-team All-American and the SEC Player of the Year, Acuff helped show why Arkansas is a dark horse to win the whole thing.

David Punch, TCU

TCU Horned Frogs forward David Punch dribbles the ball against the Ohio State Buckeyes. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

TCU led Ohio State by 15 at the half and nearly gave the whole thing up, but a key assist from David Punch helped the ninth-seeded Horned Frogs seal a 66–64 opening-game victory against eighth-seeded Ohio State. A rugged 6' 7" sophomore forward, Punch scored 16 points while grabbing 13 rebounds and swatting three blocks against the Buckeyes, but his biggest play didn’t add points to his ledger.

On TCU’s final possession with the score tied 64–64, Punch looked for his own shot but couldn’t find it. Instead, he fed forward Xavier Edmonds in the post with a perfect pass. Edmunds didn’t make a mistake, as he dropped in a layup to give the Horned Frogs the lead 4.3 seconds remaining.

It was a big win for TCU, which has now won seven of its last eight and 10 of its last 12. Duke is waiting in the second round.

Terrence Hill Jr., VCU

VCU Rams guard Terrence Hill Jr. dribbles the ball against North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

No. 11 VCU made a bit of NCAA tournament history on Thursday, erasing a 19-point deficit against No. 6 North Carolina to eventually take an 82–78 win in overtime. The win marked the biggest first-round comeback in March Madness history, and it would not have happened if not for the heroic effort from Terrence Hill Jr.

Hill went 7 of 10 from beyond the arc for the Rams, and scored 23 of his 34 points on the night after halftime. It was his last three—drained with 15 seconds left in an excruciating overtime where both teams were clearly gassed—that sealed the deal.

AJ Dybantsa, BYU

BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa dunks in the second half against the Texas Longhorns. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

No. 6 BYU was not able to hold off an impressive effort from No. 11 Texas, but AJ Dybantsa took the only March Madness game of his career and showed the world why he’s expected to be one of the top picks come this year’s NBA draft.

Dybantsa led the Cougars with 35 points and 10 rebounds, and while it was a less-than-stellar shooting night—he was just 1 of 7 from three—his highlights were the type of highlight that make you step back and think “Wow that kid is good.”

More March Madness From Sports Illustrated

Listen to SI’s college sports podcast, Others Receiving Votes, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.